University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
9-19-3, 6-11-2WHEA
University of Vermont
13-17-2, 4-14-1WHEA
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT 1 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Vermont | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Vaattovaara Records Career-High 43 Saves; Women's Hockey Skates to 3-3 Tie at UVM
2/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Vilma Vaattovaara (Veikkola, Finland) recorded a career-high 43 saves and Kayla Mork (Victoria, Minn.) scored two goals to lead the UNH women's ice hockey team to Saturday afternoon's 3-3 tie at UVM.
UNH, which defeated Vermont 4-2 on Friday, moves to 9-19-3 overall and 6-11-2 in Hockey East. UVM, which trailed 3-1 late in the second period, is now 13-17-2, 4-14-1.
Vaattovaara recorded double-digit saves all three periods of regulation (13-14-10) and six in the five-minute overtime session for her career-high total. For Mork, it marked her first career multiple-goal game. Amy Boucher (Edmonton, Alberta) netted UNH's other goal.
UVM was led offensively by Dayna Colang (1g, 1a), and goalie Madison Litchfield stopped 17 shots, including two in OT. Victoria Andreakos and Sarah Campbell accounted for the other Catamounts' goals.
Campbell had two of the best scoring opportunities in the opening 10 minutes of the game. In the fifth minute, a UNH turnover gave Campbell possession in the slot but Vaattovaara made the blocker save. Three minutes later, she attempted to jam the puck in at the left post. The puck went past Vaattovaara across the crease and Boucher cleared the puck off the goal line to keep the game scoreless.
The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead at 10:41. Haley Breedlove (Plano, Texas) initiated the scoring sequence with a pass along the boards to Mork, who chipped the puck out of the defensive zone and led a 2-on-1 rush down the right wing. She skated into the circle and blasted a shot past Litchfield.
UVM tied the score less than two minutes later when Andreakos tucked a backhanded wraparound under Vaattovaara at the right post at 12:18.
In the 14th minute, Vaattovaara kept the score deadlocked when she denied Colang off a rebound in front and then stoned Bridget Baker, who wristed a shot from the slot in a 3-on-1 rush.
Neither team was called for a penalty in the first period, but the Wildcats were whistled for cross checking three seconds into the second stanza and for tripping at 2:00. Vaattovaara made five saves in the opening 3:30 of the frame. At the other end of the ice, Cassandra Vilgrain (Calgary, Alberta) led a shorthanded rush down the left wing and her hard centering pass was tipped over the crossbar by Boucher.
The Catamounts' power play continued for 30 more seconds and both shots were turned aside by Vaattovaara.
New Hampshire regained the lead, 2-1, at 7:22 when Jonna Curtis (Elk River, Minn.) cut through the left circle and sent a pass back to Mork, who shoveled a shot from the slot high into the cage. Nicoline Jensen (Rodovre, Denmark) was also credited with an assist.
The Wildcats struck again 50 seconds later to build a 3-1 advantage at 8:12. Boucher corralled the puck in the neutral zone and advanced into the right circle. With Hannah Armstrong (Keswick, Ontario) charging down the slot, Boucher's attempted centering pass deflected off a UVM skate into the open right side of the net.
The Catamounts were called for checking penalties at 8:45 and 10:22 to give UNH a two-skater advantage for 23 seconds, but UVM won the ensuing faceoff and sent the puck the length of the ice and did not allow a shot the duration of New Hampshire's power play.
Vermont pulled within 3-2 at 17:55 on a goal by Campbell that was set up by Pelkey and Colang.
UVM leveled the score, 3-3, with a power-play goal at 8:01 of the third period. Vaattovaara stopped Amanda Drobot's initial shot from the left point, but Colang corralled the rebound in the low slot and deposited a shot inside the right post. Taylor Willard, with the pass from point-to-point, earned the secondary assist.
Midway through overtime, Sara Carlson (Hutchinson, Minn.) blasted a shot from the right point that Litchfield saw through Armstrong's screen in front. Moments later, Brittany Zuback led a 2-on-2 rush into the right wing but Vaattovaara steered aside that scoring bid.
In the closing seconds, Jess Ryan (Cloquet, Minn.) drilled a slap shot from the left point through traffic and Litchfield sticked aside the puck just before the final buzzer sounded.
New Hampshire, now 1-0-3 in overtime, concludes the regular season next weekend with a home-and-home series against Northeastern University. UNH's Senior Day is Feb. 21 (2 p.m.) and the teams face off again Feb. 22 (3 p.m.) at NU's Matthews Arena.
