Vaattovaara's 18 Saves Backbones Women's Hockey to 4-0 Win at Vermont

Friday, October 30

Burlington, Vt.

7 PM

University of New Hampshire

1-7-0, 1-3-0WHEA

University of Vermont

1-8-0, 1-2-0WHEA

New Hampshire

Vermont

Vaattovaara's 18 Saves Backbones Women's Hockey to 4-0 Win at Vermont

10/30/2015 9:47:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey

Box Score

BURLINGTON, Vt. – Vilma Vaattovaara (Veikkola, Finland) stopped all 18 shots and three skaters scored their first career goal to lead the University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team to Friday night's 4-0 victory against the University of Vermont at Gutterson Fieldhouse.

UNH recorded its first win of the season to improve to 1-7-0 overall and 1-3-0 in Hockye East. The Wildcats recorded the edge in shots all three periods, including 13-4 in the third, to finish with a 32-18 advantage. Vermont slipped to 1-8-0, 1-2-0.

New Hampshire returns to action at home against Boston University on Nov. 1 (2 p.m.). 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.

Vaattovaara recorded her fourth career shutout with her 18-save effort; she made half those stops in the second period. Sophomore defenseman Kaylee Forster (Zimmerman, Minn.), sophomore forward Carlee Toews (Grand Prairie, Alberta) and freshman forward Devan Taylor (North Billerica, Mass.) all scored their first career goal, and it also marked the first career point for Forster.

Sara Carlson (Hutchinson, Minn.) scored UNH's other goal. Cassandra Vilgrain (Calgary, Alberta), the only skater with multiple points, matched her career high of two assists. Haley Breedlove (Plano, Texas), Jonna Curtis (Elk River, Minn.), Nicoline Jensen (Rodovre, Denmark), Margo Lund (St. Paul, Minn.) and Marie-Jo Pelletier (Dalhousie, New Brunswick) each tallied one assist.

UVM starting goaltender Molly Depew was credited with 23 saves and exited the game when the Wildcats took a 4-0 lead at 13:27 of the third period. Madison Litchfield played the final 6:33 of the game and recorded five saves.

Both goaltenders made two saves before Vilgrain nearly scored the game's first goal when her shot ricocheted off the post in the seventh minute of the first period. UNH went on the first power play of the game at 9:41, but the Catamounts' penalty kill limited the Wildcats to one shot, and Depew turned aside that shot off the stick of Jenn Rheault (Deering, N.H.).

UNH finished with an 8-5 shot advantage in the scoreless first period.

The Wildcats netted a pair of second-period goals. Forster broke the scoreless deadlock at 11:35 with the assistance of Vilgrain and Jensen. Just over three minutes later, Toews scored off her own rebound to extend the advantage to 2-0 at 14:43. Lund, whose initial shot was blocked, and Breedlove were credited with assists.

Vaattovaara preserved that two-goal margin with four saves the ensuing four mintues, and then UVM went on the power play at 18:43. UNH's strong defensive effort blocked all three Vermont shot attempts the rest of the period to send the Wildcats into the second intermission with a 2-0 lead.

The Catamounts opened the third period with 43 seconds remaining on the skater advantage, but once again New Hampshire's strong penalty kill prevented any shot attempts from getting to Vaattovaara by blocking two shots.

Vermont went back on the power play at 9:55 and Vaattovaara made one save – on a shot off Victoria Andreakos' stick – to keep the Catamounts scoreless before the home team was whistled for holding at 10:48 to end the skater advantage.

UNH controlled play during the 4-on-4, but Depew denied Vilgrain to keep the UVM within two goals. The Wildcats did not record a shot during the abbreviated power play of 53 seconds, but Carlson scored on a shot from the point exactly when the Catamounts returned to full strength at 12:48 to give UNH a 3-0 lead.

Taylor redirected Pelletier's shot into the net 39 seconds later to extend the advantage to 4-0. Curtis was also credited with an assist.

Vaattovaara denied UVM top scorer Dayna Colang with 5:02 remaining in regulation and the Wildcats did not allow another shot the rest of the game. The Catamounts were shorthanded for 3:16 of that time, however, because of an interference infraction at 15:44 and checking call at 17:00. Litchfield made saves against Jensen, Rheault and Amy Schlagel (Blaine, Minn.) during UNH's two-skater advantage.

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