.png&type=webp)
University of New Hampshire Athletics
Friday, January 11
Storrs, Conn.
6 PM
University of New Hampshire
at
UConn
Marie-Jo Pelletier (left) and Meghara McManus (right) (Photo by Audrey Powell)
Wildcats Wrap Up Season Series with UConn
1/10/2019 11:58:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
The Wildcats took game one of the three-game season series in October.
DURHAM, N.H. - Riding its longest unbeaten streak since 2007-08, the University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team continues Hockey East play at the University of Connecticut this weekend, January 11 and 12.
The Wildcats are currently on a two-game win streak, beginning 2019 with a 2-0-0 record defeating #10 Boston College and Yale. In the midst of a five-game road trip, the Wildcats head to Storrs, Connecticut to wrap up the season series with the Huskies. Puck drop on Friday, January 11 is at 6 P.M., and Saturday's matchup is at 3 P.M. Both games streamed on UConnHuskies.com/watch.
The Wildcats next home game is the start of a home-and-home series with Holy Cross on Saturday, January 26. The 2 P.M. puck drop will be the Hockey Fights Cancer game, joining the hockey community in supporting those battling all forms of cancer.
For tickets to the Hockey Fights Cancer game and all other UNH home games, visit UNHWildcats.com or call (603) 862-4000.
The Series: New Hampshire vs. Connecticut
Since 1978 the Wildcats and the Huskies have met 63 times, including three post-season meetings, with UNH holding the all-time advantage with a 46-12-5 record. The two teams met once already this season, as the Wildcats overcame a first-period deficit to defeat the Huskies, 5-3 at the Whittemore Center.
Last Time Out:
The Wildcats are coming off a strong third-period rally at Yale to give them their second straight come-from behind win. The game-winner came once again from junior Taylor Wenczkowski (Rochester, N.H.) with her team-leading 10th goal of the year and third game-winner of the year.
Down by a goal entering the third period, the Wildcats put the pressure on and outshot the Bulldogs 6-2 in the final frame. The rally was started by senior captian Marie-Jo Pelletier (Dalhousie, New Brunswick) who tipped a shot from junior Meghara McManus (Milton, Mass.) past the opposing goaltender to tie the game 10 minutes into the period. Pelletier also tallied an assist earlier in the contest. Wenczkowski's goal came just over two minutes later, assisted by freshman Lauren Martin (Cambridge, Ontario) and senior captain goaltender Kyra Smith (Littleton, Colo.). Smith finished with 21 saves in her seventh win of the season.
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.
- The 'Cats started off the season with an even 1-1-1 record after their home opener, losing and tying to #10 St. Lawrence to open the season, then beating UConn 5-3 to open up Hockey East play 1-0 for the first time since 2010-11.
- The Wildcats then faced a nine-game winless streak, facing ranked foe Northeastern in their three-game season series, and going 0-2-1 against Vermont.
- UNH snapped their winless drought with a 4-1 victory over Holy Cross just before Thanksgiving break.
- From that Holy Cross victory, the Wildcats then went on a nine game unbeaten streak (7-0-2) with wins over conference foes Merrimack and Boston College, and ECAC foes Dartmouth, Rensselaer and Yale.
- The unbeaten streak includes two straight come-from-behind third period rallies, trailing 2-1 against Boston College (won 3-2) and trailing 3-2 at Yale (won 4-3).
Players to Watch
- Junior forward Taylor Wenczkowski now leads the team in points after scoring three goals in the last two games. Wenczkowski has a team-high 0 goals, along with four assists for a team-high 14 points. Wenczkowski holds the longest point streak of the season for UNH, seven points in four games, and leads the team in game-winning goals with three.
- Fellow junior Nicole Dunbar (Coto de Caza, Calif.)has 12 points for the Wildcats, with seven assists, the third-highest tally on the team, and five goals.
- Junior Carlee Turner (Scottsdale, Ariz.) is now at 11 points on the year. Turner tallied UNH's first game-winning goal of the year, and tallied the game-winning assist at Dartmouth off a faceoff win. She has five goals and six assists on the year.
- Freshman Lauren Martin has leapfrogged up to a tie with Turner with 11 points, the third-highest total on the team. Martin has two goals and a team-high nine assists on the season. Martin has scored multiple assists in two games this season, a team-high.
- A trio of upperclassmen are tied with 10 points on the year. Junior Meghara McManus has a second-best seven goals, along with three assists; senior Marie-Jo Pelletier has three goals along with seven assists, and a team-high +5 on the year. Her defensive partner, junior Tori Howran (Bancroft, Ontario) has two goals and a second-best eight assists ont he year. She is +4 on the season.
