Playoff Positioning On the Line In Vermont (Feb. 3-4)

Vermont (11-10-7, 7-6-5 Hockey East) at UNH (11-14-1, 9-8-1 WHEA)
Friday, Feb. 3 • 7 p.m. • Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vt.
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Saturday, Feb. 4 • 4 p.m. • Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vt.
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The Series : UNH vs. Vermont

New Hampshire has a 31-10-2 lifetime record against Vermont and that includes a 4-2 win at the Whittemore Center back on Oct. 28.
The series has been even in more recent history at 2-2-1 the past five games and 4-4-2 the last 10.
UNH has a 13-4-2 record at UVM's Gutterson Fieldhouse with a current five-game unbeaten streak of 3-0-2. In this Battle of the 'Cats, the Catamounts' most recent win on home ice is Feb. 1, 2013 (3-1).
The series began February 1978 and UNH won the first 21 meetings before Vermont won 2-1 in February 2010. Including that UVM win, the series is even the past 22 matchups (10-10-2).
Oct. 28, 2016: UNH 4, UVM 2 • Recap • Box

Next Home Game

UNH's next home game is also the Wildcats' last home game of the regular season – Feb. 10 vs. Boston University. Start time for the Senior Day game is 7 p.m. at the Whittemore Center.

Buy Tickets

UNH women's ice hockey 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 series with an 11-14-1 overall record that includes 4-6-1 on the road and 9-8-1 in Hockey East (3-3-1 in league road games).
New Hampshire went 3-3-0 in January and is 6-3-1 the past 10 games.
Last weekend, UNH played host to Northeastern University for a single game at the Whittemore Center and the Huskies skated to a 6-0 victory (Jan. 28).
The Wildcats' 7-0 shutout victory vs. Maine on Jan. 21 marked the first time in almost a year the 'Cats shut out an opponent (Jan. 24, 2016; 3-0 at Maine).
The seven goals marked the highest total by a UNH team since October 2013 (8-5 win at Penn State).
UNH's 11 wins matches last season's total.
Nine wins in Hockey East are the most by the Wildcats since the 2012-13 team went 10-8-3.
New Hampshire is 4-2 in games decided by one goal and that includes 2-1 in overtime.
New Hampshire is averaging 2.52 goals and 26.9 shots per game while yielding 2.88 goals and 30.3 shots per game. On special teams, the 'Cats are 13-for-103 (12.6%) on the power play and 99 of 114 (86.8%) on the penalty kill.
UNH was shut out twice in January – both by Northeastern. The Wildcats have been held scoreless three times this season – all on home ice.

'Cat Nips

Jonna Curtis recorded three goals and a personal-best three assists for a career high of six points Jan. 21 vs. Maine.
Curtis has factored in 29 of UNH's 63 goals (46%) this season with 16 goals and 13 assists.
Sophomore goalie Hilary Cashin recorded her first career shutout with a 22-save effort Jan. 21 against Maine (7-0 win). Cashin stopped 43 of 44 shots in the two-game series for a .978 save percentage and .050 GAA.
Freshman forward Abby Chapman (Beverly Hills, Mich.) tallied a personal-best three assists and scored a goal for a career-high four points in the Jan. 21 win vs. Maine.
Junior defenseman Amy Schlagel (Blaine, Minn.) finished with a personal-best three assists to match her career high of three points on Jan. 21. She also scored a goal Jan. 20 to finish with a four-point weekend.
Sophomore forward Devan Taylor (North Billerica, Mass.) scored a goal and matched her career high of two assists for a personal-best three points Jan. 20 vs. Maine.
Sophomore defenseman and captain Marie-Jo Pelletier (Dalhousie, New Brunswick) matched her personal best of two points (1g, 1a) on Jan. 21. She entered the weekend series vs. Maine with one career goal and scored a goal both games against the Black Bears.
Junior forward Carlee Toews (Grand Prairie, Alberta) matched her career high of two points (1g, 1a) on Jan. 21.
Junior forward Ali Praus (Long Lake, Minn.) recorded her first career multiple-point game with two assists on Jan. 20.

Milestone Watch

Jonna Curtis enters the weekend with 93 career points (49 goals, 44 assists) in 112 games.
The most recent Wildcat to score 50 career goals is Kristina Lavoie (2010-13) with 57.
Lavoie (51) and Kristine Horn (2010-13; 55) are the most recent 'Cats to tally 50 career assists.
Lavoie is also the most recent UNH skater to reach the 100-point milestone with 108.

