Weekend Home-and-Home Series vs. Merrimack

UNH (5-11-1, 4-6-1 WHEA) at Merrimack (6-10-2, 2-7-0 WHEA)
Friday, Dec. 2 • 7 p.m. • Lawler Rink • Andover, Mass.
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Merrimack (6-10-2, 2-7-0 WHEA)at UNH (5-11-1, 4-6-1 WHEA)
Saturday, Dec. 3   • 4 p.m. • Whittemore Center   • Durham, N.H.
Video   • Stats • Tickets

McManus Honored As Hockey East Rookie of the Week

Freshman forward Meghara McManus (Milton, Mass.) was named Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week by Hockey East on Nov. 28.
McManus matched her career high of two points as she factored in both UNH goals of a 2-2 tie against Maine last Saturday. Her other stats included six shots, a blocked shot and a +2 plus/minus rating.
Her sixth goal of the season tied the score at 2 with 2:25 remaining in regulation.
McManus also set up UNH's first goal of the game that lifted the 'Cats within 2-1 at 8:49 of the second stanza.
It is McManus' first collegiate accolade.

The Series : UNH vs. Merrimack

UNH has a 3-1-0 lifetime record against Merrimack College in the two-year history of the series.
The Wildcats skated to a 6-2 victory at the Whittemore Center on Oct. 15.
- Box score Game Recap
Merrimack won the inaugural meeting, 2-1, in October 2015 at Lawler Rink despite UNH's 35-12 shot advantage. New Hampshire swept last December's home-and-home series with a 4-1 home win and 2-1 overtime victory on the road.

Buy Tickets

UNH women's ice hockey season and single-game tickets are on sale now online at www.unhwildcats.com, by calling (603) 862-4000 or in person at the Whittemore Center box office.

The State of New Hampshire

UNH enters the weekend with a 5-11-1 overall record that includes 4-6-1 in Hockey East, 4-6-0 at home and 1-5-1 on the road. In league play, the Wildcats are 3-3-0 at the Whittemore Center and 1-3-1 at all other venues.
New Hampshire takes a two-game unbeaten streak into the home-and-home series against Merrimack. The 'Cats skated to a 2-2 tie at Maine (Norway Savings Bank Arena; Auburn, Maine) last Saturday. Prior to that, UNH upended Providence College, 2-1, at home Nov. 20.
The Wildcats are 2-2-1 the past five games; they went 3-4-1 in November and are 4-5-1 the last 10.
All three of UNH's overtime games were in November, and the 'Cats have a 1-1-1 record in OT.
New Hampshire is 3-1 in games decided by one goal and that includes 1-1 in overtime.
New Hampshire is averaging 2.00 goals and 25.8 shots per game while yielding 3.35 goals and 33.4 shots per game. On special teams, the 'Cats are 8-for-73 (11.0%) on the power play and 70 of 80 (87.5%) on the penalty kill.

'Cat Nips

Freshman forward Nicole Dunbar (Coto de Caza, Calif.) scored her first collegiate goal and also tallied an assist for her first career multiple-point game Nov. 26 against Maine.
Freshman forward Meghara McManus matched her personal best of two points with a goal and assist in that game vs. the Black Bears.
The freshman line of Dunbar, McManus and Carlee Turner (Scottsdale, Ariz.) accounted for all five of UNH's points against Maine. Turner was credited with the primary assist on Dunbar's goal.
McManus has tallied a point three of the last four games, as well as 4 of 6 and 6 of 9. She has 5-3-8 the past nine games.
Sophomore goaltender Hilary Cashin (Fredericton, New Brunswick) stopped 25 of 27 shots in the 2-2 tie vs. Maine. Cashin is 2-0-1 her last three games with 95 saves and five goals against for a 1.62 GAA and .950 save percentage.

Notable November

Hilary Cashin went 3-1-1 in six November games (five starts) with a 2.78 GAA and .906 save percentage. She was honored as the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 21) after going 2-0-0 with wins against Harvard University (3-2 in OT; 40 saves) and Providence College (2-1; 29 saves).
Meghara McManus recorded four goals and three assists for seven points in eight games; her other stats included 19 shots, a .211 shooting percentage, a +3 rating and 10 blocked shots.
Jonna Curtis also tallied seven points on four goals and three assists in eight November games. She scored her goals on 39 shots and scored the game-winning overtime goal vs. Harvard (Nov. 15).

League Leaders

Jonna Curtis is tied for eighth in Hockey East in points (17). She is tied for second in power-play points (eight) ranks eighth in shots (69).
Curtis and Julia Fedeski are tied for seventh in power-play goals with three.
Curtis and Amy Schlagel are tied for fifth in game-winning goals with two.
Fedeski is tied for 10^th in defenseman scoring with eight points (4g, 4a).
Meghara McManus (6g, 4a) is ninth in freshman scoring with 10 points and Carlee Turner (1g, 8a) is tied for 10^th in with nine points.
Sophomore defenseman Jenna Rheault (Deering, N.H.) is tied for sixth in blocked shots (31).

Conference Call

Jonna Curtis has tallied 11 points (6g, 5a) in 10 Hockey East games.
Meghara McManus ranks second on the team in both goals (six) and points (nine).
Hilary Cashin has a 3-1-1 league record with a 2.80 GAA and .894 save percentage.

Special Teams

Special teams were a difference maker in the 2-1 victory against Providence College on Nov. 20.
The Wildcats went 2-for-6 on the power play to match their season high for power-play goals in a game; 2 of 5 vs. Vermont (Oct. 28).
UNH was a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill vs. PC; the 'Cats had allowed a power-play goal each of the five previous games.