- Senior Devan Taylor (North Billerica, Mass.) ounds out the top scoreres with nine points on four goals, five assists. She has two power play goals and one game-winning goal on the year; she tallied the opening goal of the game against Yale.
Mind the Net
Senior captain Kyra Smith has been the go-to starter in net for UNH and has a 7-2-2 record since taking the starting job. Overall this season she has a .934 save% and a 1.91 GAA for a 7-4-2 record.
Sophomore Ava Boutilier (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) returned for her second season after setting a new record for saves in a single season (886) in her rookie year. Boutilier held a 1-5-2 record this season, with a .924 save% and a 2.23 GAA, before her season was cut short due to injury.
Super Juniors
The three top scorers for the Wildcats are redshirt junior Taylor Wenczkowski, and true juniors Nicole Dunbar and Carlee Turner. This season they have tallied 20 of UNH's 45 goals and 37 of UNH's 116 points.
The top-five scoring juniors also adds in Meghara McManus and Tori Howran. Those five juniors have tallied 29 goals (64% of team total) and 57 points (49% of team total.)
Rheault Goes to the Pride
Senior defender Jenna Rheault (Deering, N.H.) was selected 25th overall by the Boston Pride in the 2018 NWHL draft on Thursday, December 20, 2018. She becomes the third active Wildcat to be drafted to an NWHL team.
For the 2017-18 season, Rheault was awarded the team's Sue Merz 7th Player award for her clutch defensive play in key situations and on the penalty kill. Rheault was a crucial member of the Wildcats' penalty kill that only allowed 23 power-play goals in the 2017-18 season.
"I am very proud of Jenna," says head coach Hilary Witt. "She is a great person, teammate and hockey player. Her work ethic and commitment to excellence on the ice, in the weight room and in the classroom has propelled her to this achievement."
Wenczkowski Wins Weekly Honors
For her two-goal performance against #10 Boston College, Taylor Wenczkowski was named the Hockey East Player of the Week on Monday, January 7th. The honor is UNH's first weekly award all season, and the first weekly award for Wenczkowski in her career.
Goalies Are Skaters, Too
Kyra Smith is the first UNH goaltender to record a point since Lindsey Minton in the 2010-11 season. Smith assisted on the game-winning goal at Yale, as she sent her save to Taylor Wenczkowski, who passed up-ice to Lauren Martin, who then sent a drop-pass back to Wenczkowski for the goal.
Lindsey Minton's assist came in a 4-1 victory over Union on October 16, 2010. She was the lone assist on an empty-net goal.
Down But Not Out
When playing on the penalty kill, the Wildcats hold off the opposing power play, stopping 90.9% of opponent's attempts, tied for third-best in the nation. The Wildcats have allowed just six power play goals this season, on 66 attempts.
Historic Streak
The Wildcats are unbeaten through their last nine games, having not lost since November 10, 2018 at #6 Northeastern. They have a 7-0-2 record since that loss, which is the longest unbeaten streak for the team since the 2007-08 season, when they went unbeaten through 19 games on their way to the women's Frozen Four.
In this current streak, the Wildcats have outscored opponents 27-15, led by Taylor Wenczkowski who has seven goals and four assists in the streak. Meghara McManus has five goals, two assists in the streak, and is one of four Wildcats with seven points in the streak, and Tori Howran has a team-high six assists during this run.
In net, Kyra Smith has made 220 saves and allowed just 15 goals in the streak, for a .936 save% and 1.64 GAA.
Scouting UConn
- The Huskies (Storrs, Conn.) come into the weekend also undefeated in 2019 and on a four-game winning streak.
- UConn is coming off a weekend sweep of Holy Cross in a home-and-home series, winning 4-3 at home and 6-3 on the road.
- Connecticut has an overall record of 11-9-1, 6-7-1 in Hockey East play.
- The Huskies are led by sophomore Natalie Snodgrass, who holds a tie for the team lead in goals with nine and points with 11. She leads the team with 20 points.
- The Huskies also have seven other players above 10 points this season, including sophomore Morgan Wabick with nine goals and 10 assists.
- UConn as looked to junior Morgan Fisher in 17 of their 21 games. She holds a record of 8-8-1 on the 2018-19 campagin and holds a save percentage of .922 and goals-against average of 2.24.
- The other four starts went to freshman Samantha Carpentier-Yelle, who holds a 3-1-0 record, 2.25 GAA and .902 save%.
