GAME NOTES: Women's Hockey Plays Host to Lindenwood, Syracuse

Friday, October 9

Durham, N.H.

5 PM

University of New Hampshire

Lindenwood University

Tickets

GAME NOTES: Women's Hockey Plays Host to Lindenwood, Syracuse

10/7/2015 12:05:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey

Lindenwood Lady Lions (0-4-0, 0-0-0 CHA) at UNH Wildcats (0-1-0, 0-1-0 WHEA)
Friday, Oct. 9 (5 p.m.) – Whittemore Center – Durham, N.H.

Syracuse Orange (0-1-0, 0-0-0 CHA) at UNH Wildcats (0-1-0, 0-1-0 WHEA)
Saturday, Oct. 10 (2 p.m.) – Whittemore Center – Durham, N.H.

The Games
The University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team plays host to CHA representatives Lindenwood University (Oct. 9; 5 p.m.) and Syracuse University (Oct. 10; 2 p.m.) this weekend.

The Matchups
Friday's game vs. Lindenwood will be the first meeting between these programs.
UNH has a 3-2-1 lifetime record, including 2-1-0 at the Whittemore Center, against Syracuse. Last year (Oct. 11, 2014) at Tennity Ice Pavillion, the teams skated to a 2-2 tie as the Wildcats extended their unbeaten streak vs. the Orange to three games (2-0-1).
UNH's Amy Boucher leveled the score, 1-1, midway through the first period and Jonna Curtis scored the game-tying goal at 8:01 of the third. New Hampshire netminder Vilma Vaattovaara made 38 saves, including 17 in the second period.
SU finished with a 40-32 shot advantage, but the Wildcats recorded the edge in both the third period (13-7) and overtime (4-3). Both teams went 0-for-2 on the power play.
In the most recent matchup at the Whitt (Oct. 5, 2013), UNH prevailed 3-2.
The last time Syracuse defeated New Hampshire was Oct. 8, 2011, when the Orange won 2-1 at the Whitt.

The State of New Hampshire
UNH opened the 2015-16 season last Friday (Oct. 2) with a 4-0 loss to Hockey East rival Maine at the Whittemore Center. It marked the third consecutive year the Wildcats opened the season with a loss; overall, the 'Cats are 31-6-2 in season openers.
There were 737 fans in attendance for the season opener at the Whitt; it marked the highest home attendance since Oct. 5, 2013, when 861 attended a 3-2 win vs. Syracuse. Last year in 17 home games, the Wildcats averaged 252 fans with a high of 343.
UNH is 0-1-0 at home this season. Last year, the Wildcats had a 4-12-1 record at the Whittemore Center.
New Hampshire has been shut out nine times the past 37 games.
The 'Cats have fallen behind 1-0 in 28 of the last 37 games.
On special teams, UNH is 0-for-4 on the power play and 3 of 4 on the penalty kill.

At A Glance
UNH is led by second-year head coach Hilary Witt, who guided the Wildcats to a 10-23-3 overall record that included 6-13-2 in Hockey East for a sixth-place finish in the 2014-15 season. The 'Cats went 2-3-2 the last seven games of the regular season and then pushed third-seeded Northeastern University to the limit in the best-of-three quarterfinal series (2-1 win; 3-2 loss; 4-3 loss).
A total of 17 letterwinners – with a breakdown of 11 forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders – return from last year's squad. UNH lost seven players (F-4; D-2; G-1) to graduation.
New Hampshire welcomes seven student-athletes (F-3; D-2; G-2) to the program this season.
The top three point producers – and 5 of 7 double-digit performers – return to the lineup. Junior forward Jonna Curtis led the 'Cats in goals (13) and points (22) and tied for first in assists (nine). Sophomore forward Amy Boucher ranked second in both goals (10) and points (17) while senior forward Nicoline Jensen tied Curtis' assist total and was third in points (15).
The top two goaltenders also return to this year's roster. Senior Vilma Vaattovaara played in 27 games (all starts) and went 8-16-3 with a 2.82 GAA and .904 save percentage, both of which marked single-season bests; her numbers were very similar in Hockey East league action with a 2.88 GAA and .903 save percentage in 16 games. Junior Ashley Wilkes played in 10 games overall with a 3.29 GAA and .895 save percentage.