Developing the Playoff Picture

With three weekends remaining in the regular season, UNH is tied for fifth in the Hockey East standings with Vermont at 19 points.
Boston University and Providence College are tied for third with 20 points, just one point ahead of UNH and UVM.
UNH, PC and UVM all have two league games in-hand vs. BU.
UConn sits in seventh place with 15 points.
The top four seeds host a best-of-three quarterfinal series the weekend of Feb. 24-26.

League Leaders

Jonna Curtis enters the weekend tied for sixth in Hockey East in goals (16) and sixth in points (29). She is tied for fifth in power-play points (10) and ranks third in shots (118).
Julia Fedeski (Algonquin Highlands, Ontario) is tied for second in power-play goals with five.
Marie-Jo Pelletier ranks eighth in blocked shots (49).

Conference Call

Jonna Curtis has tallied 22 points (13g, 9a) in 18 Hockey East games.
Also in league-only games, Meghara McManus ranks second on the team in goals (six), Carlee Turner is second in assists (eight) and Amy Schlagel ranks second in points (11).
Hilary Cashin has an 8-3-1 league record with a 2.52 GAA and .902 save percentage.

Cashin In Her Chance to Start

Sophomore goaltenders Hilary Cashin and Kyra Smith alternated starts through the first half of the season, but then Cashin started seven consecutive games spanning Nov. 20 to Jan. 7.
The streak ended Jan. 10 at Dartmouth College, which marked the Wildcats' third game in five days, and Smith started between the pipes. But Cashin has been back in net the past three games.
Cashin, who saw limited action in three games last season, has a 2.54 GAA and .908 save percentage with a 10-6-1 record in 18 games (17 starts).
Cashin recorded her first career shutout Jan. 21 with a 22-save effort against Maine at the Whittemore Center (7-0 win).
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 nine games (all starts), Smith has a 3.59 GAA and .899 save percentage with a 1-8-0 record; she is 1-5-0 in Hockey East with a 4.05 GAA and .888 save percentage.
Smith's most recent action was a 23-save effort in the aforementioned 2-1 loss at Dartmouth.

Strong Starts

UNH has outscored the opposition 19-17 in the first period despite facing a minus-43 shot deficit (255-212). The Wildcats have been outscored 36-20 and outshot 272-228 (minus-44) in the final frame; the 'Cats scored five of those 20 third-period goals Jan. 21 against Maine.

First Blood

New Hampshire has a 7-4-0 record when scoring the game's first goal, and the 'Cats are 4-10-1 in the 15 games they have fallen behind 1-0.

One For Me, One For You

Three Wildcats have an even total of goals and assists. Meghara McManus has a split of seven goals and assists apiece, followed by Julia Fedeski at six and Carlee Toews at five.

Scouting UVM

The University of Vermont (Burlington, Vt.) has an 11-10-7 overall record that includes 7-6-5 in Hockey East. The Catamounts are 1-3-2 their last five games.
UVM has a home record this season of 6-4-3 that includes 3-2-2 in Hockey East.
The Catamounts took on UConn on the road last weekend and returned home with a 4-2 win (Jan. 27) and a 2-1 loss (Jan. 28).
Senior goalie Madison Litchfield recorded her 28^th career win in the 5-2 victory over UConn to set a Division I program record for most wins.
Freshman forward Eve-Audrey Picard leads Vermont in goals (10), points (18), and power-play goals (4); she is tied for second in shots (79) with sophomore forward Alyssa Gorecki, who is also second in both goals (9) and points (17).
Sophomore forward Saana Valkama leads the Catamounts with 11 assists and sophomore defense Daria O,Neill following close behind with nine.
Litchfield and sophomore Melissa Black have shared time in the net throughout the season. Litchfield has 1.58 GAA and .941 save percentage with a 6-3-4 record. Black has a 2.46 GAA and a .919 save percentage with a 4-6-3 record.
UVM averages 2.29 goals and 28.2 shots per game, while allowing 2.11 goals and 28.5 shots per game.
The Catamounts are 16 of 138 (11.6%) on the power play and 102-for-114 (89.5%) on the penalty kill.

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Hilary Cashin

Abby Chapman

Jonna Curtis

Julia Fedeski

Meghara McManus

Marie-Jo Pelletier

Ali Praus

Amy Schlagel

Kyra Smith

Devan Taylor

Carlee Toews

Carlee Turner

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