Game Notes: Women's Hockey Faces Off At No. 6/5 Northeastern

Game Notes: Women's Hockey Faces Off At No. 6/5 Northeastern

1/28/2016 4:26:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey

UNH Wildcats (10-16-1, 7-10-0 Hockey East) at No. 6/5 Northeastern (22-4-1, 17-2-0 Hockey East)
Friday, January 29 (7 p.m.) – Matthews Arena – Boston, Mass.

The Game
The University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team travels to Boston for a Jan. 29 matchup against No. 6/5 Northeastern University. Game time at Matthews Arena is 7 p.m.

Smith Named Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week
UNH freshman goaltender Kyra Smith was named Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week by Hockey East this past Monday. Smith backboned UNH to a weekend sweep at the University of Maine on Jan. 23-24 by stopping 53 of 54 shots for a 0.50 GAA and .981 save percentage. She recorded her first career shutout with a 32-save effort in Sunday's 3-0 victory. One day earlier, Smith stopped 21 of 22 shots to send UNH to a 5-1 win.
It is the second Rookie of the Week accolade and fourth award overall for Smith, who also has one Rookie of the Month (December) and one Defensive Player of the Week honor.

The Matchup
One of the oldest rivalries in women's college hockey resumes Friday night when UNH faces off against Northeastern University for the 133rd lifetime meeting. New Hampshire leads the all-time series by a mark of 79-44-9, but NU has won three straight and 11 of the last 12 meetings vs. the Wildcats. UNH has a 34-22-1 road record vs. the Huskies, including a 4-2 loss earlier this month (Jan. 9). One day later, NU skated to a 5-2 win at the Whittemore Center.
In the Jan. 9 meeting at Matthews Arena, Northeastern netted the only first-period goal and struck 31 seconds into the second stanza to build a 2-0 lead. Jonna Curtis scored goals 4:23 apart (at 9:25 and 13:48) to tie the score. NU regained the lead 93 seconds later, however, and struck again with 75 seconds left in the second period to reestablish a two-goal lead of 4-2 heading into the final frame. The 'Cats recorded an 8-5 shot advantage in the final 20 minutes but could not cut into the deficit. UNH goaltender Kyra Smith finished with 31 saves, including 12 in the first period and 14 in the second. NU counterpart Sarah Foss stopped 23 shots while Hayley Scamurra scored twice.
In the Jan. 10 rematch at the Whitt, NU once again took a 2-0 lead. New Hampshire's Amy Boucher scored the only goal of the second period as the 'Cats tallied a 14-9 shot advantage. The visitors struck early in the third to regain a two-goal lead. Devan Taylor pulled UNH within 3-2 at 10:23, but the visitors responded with a goal 80 seconds later and added an empty-net goal with 14 seconds to play to secure the victory. Smith made 24 saves while NU's Brittany Bugalski stopped 25 shots. Kendall Coyne tallied four points (3g, 1a) to break the Northeastern career points record previously held by current UNH head coach Hilary Witt.
The Wildcats ended the 2014-15 season with five consecutive games against the Huskies. NU swept the home-and-home series to end the regular season (5-1 at the Whitt, 3-1 at Matthews Arena) and then rallied from a 1-0 deficit in the best-of-three Hockey East quarterfinal series to end UNH's season; all three playoff games were decided by one goal. New Hampshire prevailed 2-1 in Game 1 behind Ashley Wilkes' 40-save effort.
These programs initially faced off Jan. 12, 1979 with UNH skating to a 7-3 victory on home ice (Snively Arena). The Wildcats won 20 consecutive meetings before the Huskies finally came out on top, 3-1, in February 1986.
Prior to NU's recent success against the 'Cats (16-3-2 in 21 meetings since January 2010), New Hampshire won 26 consecutive games spanning November 2002 to the Frozen Fenway game in January 2010.