'Cat Nips
Freshman goaltender Hilary Cashin stopped 17 of 20 shots in her collegiate debut Oct. 2 vs. Maine, a game that was won 4-0 by the Black Bears at the Whittemore Center. Cashin stopped all 12 shots she faced in the second period.
The last freshman to start a season opener in goal for the Wildcats was current senior Vilma Vaattovaara, who made 35 saves to backbone the 'Cats to a 4-3 victory at Syracuse on Oct. 5, 2012.
Five other freshmen made their UNH debuts in the season opener vs. Maine. They were forwards Caitlyn Radatovich, Devan Taylor and Taylor Wenczkowski as well as defensemen Marie-Jo Pelletier and Jenna Rheault.
Pelletier recorded a team-high four blocks and Rheault was second with two.
Sophomore forward Amy Boucher won 11 of 17 faceoffs against Maine; she led the 'Cats in wins, total faceoffs and win percentage (.647).
Senior forward Nicoline Jensen also had a solid game in the faceoff circle, where she won 9 of 14 draws (64.3%).
Junior forward Jonna Curtis recorded a team-high seven shots.

What Just Happened
Maine scored a pair of goals in the first and third periods to skate to a 4-0 victory against New Hampshire in the Oct. 2 season opener at the Whittemore Center. Audra Richards scored three goals, including an empty-netter with 1:47 remaining to secure the victory.
UNH freshman goaltender Hilary Cashin made 17 saves, and she stopped all 12 shots in the second period.
The Wildcats recorded a 29-21 shot advantage that included a 15-3 margin in the third period.

What's Next
New Hampshire faces off against another first-time opponent, Hockey East member Merrimack College, at Lawler Arena on Oct. 17 (3 p.m.) for the first of five consecutive road games. The Wildcats skate against Boston College one day later at Conte Forum; game time is 2 p.m.

Start the Season with Some Home Cooking
New Hampshire begins the regular season with three consecutive home games. The previous time the Wildcats played at the Whittemore Center for a season opener was in October 2009, when they kicked off the year with six straight home games; the 'Cats started that season with four consecutive wins as part of a six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1).

'Cat Captain
Senior forward Sara Carlson reprises her role as team captain in the 2015-16 season. She skated in all 36 games last season and recorded eight points on two goals and six assists with 2-4-6 in 21 Hockey East league games. Carlson split time between forward and defenseman. With the Wildcats short on the blue line, she skated three consecutive games (Oct. 24-26-30) as a defenseman and returned to patrol the blue line all three games of the Hockey East quarterfinal series at Northeastern; all but one assist was tallied as a forward. Carlson matched her career highs in both assists (two) and points (two) against Maine on Feb. 1, 2015.
Carlson opened the 2015-16 season on the blue line paired with sophomore defenseman Amy Schlagel.
In 105 career games, Carlson has compiled 11 goals and 25 assists for 36 points.

The Alternates
Senior forward Heather Kashman and junior forward Cassandra Vilgrain are designated as team leaders by their distinction as alternate captains. Kashman was also an alternate captain last year.
Kashman skated in 33 of 36 games a year ago, when she recorded three goals and two assist for five points; that included 2-0-2 in 18 Hockey East league games. Kashman was one of UNH's top centers in the faceoff circle, where she ranked second in faceoffs won (190 and total faceoffs (395), and she had a .481 win percentage.
Vilgrain skated in 34 of 36 games with five goals and six assists for 11 points, which included 3-5-8 in 20 Hockey East games. She scored the game-winning goal in Game 1 of the three-game Hockey East quarterfinal series at Northeastern. Vilgrain was one of UNH's primary centers early in the 2014-15 season and ended with a team-best .555 win percentage (71 of 128). Her other highlights included a four-game point streak from Feb. 8-21 in which Vilgrain tallied four points (3-1-4).