-- unh --
The Wildcats are currently on a two-game win streak, beginning 2019 with a 2-0-0 record defeating #10 Boston College and Yale. In the midst of a five-game road trip, the Wildcats head to Storrs, Connecticut to wrap up the season series with the Huskies. Puck drop on Friday, January 11 is at 6 P.M., and Saturday's matchup is at 3 P.M. Both games streamed on UConnHuskies.com/watch.
The Wildcats next home game is the start of a home-and-home series with Holy Cross on Saturday, January 26. The 2 P.M. puck drop will be the Hockey Fights Cancer game, joining the hockey community in supporting those battling all forms of cancer.
For tickets to the Hockey Fights Cancer game and all other UNH home games, visit UNHWildcats.com or call (603) 862-4000.
The Series: New Hampshire vs. Connecticut
Since 1978 the Wildcats and the Huskies have met 63 times, including three post-season meetings, with UNH holding the all-time advantage with a 46-12-5 record. The two teams met once already this season, as the Wildcats overcame a first-period deficit to defeat the Huskies, 5-3 at the Whittemore Center.
Last Time Out:
The Wildcats are coming off a strong third-period rally at Yale to give them their second straight come-from behind win. The game-winner came once again from junior Taylor Wenczkowski (Rochester, N.H.) with her team-leading 10th goal of the year and third game-winner of the year.
Down by a goal entering the third period, the Wildcats put the pressure on and outshot the Bulldogs 6-2 in the final frame. The rally was started by senior captian Marie-Jo Pelletier (Dalhousie, New Brunswick) who tipped a shot from junior Meghara McManus (Milton, Mass.) past the opposing goaltender to tie the game 10 minutes into the period. Pelletier also tallied an assist earlier in the contest. Wenczkowski's goal came just over two minutes later, assisted by freshman Lauren Martin (Cambridge, Ontario) and senior captain goaltender Kyra Smith (Littleton, Colo.). Smith finished with 21 saves in her seventh win of the season.
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.
- The 'Cats started off the season with an even 1-1-1 record after their home opener, losing and tying to #10 St. Lawrence to open the season, then beating UConn 5-3 to open up Hockey East play 1-0 for the first time since 2010-11.
- The Wildcats then faced a nine-game winless streak, facing ranked foe Northeastern in their three-game season series, and going 0-2-1 against Vermont.
- UNH snapped their winless drought with a 4-1 victory over Holy Cross just before Thanksgiving break.
- From that Holy Cross victory, the Wildcats then went on a nine game unbeaten streak (7-0-2) with wins over conference foes Merrimack and Boston College, and ECAC foes Dartmouth, Rensselaer and Yale.
- The unbeaten streak includes two straight come-from-behind third period rallies, trailing 2-1 against Boston College (won 3-2) and trailing 3-2 at Yale (won 4-3).
Players to Watch
- Junior forward Taylor Wenczkowski now leads the team in points after scoring three goals in the last two games. Wenczkowski has a team-high 0 goals, along with four assists for a team-high 14 points. Wenczkowski holds the longest point streak of the season for UNH, seven points in four games, and leads the team in game-winning goals with three.
- Fellow junior Nicole Dunbar (Coto de Caza, Calif.)has 12 points for the Wildcats, with seven assists, the third-highest tally on the team, and five goals.
- Junior Carlee Turner (Scottsdale, Ariz.) is now at 11 points on the year. Turner tallied UNH's first game-winning goal of the year, and tallied the game-winning assist at Dartmouth off a faceoff win. She has five goals and six assists on the year.
- Freshman Lauren Martin has leapfrogged up to a tie with Turner with 11 points, the third-highest total on the team. Martin has two goals and a team-high nine assists on the season. Martin has scored multiple assists in two games this season, a team-high.
- A trio of upperclassmen are tied with 10 points on the year. Junior Meghara McManus has a second-best seven goals, along with three assists; senior Marie-Jo Pelletier has three goals along with seven assists, and a team-high +5 on the year. Her defensive partner, junior Tori Howran (Bancroft, Ontario) has two goals and a second-best eight assists ont he year. She is +4 on the season.
- Senior Devan Taylor (North Billerica, Mass.) ounds out the top scoreres with nine points on four goals, five assists. She has two power play goals and one game-winning goal on the year; she tallied the opening goal of the game against Yale.
Mind the Net
Senior captain Kyra Smith has been the go-to starter in net for UNH and has a 7-2-2 record since taking the starting job. Overall this season she has a .934 save% and a 1.91 GAA for a 7-4-2 record.
Sophomore Ava Boutilier (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) returned for her second season after setting a new record for saves in a single season (886) in her rookie year. Boutilier held a 1-5-2 record this season, with a .924 save% and a 2.23 GAA, before her season was cut short due to injury.
