SADIE WRIGHT-WARD

WAKEFIELD, Mass.  – The second-ranked University of New Hampshire women’s ice hockey team swept Hockey East’s weekly awards for the second consecutive week, the league announced Monday. Sadie Wright-Ward (Durham, N.H.) was named TPS Hockey Player of the Week, Kayley Herman (Weyburn, Sask.) received the Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week award and Courtney Birchard (Mississauga, Ontario) was honored as Missionn Rookie of the Week.

The trio helped propel UNH to a 3-2 overtime victory against sixth-ranked St. Lawrence University in an NCAA quarterfinal game at the Whittemore Center on March 15. Wright-Ward netted the game-winning goal at 2:40 of OT to lift the Wildcats to their second Frozen Four in the last three years.

Herman finished the game with 20 saves, including 10 in the second period, against the fourth-ranked offense in the nation that was averaging 3.97 goals per game.

KAYLEY HERMAN

Birchard scored UNH’s first goal of the game on a highlight-reel effort in which she beat two defenders before deking the goalie and depositing the puck into an open net to tie the score, 1-1, at 6:28 of the second period. She finished with a game-high six shots and had a +1 rating.

UNH (33-3-1) faces off against third-ranked University of Minnesota-Duluth (32-4-1) in a 2008 Women’s Ice Hockey Championship semifinal game March 20 (9 p.m. Eastern) at UMD’s DECC.

Tickets are available at the Whittemore Center box office or by calling (603) 862-4000 ext. 5 until Wednesday, March 19 at noon; after that time, tickets must be purchased through the UMD ticket office.

COURTNEY BIRCHARD