University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
9-19-2, 6-11-1WHEA
University of Vermont
13-17-1, 4-14-0WHEA
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Vermont | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Curtis and Boucher Record Two Points Apiece; Women's Hockey Rallies Past UVM, 4-2
2/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Jonna Curtis (Elk River, Minn.) and Amy Boucher (Edmonton, Alberta) both recorded two points and Vilma Vaattovaara (Veikkola, Finland) made 33 saves to lead the University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team to Friday night's 4-2 victory against the University of Vermont at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
UNH, which defeated Vermont 5-1 at the Whittemore Center in early November, improves to 9-19-2 overall and 6-11-1 in Hockey East. UVM, which surrendered four consecutive goals after taking a 1-0 lead, is now 13-17-1, 4-14-0.
Curtis scored two goals to increase her team-leading total to 13 while Boucher tallied a goal and an assist; both scored a shorthanded goal. Vaattovaara stopped all 11 shots in the second period to help keep the score deadlocked at 1-1 through 40 minutes, then made 15 more saves in the third.
Cassandra Vilgrain (Calgary, Ablerta) scored UNH's other goal. Hannah Armstrong (Keswick, Ontario), Nicoline Jensen (Rodovre, Denmark) and Amy Schlagel (Blaine, Minn.) were credited with single assists.
Dayna Colang and Amanda Pelkey netted the UVM goals. Taylor Willard had an assist on both goals. Madison Litchfield made 20 saves.
With the score tied 1-1 at the start of the third period, UNH scored goals 2:44 apart to quickly take a 3-1 lead. Curtis netted an unassisted shorthanded goal to give the visiting 'Cats their first lead of the game, 2-1, at 4:07. She blocked a shot, raced into the neutral zone for a breakaway down the slot and pulled the puck toward the left post before shoveling a forehand into the open side of the cage.
In the sixth minute, Armstrong's bid from the slot was stopped by Litchfield and Vilgrain lifted a shot off the rebound over the crossbar.
UNH continued to pressure and extended the advantage to two goals at 6:51. Boucher's initial shot from the right wing was saved but Vilgrain struck a rising shot in the slot past Litchfield. Armstrong was credited with the secondary assist.
Midway through the third, Gina Repaci charged through the right circle before firing a shot that Vaattovaara gloved aside.
UNH was called for a hooking infraction at 14:45 to give the host team its fifth power play of the night. Vermont called time out and then 15 seconds later pulled Litchfield in favor of an extra skater to have a 6-on-4 advantage.
Boucher won a battle for the puck on the right half-boards, pivoted and snapped a shot into the open net for her eighth goal of the season and 4-1 UNH lead at 16:15.
UVM went back on the power play at 18:06 and trimmed the deficit to 4-2 at 18:27 when Pelkey, positioned at the top of the crease, redirected Willard's slap shot from the right point into the cage.
Litchfield went to the bench in favor of an extra skater with 83 seconds remaining and Curtis, from UNH's defensive blue line, sent a shot toward the empty net and the puck went wide of the left post by two inches for an icing infraction with 31 seconds to play.
Vaattovaara denied both Victoria Andreakos and MacNeil the rest of the way to secure the win.
UNH recorded a 12-8 shot advantage in the first period but it was the Catamounts who took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission by capitalizing on one of their two power plays.
In the second minute of the game, Boucher passed the puck through the neutral zone to spring Armstrong behind the defense. Armstrong blasted a shot from the high slot that Litchfield snared with her glove.
Midway through the opening stanza, Armstrong's shot from the left point fluttered through traffic but Litchfield trapped the puck in her midsection. One minute later, Sara Carlson (Hutchinson, Minn.) corralled a loose puck at the top of the left circle and wristed a shot from below the faceoff dot that Litchfield blocked aside.
In the 14th minute, Colang collected the puck deep in the left circle and her screened shot sailed wide of the far post. Less than a minute later at the other end of the ice, Schlagel ripped a shot from the right point that ricocheted off a Catamount and was covered by Litchfield.
The Wildcats were whistled for tripping at 16:16 and the home 'Cats scored 16 seconds later to take a 1-0 lead when Colang, standing at the top of the crease, redirected Amanda Drobot's shot from the left point. Willard, with the pass from the right point to Drobot, was also credited with an assist.
New Hampshire was outshot 11-4 in the second period but netted the only goal of the stanza to level the score at 1-1. UNH pulled even just 23 seconds after play resumed. Curtis initiated the scoring sequence in the defensive end when she stole the puck and snapped an outlet pass to Jensen. Jensen skated into the left circle and her shot was stopped by Litchfield, but Curtis swooped in from the slot to the left doorstep and lifted a shot into the open net for her team-leading 12th goal of the season.
In the seventh minute, Pelkey maneuvered down the slot around a defenseman and sent a rising shot over the crossbar.
With five minutes remaining in the second stanza, Willard's blast from the right point was stopped by Vaattovaara. Bridget Baker corralled the rebound deep on the left side and flipped a shot across the crease wide of the far post.
Vaattovaara kept the Catamounts at bay – and the score deadlocked at 1 – in the closing minutes when she stopped a flurry of shots by Deila McNaly, Brittany Zuback and Mackenzie MacNeil.
With one minute on the clock in the second stanza, Schlagel joined a rush down the slot and wristed a shot that sailed wide right of the cage.
UNH and UVM conclude the weekend series Feb. 14 (4 p.m.) at Gutterson Fieldhouse. New Hampshire's next home game is Senior Day against Northeastern University on Feb. 21 (2 p.m.).