Top Of The List
Last year as a sophomore, Jonna Curtis led New Hampshire in six statistics – goals (13), assists (nine), points (22), game-winning goals (two), shorthanded goals (three) and shots (133); she also ranked second in shooting percentage (.098).
Curtis was also one of the Wildcats' primary centers in the faceoff circle. She ranked fourth on the team in faceoff wins (159) and faceoffs (350); she had a .454 win percentage.
Curtis recorded four three-game point streaks and that included a stretch with a point in 6 of 7 games spanning Dec. 5 to Jan. 23; she tallied 5-4-9 during that stretch.
Curtis factored in four of the team's 10 game-winning goals with two goals and an assist on two others.
Of note, UNH had a 7-2-1 record when Curtis scored a goal; the 'Cats were 4-2-2 when she tallied an assist and 8-4-3 when she recorded any type of point.
In last Friday's season opener vs. Maine, Curtis recorded a game-high seven shots and won 4 of 9 faceoffs.

Senior Class
The senior class includes the aforementioned captain, Sara Carlson, and alternate captain Heather Kashman as well as forwards Haley Breedlove, Nicoline Jensen and Margo Lund as well as goaltender Vilma Vaattovaara.
Breedlove played in 35 of 36 games and recorded four points (1g, 3a) last season.
Jensen was a first-year Wildcat in the 2014-15 season; she lettered at Castleton State as a freshman and sophomore. Jensen, who skated in all 36 games, tied for the team lead in assists (nine), tied for third in goals (six) and was third in both points (15) and shooting percentage (.085). Jensen tallied 4-8-12 in 21 Hockey East league games. She was the top 'Cat in the faceoff circle with team highs in both faceoff wins (231) and faceoffs (489); her .472 win percentage ranked third among the four primary faceoff centers. Jensen helped UNH push Northeastern to the limit in the three-game Hockey East quarterfinal series with a goal in Game 1 and assist in Game 3. Of note, the Wildcats had a 5-1-0 record when Jensen scored a goal as well as 4-2-2 when she tallied an assist and 8-2-2 with any point.
Lund was another first-year Wildcat in 2014-15; she was a two-year letterwinner at St. Lawrence. She skated in all 36 games last year and scored two goals for two points; Lund netted a goal in the season opener and another in the regular-season finale.
Vaattovaara was New Hampshire's top goaltender last year. She started all 27 games in which she played and had a 2.82 GAA with a .904 save percentage, three shutouts and an 8-16-3 record. In 16 Hockey East league games, she went 5-9-2 with a 2.88 GAA, .903 save percentage and one shutout. Vaattovaara made a career-high 43 saves in her last game of the season, a 3-3 tie Feb. 14 at Vermont; she stopped 76 of 81 shots (.938 save percentage) in that home-and-home series vs. UVM. Vaattovaara had two other very notable weekends –she recorded 70 saves and allowed just two goals against RIT (1-0 win) and Syracuse (2-2 tie) for a 0.96 GAA and .972 save percentage, and she stopped 51 of 54 shots (.944 save percentage) in the two game series at UConn (3-2 OT win; 3-1 win).

D-D-D, D-Fense
New Hampshire has a young defensive unit comprised of one senior (who entered the season with six games played on the blue line), four sophomores and two freshmen. Amy Schlagel is strong in the defensive zone – she was the team leader with 54 blocks – and is also a playmaker in the offensive zone. Schlagel led all UNH defensemen in goals (three), assists (seven) and points (10) and was the top 'Cat overall in power-play goals (three) and power-play points (six). In 21 Hockey East league games, she compiled 3-5-8.
Kate Haslett, who redshirted the 2013-14 season after incurring an injury two games into the season, returned to the lineup a year ago and skated in 34 of 36 games. She tallied a goal and two assists for three points.
Julia Fedeski skated in 25 of 36 games and contributed five points (1g, 4a); she tallied 1-3-4 in 18 Hockey East games. Kaylee Forster played in 23 games, including 12 Hockey East tilts; she did not record a point.
Marie-Jo Pelletier looks to make an immediate impact as a freshman. Pelletier was a NAPHA league All-Star at Rothesay Netherwood School and was also named an All-Star multiple times at the World Sport School Challenge; she has competed at the Canadian Nationals U18 tourney as a member of Team Atlantic for multiple years.
Jenna Rheault helped lead St. Paul's School to the NEPSAC Division 1 title as a senior and was a two-time All-ISL honoree.

