'Cats Head to Quinnipiac for Final Non-Conference Games

Friday, January 26

Hamden, Conn.

6 PM

University of New Hampshire

Quinnipiac University

1/25/2018 4:28:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey

The Wildcats take a break from Hockey East action to face ECAC foe Quinnipiac.

2017-2018 New Hampshire Women's Ice Hockey
Friday, Jan. 26 (6:00 P.M.) / Saturday, January 27, 2018 (3:00 p.m)
New Hampshire (11-10-6, 8-7-4 Hockey East) vs.
Quinnipiac (13-11-2, 9-7-0 ECAC) Frank Perrotti, Jr. Arena - Hamden, Conn.
WATCH - ESPN3 | LIVE STATS

DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team, now tied for fourth place in Hockey East, begins a five-game road stint beginning in Hamden, Conn. on Friday, Jan. 26. The Wildcats will face the Quinnipiac Bobcats in a two-game series Friday and Saturday on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.

The Matchup: Quinnipiac vs. New Hampshire

The Wildcats and the Bobcats have met 13 times since 2001, with UNH leading the all-time series 8-4-1, with a 3-2-1 road record. New Hampshire won the first seven matchups, while Quinnipiac has won the last four. They most recently met in October of 2016, with a single game at the Whittemore Center that the Bobcats took, by a score of 3-0.

The State of New Hampshire

• The Wildcats finished the first half of the season with a 9-6-5 overall record through 20 games; it was the teams' first winning record through 20 games since 2009-10, when the Wildcats had a .750 winning percentage, going 13-3-4.

• UNH has scored the first goal in 17 of 27 games this season; they are 10-3-4 in those games.

• New Hampshire has nine skaters who have tallied at least 11 points on the season so far.

• The Wildcats are 8-2-0 when scoring three or more goals, and 3-8-6 when scoring less than three goals.

• UNH has 22 power play goals on a 16.9% power play efficiency. They have killed 88 of 106 penalties for a 83% penalty kill efficiency.

• The Wildcats average 4.8 power play chances per game and 3.9 penalty kill opportunities per game.

• New Hampshire has outshot opponents by 43 shots in the third period (280-237). They lead in third period goals with 19 goals scored and 18 allowed in the third period.

• New Hampshire is 9-1-6 when holding opponents to less than three goals; only 10 times this season have opponents scored three or more goals (1-9-0 record in those games.)

Last Time Out

This past weekend the Wildcats faced off with long-time rival and top-10 opponent, Providence College. The Wildcats found themselves down 2-0 in the third period of their first game, but clutch goals by Carlee Turner (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Kate Haslett (Rothesay, New Brunswick) salvaged a conference point for the Wildcats. In the second game, the game was scoreless until Carlee Toews (Grand Prairie, Alberta) notched a short-handed goal to break the stalemate, while Ava Boutilier (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) made 22 saves to post her first career shutout, as the Wildcats got their first victory against a ranked opponent, 1-0 on Saturday.

Players to Watch

• Senior defensemen Amy Schlagel (Blaine, Minn.) and Julia Fedeski (Algonquin Highlands, Ontario) were both drafted to NWHL teams this offseason, Schlagel going 18th overall to the Buffalo Beauts, and Fedeski going 20th overall to the Boston Pride.

• Fedeski is tied for third in total points with 15 points on six goals and nine assists. Five of her six goals this season have come on the power play; two of her goals were game winners.

• Schlagel has now tallied nine goals and three assists for 12 points on the season. Schlagel has six power play goals and two game winners.

• Sophomore forward Taylor Wenczkowski (Rochester, N.H.) is now up to 17 points on the season, after tallying three points against UConn this past weekend. She leads the team in points and is second in the team in assists with 10. Four of her seven goals were power play goals. Wenczkowski also leads the team in conference points with 13.

• Sophomore forward Meghara McManus (Milton, Mass.) is tied for the team lead in goals with nine, and the team lead in points with 17. She had her second mutli-goal game of her career against Northeastern. Her most recent point was a short-handed assist against Providence to Carlee Toews on her game-winning goal.

• Sophomore forward Nicole Dunbar (Coto de Caza, Calif.) has 15 points on the season with seven goals and eight assists. Dunbar had the game-winning goal against Holy Cross, and most recently in overtime against Northeastern. She also tallied goals against Yale and Boston College.

• Sophomore forward Carlee Turner (Scottsdale, Ariz.) is at 15 points after her unassisted goal against Providence; She has six goals and nine assists. She scored her first power play goal of the season against Vermont. Turner is second on the team in points tallied in conference games with 11.

• Tori Howran (Bancroft, Ontario) has the team lead in assists with 12, adding in 1 goal for 13 points on the season. Howran scored her first career goal this season in a 9-1 victory over Holy Cross.

Boutilier Gets the Start

Freshman goaltender Ava Boutilier (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) has gotten the start in 23 of UNH's 27 games this season; she has a 9-8-6 record in her first 23 career starts, stopping 633 shots and allowing 52 goals. She has a .924 save percentage and a 2.27 GAA in her first career season. Boutilier got her first career shutout against #8 Providence.

Return of Smith

Junior goaltender Kyra Smith (Littleton, Colo.) got her first action of the season in December, starting two games with a 2-0-0 record and earning two straight Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week awards. Smith is 2-2-0 on the season with 104 saves and nine goals allowed for a .920 save percentage and 2.48 GAA.

Two-Time Player of the Week

After her 22-save shutout on Saturday and her 27-save draw on Friday, Ava Boutilier was awarded her second Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week award of the season. She last won after her first weekend of action after a 1-0-1 weekend against Merrimack.

Take It To Overtime

The Wildcats have played nine overtime games this season; so far, they are undefeated in games that require an extra period, with a 3-0-6 record. They are outshooting opponents 26-20 in overtime.

Ranked Woes

UNH has a losing record (1-6-1) against ranked opponents this season; they are 10-4-5 against unranked opponents this season. The Wildcats got their first points of the season against a ranked opponent against #8 Providence, tying 2-2 and winning 1-0.

Scouting Quinnipiac

The Bobcats (Hamden, Conn.) come into the weekend winning two of their last five games, with a 13-11-2 overall record. In ECAC play, they've gone 9-7-0. Quinnipiac averages 1.88 goals per game and gives up two goals per game on average.

The Bobcats are led by junior forward MacKenzie Lancaster, who has a team-high 11 assists and 19 points on the season. Of her eight goals, three of them have come on the power play and one was a game-winner. Following close behind is junior forward Melissa Samoskevich, who leads the team with 10 goals, while adding eight assists for 18 points.

In net, Quinnipiac has looked to sophomore Abbie Ives to start 22 of their 26 games. Ives has a 12-9-2 record with two shut outs; she has a .919 save percentage and a 1.81 GAA. In the other four starts, freshman Allison Small has gotten the start. She has a 1-2-0 record, .901 save percentage, and a 2.36 GAA.