Wildcats Travel to Maine Friday, Host Providence Sunday

Friday, October 26

Orono, Maine

6 PM

University of New Hampshire

Maine

Maddie Truax (Photo by Vincent Dejana)

Photo by: Vincent Dejana

10/25/2018 2:08:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey

New Hampshire is looking to halt a three-game skid.

DURHAM, N.H. - Coming off a rough two-game winless homestand, the University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team returns to action for a road and home weekend, facing the Maine Black Bears on Friday evening (6 P.M.) and hosting the Providence Friars on Sunday (2 P.M.)

The Series: New Hampshire vs. Maine
   The Border War rivalry in women's hockey dates back to the late 1990s. UNH holds the all-time edge with a 40-12-7 record when playing Maine. In the most recent five meetings, UNH is 3-1-1 against the Black Bears. The last series between the two teams was a two-game stint at Maine, where the teams tied 2-2 in game one, while Maine took game two by a score of 3-0.

The Series: New Hampshire vs. Providence
   Providence and New Hampshire have met in women's hockey since the earliest days of collegiate women's hockey, with several ECAC and Hockey East playoff matchups. The longest game in women's college hockey history took place between UNH and Providence March 9, 1996 at the Whittemore Center. UNH won a five-overtime thriller by a score of 3-2. It was the longest game in all of college hockey history until the Notre Dame vs. UMass men's game went to five overtimes in 2015.

Last Time Out:
   The Wildcats dropped a pair of Hockey East matchups last weekend in a two-game homestand with Vermont and #9 Northeastern. The Wildcats were able to score late in each contest, but neither third-period goal was enough to make a difference in the result.
   New Hampshire was down 2-0 in the third period of their first game, hosting Vermont, when in the final two minutes, with the goaltender pulled, the Wildcats got a late goal from senior captain Marie-Jo Pelletier (Dalhousie, New Brunswick) which gave the 'Cats one more chance at an equalizer. Vermont shut down the Wildcat offense and won the game 2-1.
   A similar scoreline met the 'Cats as they entered the third period the following Sunday against Northeastern. The Wildcats got a goal from junior Taylor Wenczkowski (Rochester, N.H.) 14 minutes into the third period and pulled the goaltender with just over a minute left to try and equalize, but the Huskies were able to counter-attack and score an empty-netter with one second remaining on the clock. Senior captain Kyra Smith (Littleton, Colo.) made 30 saves in her season debut.

The State Of New Hampshire
- New Hampshire was picked seventh in the Hockey East preseason poll released on September 20th. The Wildcats finished fifth in Hockey East in the 2017-18 regular season.
- From last year's roster, the Wildcats return 20 players with six newcomers. Despite losing five starters, UNH returns their three top scorers from the 2017-18 season. The group of juniors Meghara McManus (Milton, Mass.), Carlee Turner (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Taylor Wenczkowski (Rochester, N.H.) led the team last season with 20 points each.
- Also among those returning are goaltenders Ava Boutilier (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) and Kyra Smith. Boutilier had a breakout season her freshman year, breaking the UNH record for saves made in a single season (886) and backstopped the 'Cats in 32 of their 36 games played last season. Boutilier finished her freshman season with a 12-13-7 record. Smith saw action in the other four starts last season with a 2-2-0 record, with big wins over Northeastern and UConn in which she made 29 and 27 saves, respectively.

The Captains
Seniors Marie-Jo Pelletier and Kyra Smith will serve as the team's two captains this season. Pelletier came into the season leading the team in career assists with 27, while Smith entered 2018-19 with a .900 career save percentage and two shut outs in 41 career games played.

Players to Watch
- Junior Nicole Dunbar leads the team with four points on a team-leading three goals and an assist. One of her goals this season has come on the power play.
- Four other Wildcats have tallied a second-best three points on the season. Junior Tori Howran (Bancroft, Ontario) and sophomore Grace Middleton (Midland, Mich.) are two of said Wildcats, both on a goal and two assists. Middleton tallied two assists against UConn for her first career multi-point game.
- Freshman Lauren Martin (Cambridge, Ontario) and junior Carlee Turner (Scottsdale, Ariz.) also have three points on the season; Turner has one goal and two assists, her goal being UNH's first game-winner of the season, and Martin has tallied three helpers on the season, two of which coming in the home opener against UConn.
- Seniors Devan Taylor (North Billerica, Mass.), Marie-Jo Pelletier, junior Taylor Wenczkowski, and freshman Emily Rickwood (Brantford, Ontario) all have two points on the season.
- Rickwood started off her career strong with two assists in the home opener against UConn.
- Wenczkowski has two goals on the season, one of those coming on the power play.
- Taylor and Pelletier have both tallied a goal and an assist this season.

Mind the Net
   Sophomore Ava Boutilier returns for her second season after setting a new record for saves in a single season (886) in her rookie season. Boutilier holds a 1-3-1 record so far in the 2018-19 season, with a .939 save% and a 1.93 GAA. She has made a total of 154 saves in her first five games.
   Senior Kyra Smith made her season debut against #9 Northeastern, making 30 saves and allowing just two goals in a 3-1 loss.

Scouting Maine
- The Black Bears (Orono, Maine) come into the weekend off a 1-1-0 weekend, which dropped them just outside the top-10 in the nation.
- Maine holds an impressive 5-1-0 overall record, a 1-1-0 Hockey East record, and are undefeated at home so far this season (2-0-0).
- The Black Bears are led by freshman Liga Miljone who has tallied three goals and five assists already this season. Following close behind is junior Teresa Vanisova, with five goals and two assists.
- Maine shows their depth at goaltender with three different goalies seeing action so far this season. Sophomore Lauryn Porter and junior Carly Jackson have both started three games this season. Porter leads the team with a .979 save% and 0.33 GAA, while Jackson has posted a .900 save% and 1.67 GAA. The third goaltender seeing action is junior Jillian Flynn, who has a relief appearance where she played 40 minutes, making eight saves and allowing no goals for a combined shutout with the starter.

Scouting Providence
- The Friars (Providence, R.I.) come into the weekend with a 4-1-0 overall record, 1-0-0 in Hockey East play.
- Providence plays at #8 Northeastern on Friday ahead of their Sunday game with UNH.
- Maureen Murphy leads the team with 11 points on five goals and six assists. Two of her goals have come short-handed.
- In net, Madison Myers has gotten three of the five starts to begin the season. She holds a 3-0-0 record with a .952 save% and 0.99 GAA. She has shut out one team already this season.