Women's Hockey Takes UConn to 3OT, Loss Ends Season

Saturday, February 27

Storrs, CT

3 PM

University of New Hampshire

11-24-1

University of Connecticut

17-14-5

OT 1

OT 2

OT 3

UNH

UCONN

Senior goalie Vilma Vaattovaara made 35 saves in her second start since November.

2/27/2016 7:46:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey

Box Score

STORRS, Conn. – Freshman forward Taylor Wenczkowski (Rochester, N.H.) scored a pair of goals and the UNH women's hockey team took Connecticut to three overtimes in the second longest game in program history before dropping a 4-3 decision in Game 2 of a Hockey East quarterfinal series at the Freitas Ice Forum on Saturday.

UConn senior forward Leah Buress scored 3:17 into the third overtime frame to close out the game and the series. UConn won Friday night, 3-2, and swept the series two games to none. The Huskies move on to the Hockey East semifinal round next weekend. Buress scored an extra attacker goal with 41.5 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime.

The Wildcats put 72 shots on UConn senior goalie Elaine Chuli and outshot the Huskies 21-3 in the first overtime period. They finished the season with an 11-24-1 record. UConn is 17-14-5.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Feb. 27, 2016 (7 p.m.)
Location: Freitas Ice Forum (Storrs, Conn.)
Attendance: 229
Score: University of Connecticut 4, University of New Hampshire 3
Updated Records: UNH (11-24-1), UConn (17-14-5)

Goal Scorers:
   UNH – Taylor Wenczkowski (2), Amy Schlagel
   UConn- Leah Buress (2), Leah Lum, Theresa Knutson

Goaltenders:
   UNH- Vilma Vaattovaara 5-9-8-3-10-0 --35 (4 GA) (103:08) [loss]
   UConn- Elaine Chuli 10-13-7-21-16-1--68 (3 GA) (101:31) [win]

Up Next:
    UConn advances to Hockey East semifinals

GAME RECAP

Wenczkowski struck for the only goal of the first period with 2:23 left when she picked up the puck at her own blueline, broke into the UConn zone and beat Elaine Chuli with a shot to the wide side.
Defenseman Amy Schlagel (Blaine, Minn.) made it 2-0 at the 6:18 mark of the second period with a shot from just below the left faceoff circle with five seconds left on a UNH power play.
Theresa Knutson got one back for UConn on the power play at 7:42 of the second period.
Wenczkowski made it a two-goal game with her second score 2:09 into the third period.
Leah Lum broke up the middle and scored on a backhander to cut it to 3-2 at 7:31 of the third period.
Leah Buress scored from in front off a nice pass to tie it with 41.5 seconds left in regulation.
The Wildcats barraged the UConn net in the first OT and outshot the Huskies, 21-3.
UNH had a 16-10 edge in shots in the second overtime.
Buress scored the two goals Saturday and had a goal and an assist on Friday night.
Senior Vilma Vaattovaara (Veikkola, Finland) made her second start sicne Nov. 7 and made 35 saves.

WILDCAT NOTEBOOK

This was the second longest game in UNH women's hockey history.
The longest is also the longest in college hockey (men's or women's) - a 6-5 win in five overtimes against Providence College in the 1996 ECAC title game at the Whittemore Center.
The game marked the final career contest for six UNH seniors: forwards Nicoline Jensen, Margo Lund and Heather Kashman; defensemen Sara Carlson and Haley Breedlove; and goalie Vaattovaara.
Wenczkowski has four goals this season. She had two in a 4-1 win over Merrimack on Dec. 4 and two Saturday.
This was UNH's fourth game against Chuli the past two weekends. They scored 2,1 and 2 goals in the first three.
It was the second game in a row and fourth time this year UNH put more than 40 shots on net.
The 72 shots on net were by far a UNH high for the season. The previous high was 57 against Merrimack on Dec. 5.
This was UNH's second postseason game against UConn to go to OT. On March 12, 2005, No. 10 UConn defeated No. 8 UNH, 5-4, in a Hockey East semifinal at BU's Walter Brown Arena.

ARMY ROTC THREE STARS OF THE GAME

Elaine Chuli, UConn
Leah Buress, UConn
Taylor Wenczkowski, UNH

PENALTIES
   New Hampshire: 8-16
   UConn: 7-14

POWER PLAYS
   New Hampshire: 2-7 (18 shots)
   UConn: 1-8 (14 shots)

NEW HAMPSHIRE LEADERS
Points (2): Taylor Wenczkowski
Goals (2): Wenczkowski
Assists (1): Sara Carlson, Marie-Jo Pelletier
Shots (13): Cassandra Vilgrain
Faceoffs Won (19): Amy Boucher

UCONN LEADERS
Points (2): Leah Buress, Margaret Zimmer
Goals (2): Buress
Assists (2): Zimmer
Shots (7): Theresa Knutson, Brittany Berisoff
Faceoffs Won (24): Buress

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