BOSTON — BU did everything but score.
Against Northeastern — a team not even fighting for its season — the Terriers couldn’t muster more than one goal, and with that, their season is over with a 2-1 double-overtime loss in the Hockey East quarterfinal.
What’s frustrating for BU is that it played a complete game on Saturday at Walter Brown Arena. The Terriers sustained possession in the offensive zone in stretches, forechecked hard, and held up defensively overall.
It was the performance BU needed with its season on the line, and the Terriers got everything but the result, an issue that’s plagued them all year.
The 2025-26 season has been one of ups and downs, but one thing has stayed consistent through 35 games: BU’s inability to capitalize on its chances.
Head coach Tara Watchorn is going to be kicking herself, because this was a game the Terriers could’ve won.
Here are three takeaways:
There’s not much more to say about Sydney Healey
Aside from wondering when her shoulders will start hurting. Because Healey carried BU all season. And — not to take away from the rest of the Terriers’ roster, which did play well — but the story was no different on Saturday afternoon.
When BU needed a moment, Healey did it all by herself. On the penalty kill, she won the race to a loose puck, muscled her way through a defender in the neutral zone and, from the bottom of the right circle, rifled a wrister over Jönsson, NU’s star goalie. It was her 18th goal and 29th point of the season — both lead BU by double digits — and her second shorty in as many playoff games after her game-winner against Providence in the first round.
Plenty of Terriers didn’t have the season they hoped for. Some even regressed. But Healey — after an enormous junior season that saw her lead BU in goals and points and score the Hockey East-winning goal — got even better. — Sam Robb O’Hagan
BU managed its limitations well
For the sixth straight game, Watchorn only dressed five defenders. The first of those games was a 5-2 loss to these Huskies at Walter Brown Arena, in a loss in which BU and its two defensive pairs struggled to manage the waves of Northeastern talent.
Part of the problem in that game, Watchorn said, was BU’s lack of discipline when ending shifts. Too often, players stayed on the ice too long, which, unsurprisingly, caused fatigue and led to the Terriers’ overall performance trailing off dramatically after a strong first period. How BU ends its shifts is a priority for Watchorn always, and its importance increases significantly with only five defenders.
BU handled it much better on Saturday. The Terriers were only hemmed into their zone — a classic indicator of a shift lasting too long — a few times. And after a strong first period (more on that below) ended with BU still trailing by a goal, the Terriers maintained their level for 60 minutes. — Robb O’Hagan
Lone mistake extinguishes a good first period
Margins are thinner in the postseason, just ask Tessa Demain.
Just 4:32 into regulation, the sophomore defender misjudged a bounding puck at the blue line, catapulting Èloïse Caron, alone, on goal, an opportunity she took advantage of, rifling a shot past Mari Pietersen to put Northeastern in front.
BU outplayed the Huskies in the first period, but one mistake that NU’s Caron capitalized on was the difference early. The Terriers outshot the Huskies 11-9 in the opening 20 minutes, and though NU came on late with sustained offensive zone time, BU had more quality chances — yet entered the locker room down 1-0. — Eli Cloutier