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University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
8-1-4
Harvard
3-3-1
#4 WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY SKATES TO 1-1 TIE AT HARVARD
11/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
|
| LINDSEY MINTON |
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.
– Lindsey Minton (Richardson, Texas)
recorded a season-high 27 saves and Micaela Long
(South Boston, Mass.) scored a shorthanded goal to lead the
fourth-ranked University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey
team to Wednesday night's 1-1 tie against Harvard University
at Bright Hockey Center.
UNH extended its unbeaten streak to six games (3-0-3) to move to
8-1-4 overall, while Harvard is now 3-3-1. Each of the last three
games ¬– and four of the last five meetings – in
this series have gone into overtime; UNH prevailed 3-2 last year at
Harvard and the teams skated to a 1-1 tie last December at the
Whittemore Center. The Wildcats are now 6-0-3 in the last nine
games vs. the Crimson.
Minton made 10 saves in the third period and two in the overtime as
she kept the Crimson scoreless for the final 59:39 of the game. HU
goalie Christina Kessler finished with 24 saves, including two in
the five-minute extra session.
Harvard recorded a 10-6 shot advantage and 1-0 lead in the first
period. Katharine Chute intercepted a pass in the offensive zone,
skated in from the left circle towards the net in a 2-on-the goalie
rush. She kept the puck and wristed a shot into the upper-right
corner of the net for the game's first goal at 5:21.
UNH netted the only goal of the second stanza with a 10-6 edge in
shots. The Crimson opened the period with 48 seconds remaining on a
power play, but the Wildcats potted their first shorthanded goal of
the season at 41 seconds to level the score, 1-1. Long fought for
possession of the puck behind the net and circled around the right
post to the top of the crease and, while fending off a pair of
Harvard skaters, fired a backhander that eluded Kessler.
The 'Cats continued to pressure and went on the power play at
1:44. In the opening seconds, a slap shot by Courtney
Birchard (Mississauga, Ontario) from the right point was
redirected by Long at the near post, but Kessler was in position to
block aside the shot. UNH cycled the puck to the left circle, where
Kelly Paton (Woodstock, Ontario) wristed a shot
that caromed off the crossbar. Moments later, another Birchard slap
shot from the right point was snared by Kessler's glove.
In the fifth minute, Raylen Dziengelewski
(Southwick, Mass.) made a tape-to-tape pass from the defensive zone
that sent Kristine Horn (Utica, Mich.) on a rush
up the slot. From the hashmarks, Horn snapped a shot just high of
the upper-right corner of the cage.
One of Harvard's most dangerous scoring opportunities in the
second period occurred midway through the frame, when Anna
McDonald's shot from the left circle caromed off the right
post.
UNH established offensive pressure in the closing minutes of the
middle stanza as Kessler turned aside a flurry created by Paton,
Paige Goloubef (Oakville, Ontario) and
Molly Morrison (South Burlington, Vt.).
In the scoreless third period, UNH's best pressure came in
the last four minutes as sustained pressure led to a Julie
Allen (Brampton, Ontario) shot off a rebound at the left
post, but Kessler enveloped that shot. The Wildcats went on the
power play with 1:35 remaining in regulation and Kessler twice
denied Horn at the left post in the last minute.
The 'Cats carried the power play for 25 seconds into the
overtime session, but could not generate pressure. Harvard went on
its fifth power play of the night at 3:31, but UNH's penalty
kill prevented the Crimson from generating an attack the rest of
the way.
UNH is 0-0-4 in four overtime games this season, and the Wildcats
are unbeaten in their last 21 overtime games (5-0-16) dating back
to the 2006 season.
New Hampshire returns to action at home Nov. 21 (5 p.m.) against
Rensselaer. The Whittemore Center will then be the site of an
exhibition game between the Women's Hockey East All-Stars and
the 2009-10 U.S. Women's National Team on Nov. 22 (1 p.m.).
Tickets for both games are available now.