The Puck Stops Here
In addition to senior goaltender Vilma Vaattovaara, junior Ashley Wilkes returns in net for the Wildcats. Wilkes played in 10 games a year ago and was in the starting lineup nine times. She started the last five games of the season – all against Northeastern – and that included the three-game Hockey East quarterfinal series. Wilkes finished with a 2-7-0 record, 3.29 GAA and .895 save percentage. She stopped 93 of 101 shots (.921 save percentage) in the playoff series and that included a 40-save effort in the 2-1 Game 1 win.
Freshmen Hilary Cashin and Kyra Smith will also battle for playing time in goal. Cashin is a graduate of New Hampton School, where her accolades included All-State Team, Lakes Region All-Star and E.G. Watkins Tournament MVP. As a senior in the 2014-15 season, Cashin recorded a 1.58 goals-against-average with a .946 save percentage and three shutouts in 13 games. Smith attended The Pomfret School, where she helped lead the team to the NEPSAC Division 1 title game as a senior. In that 2014-15 season, Smith had a 1.33 GAA and .950 save percentage.

No Longer New
In addition to the quartet of aforementioned sophomore defensemen, there are four sophomore forwards on this year's roster. Amy Boucher was one of UNH's to point producers last season as she ranked second among all Wildcats in goals (10) and assists (17), and was atop the leaderboard in shooting percentage (.102). In addition to her scoring prowess, Boucher was one of the top centers in faceoff draws; she had a team-best .492 win percentage and ranked third in both wins (178) and total faceoffs (358). In 20 Hockey East league games, she recorded seven goals and four assists for 11 points.
Ali Praus skated in 34 of 36 games and tallied two points (1-1-2). Brooke Avery also recorded a goal and an assist in 32 games. Carlee Toews finished with two points, both on assists, in 36 games.

One For Me, One For You
A handful of Wildcats have almost even career totals in goals and assists. Cassandra Vilgrain is an equal finisher and distributor with 14 goals and 14 assists in 67 games. Heather Kashman has an almost even split of 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 points in 100 games. The career breakdown for Jonna Curtis is 17 goals and 14 assists in 52 games.

The New 'Cats In Town
The incoming class of Wildcats includes forwards Caitlyn Radatovich, Devan Taylor and Taylor Wenczkowski. Radatovich skated for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite U19 in the 2014-15 season, when she ranked among the top three in points (37) and led the way in power-play goals (seven); she also skated for Team Pittsburgh U16 in 2012-13 and the Pens Elite U14 in 2010-11.
Taylor is a graduate of Lawrence Academy, where she earned ISL All- League accolades in hockey and also helped lead the Assabet Valley U19 Red Major team to a national championship that year.
Wenczkowski skated on the Boston Shamrocks club team and she was also on the U.S. U18 Select Team in 2013 and 2014. In 27 games last year with the Boston Shamrocks, she recorded 23 goals and 12 assists for 35 points.

Wildcats roar Back to Defeat Oakville
Junior alternate captain Cassandra Vilgrain and sophomore defenseman Amy Schlagel scored late third-period goals to lead UNH to a 4-3 victory against the Oakville Jr. Hornets IAA in last Saturday's exhibition game at the Whittemore Center.
Oakville potted goals 43 seconds apart late in the first period to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. New Hampshire pulled within 2-1 at 3:44 of the second stanza. The Hornets reestablished a two-goal lead at 13:30 but UNH once again trimmed the deficit to one goal with 4:13 remaining in the second.
Vilgrain tied the score, 3-3, at 13:54 of the third period and Schlagel netted the game winner at 16:35.
Vilgrain led the offense with two goals and sophomore forward Amy Boucher tallied two assists. Sophomore forward Carlee Toews netted the Wildcats' other goal. Sophomore defenseman Julia Fedeski, freshman forward Devan Taylor and freshman defenseman Marie-Jo Pelletier were credited with one assist each.
Junior goaltender Ashley Wilkes got the start and stopped 8 of 10 shots. Senior Vilma Vaattovaara played the second stanza and made three saves with one goal allowed. The freshman duo of Hilary Cashin and Kyra Smith combined to shut out Oakville in the final frame with a total of 12 saves.
UNH went 0-for-2 on the power play and the 'Cats were not whistled for a penalty.