The State of New Hampshire
UNH has a 10-16-1 overall record with a 6-9-1 road record as well as 7-10-0 in Hockey East league games (4-5-0 in league road games).
The Wildcats have a quiet January with a total of five games. Last weekend, the 'Cats avenged the season-opening home loss to Maine by sweeping a two-game series in Orono by outscoring the Black Bears 8-1. UNH opened the 2016 calendar year Jan. 9 with a 4-2 loss at Northeastern followed by a 5-2 home loss to those Huskies.
All of New Hampshire's seven remaining regular-season games are Hockey East league games. The 'Cats are home for 5 of 6 February games.
UNH recorded a season-high 12 points in last Saturday's 5-1 victory at Maine by matching season highs in both goals (five) and assists (seven), and the 53 shots marked the second highest total. The Wildcats recorded 23 shots in the second period to mark the highest single-period total this season.
New Hampshire recorded its second shutout of the season behind Kyra Smith's 32-save effort in last Sunday's 3-0 win at Maine. The Wildcats also blanked Vermont, 4-0, on Oct. 30. Both shutouts have been on the road.
New Hampshire has a 10-7-1 record against unranked teams.
Overall, the 'Cats are averaging 2.22 goals per game while allowing 3.15 gpg. The Wildcats have been outscored 85-60 with a breakdown of 25-16 in the first, 27-25 in the second and 33-18 in the third.
UNH is minus-25 in scoring but plus-92 in shots at 803-711 with the shot advantage all three periods at 247-240 (+7), 293-248 (+45) and 259-220 (+39).

'Cat Nips
Sophomore forward Amy Boucher has a season-high, five-game point-scoring streak – that matches her longest career point streak from last year's rookie season – and has a point in 10 of 13. (Only Jonna Curtis' six-game point streak is longer by a Wildcat this season.) In the active streak, Boucher has seven points on two goals and five assists. In the past 13 games, she has totals of 6-9-15 with five multiple-point efforts.
Junior forward and alternate captain Cassandra Vilgrain scored a goal in both games last weekend at Maine and has a three-game point streak. Vilgrain has tallied a point eight of the last 11 games.
Sophomore forward Carlee Toews recorded three points (1g, 2a) in the weekend series at Maine. She scored the game-winning goal Sunday by giving the Wildcats a 1-0 lead midway through the first period. Toews set up the next goal early in the second period to record her first career multiple-point game.
Junior forward Jonna Curtis matched her career high of two assists and season high of three points in Saturday's 5-1 win at Maine. Curtis has eight multiple-point games this season and 15 in her career.
Senior defenseman and captain Sara Carlson, senior forward Margo Lund and sophomore defenseman Amy Schlagel all recorded a point in both games at Maine.
Freshman goaltender Kyra Smith went 2-0-0 last week at Maine by stopping 53 of 54 shots for a 0.50 GAA and .981 save percentage. She recorded her first career shutout with a 32-save effort in Sunday's 3-0 win.
Smith has started 17 consecutive games dating back to a Nov. 8 start at UConn. Overall, she has played in 18 games (all starts) and has a 9-8-1 record with a 2.61 GAA and .900 save percentage. In 11 Hockey East league games, Smith is 6-5-0 with a 2.37 GAA and .911 save percentage.
The last goaltender other than Smith to start between the pipes for UNH was Vilma Vaattovaara, who got the starting nod six consecutive games spanning Oct. 18 to Nov. 7.

On the Road
New Hampshire has a winning record of 6-5-1 the past 12 road games (Oct. 30 through January) and that includes 5-3-0 against Hockey East foes. Since Thanksgiving, the 'Cats are 4-2-1 away from the Whitt.

The Top Line
New Hampshire's top line of Amy Boucher centering Jonna Curtis and Cassandra Vilgrain has been very productive since being put together Nov. 27 at Rensselaer. In 11 games, the trio has recorded 17 of the team's 31 goals, 17 of 46 assists and 34 of 77 points.

50 Points
Junior forward Jonna Curtis recorded her 50th career point with the second of her two goals Dec. 4 against Merrimack College. She enters the weekend with 59 points (30g, 29a) in 78 games.
Senior defenseman and captain Sara Carlson is approaching 50 career points. Carlson, who inched closer to the milestone with two points in the Jan. 23-24 series at Maine, has 49 points with 14 goals and 35 assists in 131 games.

