Boston University used a quick strike at the start of each period to defeat Mercyhurst 4-1 in Friday night's second NCAA women's hockey semifinal at Ridder Arena, setting up a championship showdown Sunday against the Gophers.
The Terriers might not have a 48-game winning streak, like Minnesota's, but BU has won 10 in a row and seems to be peaking at the right time.
Senior forward Jenelle Kohanchuk scored 13 seconds into the game, immediately putting Mercyhurst (29-7-1) on its heels.
"We obviously got the good fortune of having one find the top corner to start the game, a real good shot, and that certainly loosened us up a little bit," Terriers coach Brian Durocher said.
The Terriers had another goal disallowed in the first period, but Isabel Menard made it 2-0 one minute into the second.
Early in the third period, Kathryn Miller scored to make it 3-0, and that was more than enough for Terriers junior goaltender Kerrin Sperry, who finished with 27 saves.
BU's top scorer, junior forward Marie-Philip Poulin, assisted on the first goal and scored her 18th goal of the season to make it 4-0. As an 18-year-old, she scored both goals when Team Canada defeated Team USA 2-0 for the gold medal at the 2010 Olympics.
BU (28-5-3) advanced to its second NCAA title game. The Terriers lost to Wisconsin 4-1 for the 2011 championship. No team outside of the WCHA has won it all since the NCAA started crowning a champion in 2001.