Behind The Bench
Hilary Witt (Northeastern '01) enters her second season as head coach of the UNH Wildcats. In her first year at the helm, the 'Cats went 10-23-3 overall with a 6-13-2 record in Hockey East. In her first game with the program, UNH was defeated 2-1 at Maine on Sept. 27, 2014. Witt recorded her first win on the New Hampshire bench Oct. 10, when the team recorded at 1-0 victory at RIT. In her first home game, UNH won 2-1 against Rensselaer on Oct. 17.
Including her first season with the Wildcats, Witt has a career record of 106-149-27.
Prior to coming to UNH, Witt served as assistant coach of the 2014 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team. She was hired as the UNH women's ice hockey head coach in April 2014 and officially took the helm that May.
Witt brings a wealth of coaching experience at both the national and collegiate levels to UNH, and her highly-decorated collegiate career at Northeastern University was followed by playing time with the U.S. National Team.
Witt, a native of Canton, Mass., has been involved with the U.S. Women's National Team the past several years as both assistant coach and head scout. In addition to silver at the 2014 Olympics, she helped the U.S. win a pair of gold medals (2011, 2013) and silver medals (2007, 2012) at the IIHF Women's World Championship.
Witt's most recent stint with USA Hockey began in July 2012 after two seasons as assistant coach at her alma mater, Northeastern. The Huskies advanced to the Hockey East final in 2011 and won the Beanpot title in 2012, and NU saw an improvement of six wins in its overall record as well as nine wins in Hockey East league play from the '11 to '12 campaigns.
Prior to that, Witt spent nine years (2002-10), including the final eight as head coach, at Yale University. She was honored as ECAC Coach of the Year in her first season at the helm (2003). In the next two seasons, Witt's Bulldogs set program records for overall (16) and conference (12) wins, and they advanced to the ECAC semifinals in '05. With 96 wins, Witt is the winningest coach in program history and she guided Yale to the ECAC playoffs six straight seasons (2003-08).
Her teams excelled both on the ice and in the classroom. Under Witt's tutelage, the Bulldogs had three New England Hockey Writers Division I All-Star team selections, one All-ECAC First Team selection, three All-ECAC Second Team selections and three ECAC All-Rookie selections. She also coached two Olympians.
Yale had a total of 85 ECAC All-Academic honorees, including a school-record 21 in 2009, during Witt's eight years as head coach. Furthermore, the Bulldogs had three finalists for the ECAC Hockey Student-Athlete of the Year Award and an Academic All-Ivy League selection each of Witt's last six years.
Witt is the only Northeastern player who has eclipsed either 100 career goals or 200 career points, as she is the all-time leader with 113 goals and 208 points; she also ranks third in career assists (95) as well as second in games (140).
The 2001 graduate with a degree in Communications led the team in goals all four years, in assists twice (1998, 2000) and in points her final three years (1998-99-2000). Witt still holds three of the top 10 marks on NU's single-season list for both goals and points.
In addition to her Northeastern career records, Witt is also the program leader in Beanpot points (20), power-play goals in both a season (12) and a career (33), and is tied for the most career hat tricks with nine.
Witt was a three-time candidate for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which is presented annually to the most outstanding player in women's college hockey, a two-time ECAC Second Team selection (1998, 2000) and ECAC Tournament MVP (1997) – as a freshman in '97, she scored two goals, including the game winner, in the ECAC title game against UNH. She also captained the squad as a senior.
In her four-year career (1997-2000), Witt helped lead the Huskies to an overall record of 100-29-11 that included 69-16-9 in the ECAC. They won back-to-back Beanpots (1997-98) and the ECAC title in '97. NU was also one of four teams selected to compete at the inaugural¡ national championship tournament, which was sponsored by the American Women's College Hockey Alliance in 1998.
Witt was honored for her exemplary collegiate career with her induction into the Northeastern University Hall of Fame in '05 and the Women's Beanpot Hall of Fame in 2010. She has also been inducted into the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame.
As an elite forward, Witt continued her playing career on the 2001 U.S. Women's National Team and won silver at the IIHF World Championship. One year later, she began her coaching career as a Yale assistant. Witt carries a total of 11 years experience in college coaching with her to the UNH women's hockey program.