Rapid Fire
Margo Lund and Amy Boucher scored goals 38 seconds apart – at 8:05 and 8:43, respectively – in Saturday's third period to mark the fastest consecutive goals scored by UNH this season

Conference Call
The UNH Wildcats hold three of the top six spots in blocked shots. Senior defenseman and captain Sara Carlson is No. 2 with 55 and is followed by freshmen Marie-Jo Pelletier (51) at No. 3 and Jenna Rheault (41) at No. 6.
Jonna Curtis is among the league leaders in a number of stats. The junior forward is tied for 10th in points (28), tied for seventh in goals (13) and ranks fourth in shots (129).
Amy Schlagel is tied for eighth in defenseman scoring with 14 points.
Amy Boucher is tied for eighth in power-play goals (four).

Another Conference Call
In 17 Hockey East league games, Jonna Curtis has tallied seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points. Amy Boucher is next with 12 points on seven goals and five assists, and she is followed by Cassandra Vilgrain at 4-3-7.
In goal, Kyra Smith is 6-5-0 with a 2.37 GAA and .911 save percentage in 11 games.

Special Teams
New Hampshire's power play is 1-for-12 (8.3%) in four games of the 2016 calendar year. On the positive side, the Wildcats were 1-for-3 in the most recent game (Jan. 24 at Maine). UNH's penalty kill has killed off 8 of 10 opponent power plays in January; the PK was a perfect 3-for-3 last Sunday at Maine.
The 'Cats had closed the 2015 calendar year strong on the power-play with a PPG four of the last seven games (4-20; 20.0%). Overall, UNH has netted a power-play goal 10 of 27 games with a high of three PPG Nov. 21 vs. Providence College.
UNH's penalty kill was near-perfect during the five-game unbeaten streak (Nov. 27 to Dec. 8) with one power-play goal allowed in 12 shorthanded situations for a 91.7 percent kill rate.
Overall, UNH is 13-for-83 (15.7%) on the power play and 58 of 76 (76.3%) on the penalty kill.

First Strike
UNH has scored the game's first goal 13 times, and that included both games Jan. 23-24 at Maine as well as every game during the four-game win streak (late November to early December). The Wildcats have a 9-4-0 record when taking a 1-0 lead.
New Hampshire recorded its first win of the season after falling behind 1-0 in the last game before the holiday break, when Yale struck first but the 'Cats prevailed 5-2. Overall, the 'Cats are 1-12-1 when the opponent scores first.

That Was Close
Eight of UNH's 27 games have been decided by one goal and the Wildcats have a 5-3 record in those contests. UNH has been the victor each of the last five games decided by one goal, including three games in the four-game win streak.

Most Recently
New Hampshire outscored Maine 8-1 with a 86-54 shot advantage to record last weekend's sweep of the Black Bears at Alfond Arena. UNH prevailed 5-1 (53-22 shots) on Jan. 9 and skated to a 3-0 win (33-32 shots) the next day.

What's Next
After closing January with a single game at Northeastern University this Friday, the Wildcats open February with a two-game home series against the University of Vermont on Feb. 5-6.

'Cat Captain
Senior defenseman Sara Carlson is reprising her role as team captain in the 2015-16 season. Last year as a junior, Carlson made her debut as a defenseman for a three-game stretch in late October, then ended the year on the blue line all three games of the Hockey East quarterfinal – that's a total of six games.
Carlson, who recorded a point both games last weekend at Maine, has been paired with sophomore defenseman Amy Schlagel every game this season. Carlson is tied for second on the team in assists (11) and is fourth in points (13). She is atop the team leaderboard in blocked shots (55).
Carlson matched her career high of two assists – and two points – twice in November, most recently Nov. 27 at Rensselaer. She also tallied two assists Nov. 21 vs. Providence as well as Oct. 10 against Syracuse.
She recorded a point three consecutive games with a goal (Oct. 23) and assist (Oct. 24) at Clarkson followed by a goal at UVM (Oct. 30).

