Wildcats Face Newcomers Holy Cross

Saturday, November 17

Worcester, Mass.

1 PM

University of New Hampshire

Holy Cross

whoc preview 111618 smith scammell rynne

From left to right: Kyra Smith, Julia Scammell, Paige Rynne (Photo by Helene Bartsch)

Photo by: Helene Bartsch

11/16/2018 10:35:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey

For the second time in history, and the first time in Hockey East, the ‘Cats face off with the Crusaders.

DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team continues their conference schedule with a one-game series with the Holy Cross Crusaders on Saturday, November 17 in Worcester, Mass.

The Wildcats are coming off a tough 0-2-0 weekend against now #5 Northeastern, and are looking to bounce back with their first Hockey East bout with newcomers to the conference, the Crusaders.

New Hampshire returns home to the Whittemore Center the following weekend to host a two-game series with Rensselaer on Saturday, November 24 and Sunday, November 25. Both games are at 2 P.M. and tickets are available by visiting UNHWildcats.com or by calling (603) 862-4000.

The Series: New Hampshire vs. Holy Cross
    The Crusaders are the newcomers to Hockey East this season; the Wildcats have faced Holy Cross just once before this season, as New Hampshire hosted Holy Cross in the Whittemore Center in October of 2017 - the Wildcats took down the Crusaders by a score of 9-1 in the series debut.

Last Time Out:
    The Wildcats faced the top Hockey East team Northeastern in a home-and-home series last weekend that resulted in two losses for the 'Cats. In game one, at the Whittemore Center, the Wildcats were shut out, but senior captain Kyra Smith (Littleton, Colo.) did all she could to keep New Hampshire's chances alive, stopping a career-high 40 shots in the loss.
    New Hampshire came out swinging in game two in Boston, tallying two quick goals in the first period to overcome an early 1-0 deficit to lead 2-1. Another Northeastern goal tied the game back up at 2-2 going into the first intermission. First period goals came from Carlee Turner (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Maddie Truax (Gardner, Mass.). It was the first career goal for Truax, who played as an extra defender last season, but is now skating shifts as a left-wing forward.
    Junior Meghara McManus (Milton, Mass.) tallied her second goal of the season in the second period; the power play goal put the 'Cats up 3-2 going into the final frame. Despite holding off the Huskies for a majority of the period, a three-goal surge from Northeastern gave them a 5-3 victory.

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, Carlee Turner 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 (Littleton, Colo.). 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.

Players to Watch
- Junior Nicole Dunbar (Coto De Caza, Calif.) leads the team with five points three goals and two assists. One of her goals this season has come on the power play.
- Fellow junior Carlee Turner has also tallied five points on the season after tallying two goals and three assists.
- Five other Wildcats have tallied a second-best four points on the season: Freshman Lauren Martin (Cambridge, Ontario) and junior Carlee Turner (Scottsdale, Ariz.) were the first two locked at four points; Turner has one goal and three assists, her goal being UNH's first game-winner of the season, and Martin has tallied a team-leading four helpers on the season, two of which came in the home opener against UConn.
- Junior Tori Howran and sophomore Grace Middleton (Midland, Mich.) are also at four points; Howran now has two goals and assists each, and Middleton has tallied one goal and three assists.

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 1-5-2 record so far in the 2018-19 season, with a .924 save% and a 2.23 GAA.
    Senior Kyra Smith made her season debut against #9 Northeastern back in October, and ended up playing in all three games against Northeastern this season; Smith leads the team in save percentage with .930, but has an 0-4-0 record on the year.

Scouting Holy Cross
- The Crusaders (Worcester, Mass.) are in their first season as a member of women's Hockey East.
- Holy Cross currently holds a 0-11-2 overall record and 0-8-0 Hockey East record.
- Last time out, Holy Cross faced Merrimack in a home-and-home series; they dropped game one at Merrimack 3-0, and lost their home game 6-2.
- The Crusaders are led by senior Amanda Kewer who has a team-high four points on two goals and two assists. Two other Crusaders have tallied two goals on the year; senior Maeve Reilly and freshman Carlie Magier.
- In net, the Crusaders have seen split time between sophomore Julia Pelletier and freshman Jade Brenon.
- Pelletier has started eight games for Holy Cross, with a 0-7-1 record. She has a .876 save% and a 4.78 GAA.
- Brenon has started the other five contests with a GAA of 3.63 and a save% of .895. Her record in those five starts is 0-4-1.