75 / 100

Jonna Curtis recorded her 75^th career point when she scored her sixth goal of the season – 39^th of her career – Nov. 5 at Providence
Curtis skated in her 100^th career game Nov. 12 at Boston College.
She enters the weekend with 42 goals and 39 assists for 81 points in 104 games.

Stopping Shots

UNH's goaltenders are averaging 30.0 saves per game with a breakdown of Kyra Smith at 30.6 and Hilary Cashin at 29.1.
Those numbers have declined, albeit by a small margin, the past two games with Cashin making 29 saves vs. PC (Nov. 20) and 25 against Maine (Nov. 26).
Opponents have recorded the shot advantage in 13 of 17 games; UNH tallied a 27-23 shot advantage vs. Merrimack (Oct. 15); 32-26 vs. UConn (Nov. 6); 45-42 vs. Harvard (Nov. 15); and 38-27 at Maine (Nov. 26).
The opposition has topped 40 shots in a game five times this season.

Platoon System

Sophomore goaltenders Kyra Smith (Littleton, Colo.) and Hilary Cashin alternated starts through 16 games but that trend ended last weekend vs. Maine when Cashin got the start for the second consecutive game.
Cashin, who saw limited action in three games last season, has a 2.67 GAA and .911 save percentage with a 4-4-1 record in 10 games (nine starts); she is 3-1-1 in her last four decisions; Cashin is also 3-1-1 in Hockey East with a 2.80 GAA and .894 save percentage.
In addition to her career-high 41 saves Oct. 23 vs. Clarkson, Cashin made 32 saves (on 35 shots) in her first game of the season, a 3-1 loss at eighth-ranked Colgate (Oct. 2). Cashin recorded her second 40+ save effort in the 3-2 overtime win vs. Harvard on Nov. 16.
Cashin stopped 21 shots vs. Merrimack to earn her first career win Oct. 15.
Smith made 32 or more saves each of her first five games, and that included 38 saves in the season-opening 4-2 loss at No 8 Colgate and 36 saves at No. 9 Boston University.
Smith made a personal-best 39 saves Nov. 19 at PC (6-3 loss) with 15 saves in the first period, 14 in the second and 10 in the third.
In eight games, Smith has a 3.80 GAA and .897 save percentage with a 1-7-0 record; she is 1-5-0 in Hockey East with a 4.05 GAA and .888 save percentage.

Block That Shot

Sophomore Jenna Rheault is the team leader in blocked shots with 31. She is followed by classmate Marie-Jo Pelletier (Dalhousie, New Brunswick) with 27 and junior Julia Fedeski (Algonquin Highlands, Ontario) with 25.

Strong Starts

UNH has outscored the opposition 13-11 in the first period; however, the Wildcats have been outscored 27-10 in the third period.

First Blood

New Hampshire has a 3-4-0 record when scoring the game's first goal, and the 'Cats are 2-7-0 in the nine games they have fallen behind 1-0; UNH surrendered the game's first goal in both of last week's home wins against Harvard and Providence College.

Strength of Schedule

Seven of UNH's first eight games were against nationally-ranked teams.
Nine of the 17 games have been vs. a Top 10 team.
The Wildcats opened the 2016-17 season with two games at No. 8 Colgate, then played at No. 9 Boston University followed by home games against No. 3 Quinnipiac, No. 5 Boston College and No. 8 Clarkson (twice).
Most recently, the 'Cats concluded the season series vs. No. 6 BC with a home-and-home series Nov. 11-12.

Scouting the Warriors

Merrimack College, led by former UNH goaltender and coach Erin (Whitten) Hamlen, enters the weekend with a 6-10-2 overall record that includes 2-7-0 in Hockey East. The Warriors are 1-4-1 on home ice, 4-6-1 on the road and 1-0-0 at neutral sites.
MC carries a program-best two-game win streak and three-game unbeaten streak into Friday's game.
Last weekend, the Warriors won the 2016 Nutmeg Classic with a 1-1 tie against No. 8/9 Quinnipiac University (advanced to title game by winning the shootout 2-0) and 4-3 victory against Yale University.
This past Tuesday, the Warriors were 5-2 victors at Brown University.
Merrimack also had a three-game unbeaten streak earlier this season (Oct. 21-28) with a win and tie vs. Robert Morris and a win at Northeastern.
The Warriors lost six consecutive games between unbeaten streaks.
Sophomore forward Katelyn Rae is the team leader in goals (11) and points (15). Classmate Paige Voight and freshman Mikyla Grant-Mentis both have 13 points. Voight is also second in goals (nine) while Grant-Mentis has a team-high 11 assists. Sophomore Jessica Bonfe also has double-digit points (12) on eight goals and four assists.
The goaltending duties have been split between freshman Lea-Kristine Demers and sophomore Samantha Ridgewell, the reigning Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week. In 12 games (all starts), Demers is 5-7-0 with a 3.28 GAA and .903 save percentage. In seven games (six starts), Ridgewell is 1-3-2 with a 3.73 GAA and .898 save percentage.
Merrimack is averaging 2.56 goals and 23.9 shots per game while allowing 3.67 goals and 35.0 shots per game.
The Warriors are 13 of 67 (19.4%) on the power play and 61-for-78 (78.2%) on the penalty kill.
Also of note, MC has a 5-4-0 when scoring first and 1-6-2 when falling behind 1-0.

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Hilary Cashin

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