Super Juniors
The three top scorers for the Wildcats are redshirt junior Taylor Wenczkowski, and true juniors Nicole Dunbar and Carlee Turner. This season they have tallied 20 of UNH's 45 goals and 37 of UNH's 116 points.
The top-five scoring juniors also adds in Meghara McManus and Tori Howran. Those five juniors have tallied 29 goals (64% of team total) and 57 points (49% of team total.)
Rheault Goes to the Pride
Senior defender Jenna Rheault (Deering, N.H.) was selected 25th overall by the Boston Pride in the 2018 NWHL draft on Thursday, December 20, 2018. She becomes the third active Wildcat to be drafted to an NWHL team.
For the 2017-18 season, Rheault was awarded the team's Sue Merz 7th Player award for her clutch defensive play in key situations and on the penalty kill. Rheault was a crucial member of the Wildcats' penalty kill that only allowed 23 power-play goals in the 2017-18 season.
"I am very proud of Jenna," says head coach Hilary Witt. "She is a great person, teammate and hockey player. Her work ethic and commitment to excellence on the ice, in the weight room and in the classroom has propelled her to this achievement."
Wenczkowski Wins Weekly Honors
For her two-goal performance against #10 Boston College, Taylor Wenczkowski was named the Hockey East Player of the Week on Monday, January 7th. The honor is UNH's first weekly award all season, and the first weekly award for Wenczkowski in her career.
Goalies Are Skaters, Too
Kyra Smith is the first UNH goaltender to record a point since Lindsey Minton in the 2010-11 season. Smith assisted on the game-winning goal at Yale, as she sent her save to Taylor Wenczkowski, who passed up-ice to Lauren Martin, who then sent a drop-pass back to Wenczkowski for the goal.
Lindsey Minton's assist came in a 4-1 victory over Union on October 16, 2010. She was the lone assist on an empty-net goal.
Down But Not Out
When playing on the penalty kill, the Wildcats hold off the opposing power play, stopping 90.9% of opponent's attempts, tied for third-best in the nation. The Wildcats have allowed just six power play goals this season, on 66 attempts.
Historic Streak
The Wildcats are unbeaten through their last nine games, having not lost since November 10, 2018 at #6 Northeastern. They have a 7-0-2 record since that loss, which is the longest unbeaten streak for the team since the 2007-08 season, when they went unbeaten through 19 games on their way to the women's Frozen Four.
In this current streak, the Wildcats have outscored opponents 27-15, led by Taylor Wenczkowski who has seven goals and four assists in the streak. Meghara McManus has five goals, two assists in the streak, and is one of four Wildcats with seven points in the streak, and Tori Howran has a team-high six assists during this run.
In net, Kyra Smith has made 220 saves and allowed just 15 goals in the streak, for a .936 save% and 1.64 GAA.
Scouting UConn
- The Huskies (Storrs, Conn.) come into the weekend also undefeated in 2019 and on a four-game winning streak.
- UConn is coming off a weekend sweep of Holy Cross in a home-and-home series, winning 4-3 at home and 6-3 on the road.
- Connecticut has an overall record of 11-9-1, 6-7-1 in Hockey East play.
- The Huskies are led by sophomore Natalie Snodgrass, who holds a tie for the team lead in goals with nine and points with 11. She leads the team with 20 points.
- The Huskies also have seven other players above 10 points this season, including sophomore Morgan Wabick with nine goals and 10 assists.
- UConn as looked to junior Morgan Fisher in 17 of their 21 games. She holds a record of 8-8-1 on the 2018-19 campagin and holds a save percentage of .922 and goals-against average of 2.24.
- The other four starts went to freshman Samantha Carpentier-Yelle, who holds a 3-1-0 record, 2.25 GAA and .902 save%.
-- unh --
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Ice Hockey
F
/ Women's Ice Hockey
D
/ Women's Ice Hockey
F
/ Women's Ice Hockey
F
/ Women's Ice Hockey
D
/ Women's Ice Hockey
D
/ Women's Ice Hockey
G
/ Women's Ice Hockey
F
/ Women's Ice Hockey
F
/ Women's Ice Hockey
F
/ Women's Ice HockeyUNH Women's Hockey vs Mercyhurst Highlights 9-26-25
Friday, September 26
UNH Women's Hockey vs Mercyhurst Highlights 9 25 2025
Friday, September 26
UNH Women's Hockey vs Maine Exhibition Highlights 9 20 2025
Sunday, September 21
UNH Women's Hockey vs Merrimack Hockey East Opening Round Highlights 2-26-25
Thursday, February 27