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.
Vilgrain has recorded 11 points (7g, 4a) in 27 games this season; she was a winger on the second line the initial 16 games before shifting to the top line with Jonna Curtis and Amy Boucher for the November series at RPI, and she has remained there since (11 games total).
The move paid immediate dividends for Vilgrain, who recorded a point both games against the Engineers with a goal Nov. 27 and an assist Nov. 28. It marked the first time this season she recorded a point in consecutive games. Vilgrain carries a three-game point streak into Friday's game at Northeastern, and she scored a goal both games at Maine. She has a point 8 of the last 11 games with 6-2-8 in that span.
Kashman was sidelined by injury the entire 2015 calendar year before making her season debut Jan. 9 at nationally-ranked Northeastern. She was listed as center on the fourth line that game and saw limited playing time; the lineup did not change the next day at home against those Huskies and she also skated both games at Maine (Jan. 23-24).

Top Of The List
Junior forward Jonna Curtis leads the team in goals (13), assists (15), points (28), shots (129) and plus/minus (+5). Curtis matched her season high of three points by scoring a goal and equalling a personal best of two assists Jan. 23 at Maine.
She has tallied a point four of the last five games (4g, 3a) and in 7 of 9 (5g, 4a) as well as 8 of 11 (7-5-12) and 9 of 12 (6-6-12). Overall, she has a point in 17 of 27 games with eight multiple-point efforts; she has scored a goal in nine games and tallied an assist in 11 games.
Curtis has matched her career high of two goals three times – at Clarkson (Oct. 24), vs. Merrimack (Dec. 4) and at Northeastern (Jan. 9) – and she equaled her personal best of two assists consecutive games against Boston U. (Nov. 1) and Providence College (Nov. 7).
She tallied a season high of three points in the aforementioned games at Clarkson and vs. BU.
Curtis recorded a six-game point streak concurrent with a five-game assist streak from Oct. 23 to Nov. 8; she tallied four goals and seven assists for 11 points during the streak.

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, and goaltender Vilma Vaattovaara.
Breedlove enters the weekend with five points, all on assists, in 27 games. She recorded her first career multiple-assist game with two at Rensselaer on Nov. 28, and the two points matched her personal best. Breedlove tallied a single assist Dec. 5 at Merrimack as well against both Syracuse (Oct. 10) and Vermont (Oct. 30).
Jensen has five points with a goal and four assists; she recorded her most recent point with an assist last Jan. 23 at Maine. In the Dec. 13 game vs. Yale, she quarterbacked the second power-play unit and recorded an assist. Jensen has been one of the top centers in the faceoff circle at 174 of 339 (.513 win percentage) – all three of those numbers rank second on the team. In the last week before break, Jensen won 19 of 32 (59.4%) faceoffs in three games.
Lund has eight points with three goals and five assists; last weekend at Maine, she scored a goal in Saturday's 5-1 win and tallied an assist in Sunday's 3-0 win. Lund recorded her first career multiple-point game Dec. 13 with a goal and an assist against Yale. She had scored her first goal of the season earlier that week (Dec. 8) against Dartmouth. Lund skated as the right wing on UNH's third line the first 16 games of the season before the lineup changes Nov. 27 at RPI, when she was shifted to the second line and was there five consecutive games; she and her linemates were listed as the third line the last two games of 2015 but in 2016 they have returned to the second line. Lund tallied her first assist as a Wildcat – and ninth of her career – at Vermont (Oct. 30).
Vaattovaara recorded her first shutout of the season and fourth of her career with an 18-save effort at Vermont on Oct. 30; the Wildcats won 4-0. Vaattovaara has seven starts overall and her streak of six consecutive starts ended Nov. 8 at UConn; three of those six consecutive starts were against a Top 4 team (one at #2 BC, two at #4 Clarkson).
Vaattovaara is 1-6-0 with a 4.15 GAA and .865 save percentage; in four Hockey East games, she is 1-3-0 with a 3.88 GAA and .872 save percentage. She has not seen action since Nov. 7 at Providence College (5-4 loss).

