Women's Ice Hockey Edged 2-1 at Merrimack

Saturday, October 17

North Andover, Mass.

3 PM

University of New Hampshire

0-4-0, 0-2-0HEA

Merrimack College

1-4-0, 1-0-0HEA

Team	1	2	3	F
UNH	0	0	1	1
Merrimack	1	0	1	2

Photo by: Paige O'Donnell

10/17/2015 5:41:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey

Box Score

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team recorded a 35-12 shot advantage Saturday afternoon against Merrimack College, but the Warriors fended off UNH's rally to record a 2-1 victory at Lawler Rink.

UNH is now 0-4-0 overall and 0-2-0 in Hockey East. Merrimack won its first game of the season to improve to 1-4-0, 1-0-0.

Jonna Curtis (Elk River, Minn.) scored at 12:02 of the third period to lift the Wildcats within 2-1. Ashley Wilkes (North Pole, Alaska), in her first action of the season, made 10 saves.

Samantha Ridgewell backboned the Warriors to victory with a 34-save effort that included 15 saves in the first period. Paige Voight and Jackie Pieper were the goal scorers while Meghan Martin tallied two assists.

UNH went on its second power play of the game at 1:10 of the third period but the Warriors scored a shorthanded goal 26 seconds later to double the lead to 2-0. Jackie Pieper split a par of defenders in the right circle before beating Wilkes for the tally, which was set up by Martin and Paige Sorensen.

The Wildcats trimmed the deficit to 2-1 at 12:02 when Taylor Wenczkowski (Rochester, N.H.) slipped a diagonal pass from the top-left circle down low to Curtis, who had lost her footing and was sliding on the ice but still fired a shot into the net. Amy Schlagel (Blaine, Maine) was credited with the secondary assist for her team-leading third helper of the season.

Carlson was denied by Ridgewell with 2:53 remaining in regulation. One minute later, Ridgewell preserved the one-goal lead with a save against Wenczkowski.

UNH pulled Wilkes in favor of an extra skater with 47 seconds on the clock and called time out with 26.6 seconds to play. UNH's Amy Boucher (Edmonton, Alberta) won the ensuing faceoff and Carlson's shot from the point was stopped by Ridgewell. Boucher won another faceoff, and this time Schlagel's shot was blocked by Pieper.

With eight seconds left, Boucher won yet another faceoff, Curtis sent a shot wide of the cage and time expired before UNH could score the equalizer.

New Hampshire went on the first power play of the game at 7:49 of the first period and sustained pressure in the offensive zone, but only one of the eight attempted shots during the skater advantage was on goal. The 'Cats peppered Ridgewell with eight shots in a five-minute span, but she kept the game scoreless.

MC took a 1-0 lead at 18:47 of the first period on Voight's second goal of the year. UNH trailed by that one-goal margin at the first intermission despite recording a 15-3 shot advantage in the opening 20 minutes.

The Wildcats recorded a 10-3 shot advantage in the scoreless second period.

New Hampshire returns to action Oct. 18 (2 p.m.) at second-ranked Boston College. The Wildcats' next home game is Nov. 1 (2 p.m.) against Boston University. Tickets for that game at the Whittemore Center and all other women's ice hockey home games are available by calling 603-862-4000, ext. 5 or visiting www.unhwildcats.com.

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