BOSTON — To pass Kasey Boucher walking up Commonwealth Ave. in Boston, she would blend in.

A normal, well-rounded college sophomore scurrying from class to class on the sprawling urban campus doesn’t command much attention, nor would she want to be in the spotlight. Her hair pulled back in a long ponytail, bobbing side to side, the Lewiston native disappears into a crowd as well as anyone.

When she straps on shin guards and shoulder pads, laces up her hockey skates and plops that scarlet and white Boston University helmet on her head, though, it’s hard to miss her.

“I remember visiting here after my junior year and people were telling me, ‘It’s a really big school, really spread out, I don’t know if you’ll like it,'” Boucher recalled. “My parents were kind of skeptical of Boston, being from Maine. And then we got here, and we all loved it here, the atmosphere. It was the first school I visited and nothing else felt as good.”

The Terriers are thankful they and the city of Boston made such an impression. Boucher, whose hockey stops at the high school level included Hebron and the North American Hockey Academy while also attending Lewiston High School academically, is one of Boston University’s top shut-down defensemen, and one of the best in all of Hockey East as a sophomore.

“She’s a very smart player,” BU assistant coach Katie Lachapelle said. “She may not have the hardest shot, but she’s pretty much always making the right play, whether it’s being in the right position defensively, or when she has the puck, making a tight turn to lose a player and getting that nice first pass.”

Lachapelle knows a little bit about leaving Lewiston for a big city. A 1995 graduate of Lewiston High School, Lachapelle played collegiate hockey at Providence College.

“On the bench, on the ice and off the ice, we’ll make comments like, ‘You’d have to be from Lewiston to understand,’ thing like that,” Boucher said with a laugh. “Some people don’t get it. She’s a great coach.”

Ironically enough, Boucher had already committed to BU before knowing that Lachapelle would be there, too. Making the transition was something for which she was prepared, though maybe not fully.

“At NAHA (North American Hockey Academy), it was always hockey, hockey hockey, but here, it’s a step up in everything,” Boucher said. “The classes are so much harder, the commitment to the team is so much stronger here.

“It’s a big difference going from Stowe, Vermont and Lewiston, Maine to Boston,” Boucher added. “There’s a lot more to do here, and there can be lots of distractions. But I love it here, and I probably will stay near a big city after college, at least for a little while.”

There’s plenty of time for her to reconsider, of course, but the way Boucher is playing, learning and adjusting in Beantown, it’s easy to see why she’s so enamored.

After a freshman season that was a minor source of frustration for Boucher (no goals, five assists in more than 30 games), she’s broken out this year, scoring three goals and adding four assists for seven points in just 15 games.

“I’m not quite sure what happened last year, and I don’t know if the bounces are just going my way this year,” Boucher said. “Just being not a freshman anymore, I guess I’m feeling a little bit more comfortable on the ice.”

With family and friends in the stands at Walter Brown Arena at BU, Boucher finally broke the ice in the goals column.

“It felt really good to finally get it, to see the puck in the back of the net,” Boucher said. “It was funny, because my brother, my brother’s friends and my parents were here that game, and I scored two goals in that game, after not scoring any all of last year. I couldn’t explain it.

“I was obviously pretty happy, but more surprised than anything,” Boucher added. “I didn’t think it went in at first, so it was a bit of a delayed celebration.”

Boston is currently ranked eighth in the country, and parity has swept through the league this season. The Terrier are 6-4-5, including a pair of ties with Ohio State and a tie with No. 4 UNH.

Like any hockey player, the ultimate prize for Boucher, and for her teammates, would be a championship. Especially, Boucher said, since the BU men’s team is fresh off its most recent national title.

“It obviously would be amazing to win a national championship,” Boucher said. “It doesn’t help that the guys won last year, either. They got their rings (last week), and I think they’re the size of my hand.”

The next stop for Boucher is a homecoming of sorts. Boston University will travel Tuesday to Lewiston to face off against the University of Maine at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. It will be the first time Boucher has played competitively at the rink since peewees.

“I haven’t played on that ice since they redid the rink for the Maineiacs, honestly,” Boucher said. “I haven’t even skated even once, so it will be fun to skate back in Lewiston again. It will definitely bring back some Lewiston travel hockey memories. I still have a lot of friends and family around, and I know Katie does too. It should be fun.”

Defenseman Kasey Boucher turns up ice during a game earlier this season at Boston University. Boucher, a Lewiston native, returns to her hometown Tuesday to face the Maine Black Bears.