D-D-D, D-Fense
New Hampshire has a young defensive unit comprised of one senior (Sara Carlson, who entered the season with six games played on the blue line), three sophomores and two freshmen – the count was four sophomores at the start of the season, but Kate Haslett was transitioned to center at PC and UConn in early November.
Sophomore Amy Schlagel is tied for third on the team in goals (seven), is tied for second in power-play goals (two), and is third in points (14); she is also fourth in assists (seven) and ranks sixth in shots (61); she leads all UNH defensemen in goals, assist and points.
Schlagel tallied a point in both games of the Jan. 23-24 series at Maine with a goal on Saturday and assist Sunday. She recorded a point five of the last seven games in the 2015 calendar year, including the overtime game-winning goal Dec. 5 at Merrimack College; one week earlier, she recorded a point both games at RPI with a goal Nov. 27 and assist Nov. 28. Schlagel was held off the scoresheet in this month's home-and-home series vs. Northeastern. Overall, Schlagel has a point in 13 of 27 games.
Schlagel scored the game-winning goal Nov. 8 at UConn when she netted a power-play goal to break a 1-1 tie late in the second period (UNH won by that 2-1 margin). She recorded her first career multiple-point game with a goal and an assist Oct. 10 Syracuse as part of a three-game point streak.
Sophomore Julia Fedeski, who did not play the Nov. 27-28 weekend series at Rensselaer, is tied for fifth on the team in assists (six); in her Dec. 4 return to the lineup, she recorded an assist. Fedeski also has two goals for a total of eight points. She matched her career high of two points with a goal and an assist against both Lindenwood (Oct. 9) and BU (Nov. 1).
Sophomore Kaylee Forster has skated in 24 of 27 games – she has dressed each of the last 24 after being a DNP the first three – and has tallied three points (1g, 2a). Forster recorded her first career point with a goal Oct. 30 at Vermont and tallied her first assist Nov. 8 at UConn. Her other assist was Nov. 21 vs. PC.
Freshman Marie-Jo Pelletier enters the weekend ranked second on the team with 51 blocked shots – and she stands in at 4-foot-11. She has recorded four of her six points – all assists – the past eight games and that includes a helper in both January series (home/home vs. Northeastern and at Maine). Pelletier recorded her first career point with an assist Oct. 24 at fourth-ranked Clarkson and tallied another helper the next game at UVM (Oct. 30); Pelletier also picked up an assist Dec. 5 at Merrimack and Dec. 13 vs. Yale.
Freshman Jenna Rheault has also skated in all 27 games and, like Pelletier, recorded her first career point with a goal in that Oct. 24 game at fourth-ranked Clarkson. Rheault netted her second goal – and point – of the season with a power-play tally Dec. 13 vs. Yale.

Facing Off
Amy Boucher leads New Hampshire in faceoffs won (305), taken (574) and win percentage (.531); she is at 50% or better in 17 of 27 games and that included a 10-for-13 performance (76.9%) vs. No. 8 Northeastern on Jan. 10. Boucher was far above 50% the Dec. 4-5 weekend vs. Merrimack with an 18 of 25 effort (72.0%) on Friday followed by 14 of 23 (60.9%) on Saturday.
Boucher won 28 of 47 draws (59.6%) the previous weekend at RPI and that included a 13-for-20 effort in the 3-3 tie. In early November, she won 18 of 31 (58.0%) against Boston U. and 15 of 28 (53.6%) at Providence in consecutive games. The 18 wins vs. both BU and Merrimack stand as the high by any Wildcat this season.
Nicoline Jensen is next in all three stats with 174 wins, 339 total and a .513 win percentage. She is .500 or better in 17 of 27 games, including 12 of the last 16 games; last weekend at Maine, she won 6 of 9 in the series opener and 6 of 12 the next day; in the last week before break, Jensen was 10-for-14 (71.4%) against Dartmouth and 6 of 9 vs. Yale; also of note, she won 8 of 11 Nov. 28 at RPI and 9 of 11 one week earlier against Providence. In addition to the game vs. the Big Green, Jensen has reached double digits in wins twice with a season high of 11 (of 18) Nov. 21 vs. PC.
UNH has recorded the faceoff advantage in seven of the last 12 games and 11 of 27 overall. Maine finished with the edge in both games last weekend – 30-25 on Jan. 23 and 25-22 on Jan. 24.