Spanning the Globe
The 2015-16 Wildcats are a team made up of student-athletes from around the world. In the geographic breakdown, 14 'Cats hail from the United States while eight are from Canada, one calls Finland home and another is from Denmark.
More Wildcats hail from Minnesota than any other state or province with six on the roster. Next on the list is Alberta (four).

Hockey East Preseason Poll
Here is a look at the 2014-15 WHEA Preseason Poll that was released Sept. 21. There is a clear separation from the top three teams to the next grouping of four teams, which includes UNH.
Preseason Poll (1st-place votes)
1. Boston College (8) 64
2. Boston U. (1) 57
3. Northeastern 50
4. Maine 34
5. UConn 32
6. UNH 30
7. Vermont 29
8. Providence 20
9. Merrimack 8

Scouting the Lady Lions
Lindenwood University (St. Charles, Mo.) has started the season 0-4-0 with all four games on home ice. They were upended 4-3 in overtime by Minnesota Duluth in the season opener and then lost 4-1 to the Bulldogs. Last weekend, Lindenwood was swept by Ohio State (5-1, 3-2).
The Lady Lions have been outscored 16-9 through four games, with the biggest period differential of minus six (9-3) in the second. They have given up the first goal in 3 of 4 games.
The power play has not been a strong suit for LU as they have converted on only 13.6% of their power plays (3-for-22). Lindenwood has been more successful on the penalty kill, killing off 84.2% shorthanded situations.
Senior forward Shara Jasper and sophomore forward Britannia Gillanders are tied for the team lead in goals with two. Jasper, sophomore forward Sarah Bobrowski and freshman forward Shannon Morris-Reade are tied for the points lead (four). Jasper is, by far, the active leader in career points with 49 (19g, 30a) in 104 games; next on the list is Carrie Atkinson with 13 in 69 games.
Senior goaltender Nicole Hensley, a 2015 All-CHA First Team selection, has started 3 of 4 games this season; she has a 0-3-0 record with a 4.07 GAA and .880 save percentage. In 94 career games, Hensley has a 3.17 GAA and .919 save percentage. Jolene deBruyn was the starter in the second game of the season vs. UMD; she gave up four goals on 47 shots for a .917 save percentage.
Lindenwood is in its fifth year as an NCAA program and fourth season as a member of College Hockey America. The Lady Lions had single-season record 10 victories last season.

Scouting The Orange
Syracuse University, picked atop the CHA preseason poll, opened the 2015-16 season with a 3-1 home loss to fifth-ranked Clarkson University on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Clarkson recorded a 37-23 shot advantage, including 17-5 in the third period, and went 2-for-5 on the power play. The Golden Knights netted first-period goals 2:13 apart (at 10:04 and 12:17) but Syracuse's Melissa Piacentini scored midway through the third period to trim the deficit to 2-1. Clarkson scored its second power-play goal with 1:38 remaining to reestablish a two-goal lead. SU pulled goaltender Jenn Gilligan in favor of an extra skater 13 seconds later, but the Orange were held at bay the rest of the way. Gilligan finished with 34 saves.
Last year, the Orange had an 11-15-10 overall record with an 8-6-6 CHA record. A majority of the team returns from last season, including the top five point producers and five players who received all-conference accolades.
Stephanie Grossi led SU in both assists (21) and points (30) while Piacentini scored a team-high 18 goals and ranked second in points (29). Alysha Burriss also recorded double digits in both goals (13) and assists (11) to rank third in points (24). Both Jessica Sibley (7-10-17) and Nicole Renault (5-12-17), the only defenseman in this quintet, recorded 17 points.
Jenn Gilligan played in 34 of 36 games with 33 starts. She went 11-14-9 with a 2.40 GAA, .901 save percentage and two shutouts. In two years as a UNH Wildcat (2012 & 2013), Gilligan went 15-16-5 with a 2.78 GAA, .893 save percentage and three shutouts.