The Puck Stops Here
In addition to senior goaltender Vilma Vaattovaara, junior Ashley Wilkes returns in net for the Wildcats; freshmen Kyra Smith and Hilary Cashin give the 'Cats four netminders on the roster.
Smith has stepped into the role of New Hampshire's #1 goalie. She has started each of the last 16 games dating back to a 2-1 win at UConn on Nov. 8. Smith is 9-8-1 with a 2.61 GAA and team-best .900 save percentage in 18 games (all starts).
She has garnered four Hockey East accolades this season, including Rookie of the Month for December. Smith was previously honored as Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week on Dec. 7 after leading the Wildcats to a weekend sweep of Merrimack with a 0.98 GAA and .949 save percentage (37 saves, two GA) in two games; she received that award again Jan. 25 after her performance at Maine; she stopped 53 of 54 shots for a 0.50 GAA and .981 save percentage, and recorded her first career shutout. Smith was named Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 9 following a 21-save effort in the aforementioned win at UConn.
Smith stopped 30 of 32 shots (.938 save percentage) to backbone UNH to victory vs. Dartmouth on Dec. 8.
Smith finished with a career-high 34 saves, including 16 in the second period, Nov. 13 at second-ranked Boston College. Two games later, she stopped 33 shots at ninth-ranked Harvard University (Nov. 18). On Dec. 5, she stopped 23 of 24 shots in the 2-1 overtime win at Merrimack.
Smith made her collegiate debut Oct. 10 at home against Syracuse – a 3-2 loss – and recorded half of her 12 saves in the first period.
Wilkes made her only appearance this season Oct. 17 at Merrimack College. She stopped 10 of 12 shots in a 2-1 loss to the Warriors at Lawler Rink. Those numbers calculate to a 2.03 GAA and .833 save percentage.
Cashin has played a total of 126:23 in three games this season, and she has a 0-1-0 record with a 3.32 GAA and .841 save percentage. She did not play a stretch of 16 consecutive games spanning Oct. 23 to Dec. 8 before making a relief stint of 47 minutes, 56 seconds at fourth-ranked Quinnipiac on Dec. 11. Cashin stopped 15 of 17 shots (88.2%) and shut out the Bobcats in the third period on seven saves.
Prior to Dec. 11, Cashin had not seen action since Oct. 18 at second-ranked Boston College, when she made five saves and allowed two goals in the third period.
Cashin got the starting nod in the season opener Oct. 2 vs. Maine – she is the first freshman to start a season opener in goal since current senior Vaattovaara in the 2012-13 season. She shut out the Black Bears in the second period with 12 saves and she finished with 17 overall in the 4-0 loss; she surrendered three goals (Maine also netted an empty-net goal).

No Longer New
In addition to the threesome of aforementioned sophomore defensemen, there are four sophomore forwards – and a defenseman who has transitioned to center – on this year's roster.
Amy Boucher enters Friday's game at Maine with 20 points on 10 goals and 10 assists to rank second on the team in both goals and points, as well as tied for second in assists. Boucher is also second in shots (79) and has a team-best .127 shooting percentage. She has a point in 14 of 27 games, including six multiple-point performances, and has an active five-game point streak.
Boucher was the team's top point producer the last nine games of the 2015 calendar year with 10 points (4g, 6a). She tallied a point in 6 of 9 with four multiple-point efforts. She matched her career high of two goals against both Providence (Oct. 21) and Rensselaer (Nov. 28), recorded her first career multiple-assist effort Nov. 27 at Rensselaer, and closed the year by tallying another two helpers vs. Yale (Dec. 13).
She has continued the trend of being the Wildcats' top point producer in the 2016 calendar year with 2-3-5 in four games.
Boucher is the top UNH center in the faceoff circle with 305 faceoffs won, 574 taken and a .531 win percentage.
Kate Haslett joined the group of forwards Nov. 7 at Providence by centering the fourth line, and she made an immediate impact by scoring her first goal of the season. She was elevated to center of the third line one day later at UConn. Her entire line climbed to the second line the final weekend of 2015 in games at fourth-ranked Quinnipiac and home vs. Yale.
Haslett has now skated 18 games as a forward this season in comparison to eight as a defenseman (with one DNP Nov. 1 vs. Boston U.). She has three goals and five assists for a total of eight points overall, with 3-3-6 as a forward and 0-2-2 as a D; the two assists and points Oct. 24 at nationally-ranked Clarkson were a career high.
Carlee Toews had a breakout weekend at Maine with her first career multiple-point game (1g, 1a) Jan. 24; she also tallied a point in the Jan. 23 game vs. the Black Bears. Toews has five points this season with two goals and three assists in 27 games. She scored her first career goal at UVM (Oct. 30) and tallied her other point with an assist vs. PC (Nov. 21). Toews has been the left winger on the third line for 18 games of 27 games; she was on the second line five consecutive games spanning Nov. 27 to Dec. 8, as well as all four January games.
Ali Praus has skated in 23 of 27 games, including 18 consecutive games spanning Oct. 23 to Dec. 13; she did not dress the Oct. 17-18 weekend against Merrimack and BC and was also a DNP in this month's two-game series vs. Northeastern. Praus returned to the lineup Jan. 23-24 at Maine.
Brooke Avery has skated in 8 of 25 games, six of them on the fourth line. She has not recorded a point and has been sidelined by injury the past 16 games.

One For Me, One For You
In her career, Jonna Curtis is nearly an equal finisher and distributor with 30 goals and 29 assists in 78 games. Cassandra Vilgrain is close to an even split with 21 goals and 18 assists in 93 games. Also of note, Amy Boucher has a career split of 20 goals and 17 assists.

The New 'Cats In Town
The freshman class of Wildcats is comprised of forwards Caitlyn Radatovich, Devan Taylor and Taylor Wenczkowski (in addition to the aforementioned defensemen Marie-Jo Pelletier and Jenna Rheault and goalies Hilary Cashin and Kyra Smith).
Wenczkowski is UNH's top rookie scorer with eight points on two goals and six assists. She tallied her first career goal – and multiple-goal game – Dec. 4 vs. Merrimack at the Whittemore Center. She has skated in 24 of 25 games with a DNP Oct. 24 at Clarkson. She was the right wing on the top line the first six games of the season, then was shifted to the left wing on the second line when she returned Oct. 30 at UVM. She was there nine consecutive games, then skated on the third line five consecutive games before Wenczkowski and her linemates were promoted to the second line the last two games. That line was once again shifted to third on the line chart in this month's home-and-home series against Northeastern.
Taylor has four goals and three assists for a total of seven points and that includes a goal two of the last seven games – Jan. 10 vs. nationally-ranked Northeastern and Dec. 8 vs. Dartmouth. She tallied two assists – both on goals by Wenczkowski – for her first career multiple point game Dec. 4 vs. Merrimack. Taylor recorded her first career point with an assist at fourth-ranked Clarkson (Oct. 24) and scored her first career goal the next game at Vermont (Oct. 30). She also netted a goal Nov. 8 at PC.
Radatovich has skated in 20 of 27 games this season, including the last 14 of the 2015 calendar year. She has not dressed in January. Earlier in the season, Radatovich was a DNP consecutive games at BC (Oct. 18) and Clarkson (Oct. 23), as well as Oct. 30 at Vermont.

On The Air
A total of seven regular-season games will be broadcast on the Wildcats Sports Radio Network. Tune in to WGIR-610 AM (Manchester) or WPKX-930 AM (Rochester) to listen to the action; you can also listen online at www.unhwildcats.com. Here is the list of games:
Oct. 10 vs. Syracuse (3-2 loss)
Nov. 1 vs. Boston U. (5-3 loss)
Dec. 8 vs. Dartmouth (3-2 win)
Dec. 13 vs. Yale (5-2 win)
Jan. 10 vs. Northeastern (5-2 loss)
Feb. 6 vs. Vermont (4 p.m.)
Feb. 21 vs. UConn (2 p.m.)

On the Tube
Two regular-season games will be broadcast on Fox College Sports television. They are Jan. 10 vs. Northeastern and Feb. 21 vs. UConn. Both games begin at 2 p.m.
Another regular-season game – Nov. 18 at Harvard – was broadcast on NESN Plus.

Working Overtime
New Hampshire is 1-0-1 in overtime games this season and is unbeaten in OT under head coach Hilary Witt at 2-0-4. The Wildcats played beyond 60 minutes of regulation in a 2-1 win Dec. 5 at Merrimack College and a 3-3 tie Nov. 27 at Rensselaer.

December Details
New Hampshire went 4-1-0 in December with perfect marks at home (3-0-0) and in Hockey East (2-0-0). Jonna Curtis (3g, 2a), Margo Lund (2g, 2a) and Amy Boucher (4a) were the top point producers while Kyra Smith started every game with a 2.36 GAA and .905 save percentage.

Giving Thanks
In the three weeks spanning Thanksgiving to mid-December, the Wildcats posted a 5-1-1 record with three wins by a one-goal margin, including one in overtime. UNH outscored the opposition 19-16 with a 228-164 shot advantage (32.6 to 23.4 shots per game). The power play converted 20% of its chances at 4 of 20, while the penalty kill was 86.7% effective at 13-for-15.
Both Amy Boucher and Jonna Curtis averaged at least one point per game. Boucher had eight points (2g, 6a) in seven games while Curtis tallied seven (4g, 3a). In goal, Kyra Smith started all seven games and went 5-1-1 with a 2.22 GAA and .905 save percentage.

Inside the Winning and Unbeaten Streaks
New Hampshire recorded a four-game win streak spanning Nov. 28 to Dec. 8; the five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1) ran from Nov. 27 to Dec. 8.
UNH allowed a total of five goals in the four-game win streak.
The Wildcats did not trail at any point during the four-game win streak.
New Hampshire outscored the opposition 11-5 during the win streak with a 154-87 shot advantage. UNH outscored the opposition 4-0 in the first period. Kyra Smith compiled a 1.24 GAA and .943 save percentage.
The unbeaten streak began Nov. 27 with a 3-3 tie at Rensselaer and continued with wins at RPI (2-1, Nov. 28), vs. Merrimack (4-1, Dec. 4), at Merrimack (2-1 overtime, Dec. 5) and vs. Dartmouth (3-2, Dec. 8).
Kyra Smith stopped 105 of 113 shots for a 1.56 GAA and .929 save percentage.
Jonna Curtis (3g, 3a) and Amy Boucher (2g, 4a) led the offense with six points apiece. Cassandra Vilgrain tallied three goals and an assist, and Amy Schlagel had two goals and two assists.
The 3-2 win vs. Dartmouth College (Dec. 8) marked the first time this season the Wildcats won when the opponent recorded 30-plus shots; the Big Green finished with a 32-31 shot advantage.
The 'Cats recorded a season-high 57 shots in the 2-1 overtime win at Merrimack College on Dec. 5. The 57 shots marked the highest team total since Feb. 3, 2008, when UNH also finished with 57 shots in a 6-0 win at Maine.
UNH's special teams excelled during the five-game streak at 21.4% (3 of 14) on the power play and 91.7% (11 of 12) on the penalty kill.

Scouting the Huskies
Northeastern University, ranked No. 6/5 in this week's national polls, enters the weekend with a 22-4-1 overall record that includes 17-2-0 in Hockey East and 13-2-0 at home (9-1-0 in Hockey East home games).
NU's current 11-game win streak started Dec. 4 with a 5-1 victory at Vermont; the last team to defeat the Huskies was Boston College (6-1 on Nov. 28). Last weekend, the Huskies swept a home-and-home series vs. UConn with a 4-0 win at home followed by a 7-3 road win. In the latter game, Northeastern was down 3-2 in the first period and came back the final 40 minutes of the game as the team outshot UConn 31-5 in the remainder of the game. Sophomore defenseman Lauren Kelly recorded her first collegiate two-goal game, while senior forward Kendall Coyne tallied two goals and two assists, and McKenna Brand finished with a goal and two assists.
Kendall Coyne leads the team in both goals (35) and points (62). Denisa Krizova has a team-high 31 assists and is second in both goals (14) and points (45). With 35 points (13g, 22a), Hayley Scamurra gives the Huskies a potent trio.
Brittany Bugalski has started 17 of 27 games; in 19 games overall, she has a 15-3-1 record with a 1.73 GAA and .930 save percentage. Sara Foss is 7-1-0 with a 2.99 GAA and .887 save percentage in 10 games (all starts).
NU is averaging 4.67 goals per game while yielding 2.19 gpg. The Huskies have a highly-successful power play with a 25.6 percent success rate (23 of 90). The penalty kill is at 88.8% (87 of 98).