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University of New Hampshire Athletics
Friday, February 8
Chestnut Hill, Mass.
6 PM
University of New Hampshire
at
Boston College
Jenna Rheault (Photo by Vincent Dejana)
Wildcats Travel to #7 BC Friday, Host Merrimack Saturday
2/7/2019 12:06:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey
UNH rides a five-game winning streak into the final five games of the regular season
DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team faces off with Hockey East foes #7 Boston College and Merrimack this weekend, with key playoff positioning on the line.
New Hampshire is riding its longest winning streak since the 2010-11 season, winning its last five games against Providence, Holy Cross, and Maine, to sit in sixth place in the Hockey East standings with just five regular season games remaining.
UNH travels to Boston College on Friday evening for a 6 P.M. puck drop with the #7-ranked Eagles; the Wildcats then return home to face the Merrimack Warriors in the conclusion of their three-game season series.
Merrimack currently sits two points ahead of New Hampshire coming into the weekend; the Warriors face #3 Northeastern on Friday night prior to traveling to Durham.
The Series: New Hampshire vs. Boston College
The Wildcats snapped a 14-game winless streak against BC last February in Conte Forum, upsetting the Eagles by a score of 2-1, handing the Eagles just their second Hockey East loss of the 2017-18 season. Earlier this year, the Wildcats hosted the #10 Eagles at the Whittemore Center and tallied two third period goals to secure a 3-2 come-from-behind victory.
The Series: New Hampshire vs. Merrimack
The young lifetime series between Merrimack and UNH dates back to October of 2015, where the Warriors took down the Wildcats by a score of 2-1. Overall, the Wildcats lead the lifetime series with a 8-2-1 record. Earlier this season the Wildcats swept a weekend home-and-home series with the Warriors, winning at home 3-2 in game one, and taking game two on the road by a score of 4-3 in overtime.
Last Time Out:
The Wildcats came into Whiteout the Whitt weekend tied with the Maine Black Bears in the Hockey East standings at 17 points each. With the better record, Maine held the seventh place spot and New Hampshire sat as the last playoff-eligable team; with a two-game sweep, extending its winning streak to five games, UNH leapfrogged over Maine to sit in sixth after a 5-2 win on Saturday and a 3-2 win on Sunday.
Saturday's game started quick with junior Meghara McManus (Milton, Mass.) tallying the opening goal 1:21 into the game to put New Hampshire up early. Senior Devan Taylor (North Billerica, Mass.) scored just 57 seconds into the 2nd period to lead 2-0. Though Maine would tally two in the third, New Hampshire responded with three of its own to take the first game of the weekend series.
In Sunday's contest, the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission with goals from senior Jenna Rheault (Deering, N.H.) and the first career goal of sophomore Julia Scammell (Truro, Nova Scotia). After Maine tallied two in the 2nd to start the 3rd period level, junior Taylor Wenczkowski (Rochester, N.H.) tallied her second game-winner of the weekend, and fifth of the season, to drop the Black Bears by a score of 3-2.
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 included 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).
- The Wildcats had their unbeaten streak snapped in mid-January by the UConn Huskies, who took the season series 2-1-0 with a weekend sweep.
- After dropping the first game of the Providence series by a score of 4-0, the 'Cats bounced back and snapped their losing streak with a 5-0 victory over the #9-ranked Friars. Riding that performance, the 'Cats swept Holy Cross and Maine in consecutive weekends to secure the team's first five-game win streak since 2010 and move up two spots in the conference standings.
Players to Watch
- Junior forward Taylor Wenczkowski now leads the team in points and goals, with 16 goals and 21 points. Wenczkowski has tallied four power play goals, five game-winning goals, and a short-handed goal. Wenczkowski's longest point streak of the year (four games) is tied for the team high; she tallied seven points in those four games.
- Fellow junior Meghara McManus is now second on the team in points with 17 after tallying her fifth multi-point game of the season against Maine on Saturday. She leads the team with 12 career multi-point games.
- Senior Devan Taylor is now tied for third on the team in points with 15 after a two-goal, one assist performance against Maine. Taylor has three power play goals on the year, with two game-winners and a team-high +4.
- Tied with Taylor is freshman Lauren Martin (Cambridge, Ontario). Martin is on a four-game point streak and now leads the team with 12 assists.
- Juniors Carlee Turner (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Nicole Dunbar (Coto de Caza, Calif.) and senior captain Marie-Jo Pelletier (Dalhousie, New Brunswick) round out the top scorers; Turner sits at 14 points while Dunbar and Pelletier sit at 13. Turner has seven goals and assists each on the year, while Dunbar has six goals, and seven assists, including three power play goals. Pelletier is second on the team with 10 assists, along with three goals on the year.
Mind the Net
Senior captain Kyra Smith (Littleton, Colo.) has been the go-to starter in net for UNH and has a 12-5-2 record since taking the starting job. Overall this season she has a .938 save% and a 1.81 GAA for a 12-7-2 record. Her save% is good for fifth-best in the nation, second-best in the conference.
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
Redshirt junior Taylor Wenczkowski, and true juniors Meghara McManus, Nicole Dunbar, and Carlee Turner, have tallied a total of 39 of UNH's 66 goals (59% of team total), and 65 of the teams 166 points (39% of team total).
The entire junior class has tallied 42 goals (64%) and 79 points (48%).
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 on January 5, and her four-point weekend against Maine, Taylor Wenczkowski was named the Hockey East Player of the Week on two occasions this season (January 7th | February 4). The accolades are the first two weekly awards for Wenczkowski in her career.
Smith Stops Them All
For her 41-save shutout over #9 Providence, along with her 22-save performance in Friday's loss, Kyra Smith was named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, January 21. It was Smith's fifth career weekly accolade from the Hockey East conference, and UNH's second of the year. Smith has tallied two shut outs on the season, four in her career.
Down (A Player) But Not Out
When playing on the penalty kill this season, the Wildcats have stopped 88.4% of opponent's power play attempts, which ranks fourth-best in the nation. The Wildcats have allowed just 11 power play goals this season, on 95 attempts.
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.
Historic Streak
The Wildcats were unbeaten through a nine game stretch, having not lost from November 10, 2018 at #6 Northeastern up until January 11th at UConn. They had a 7-0-2 record in that stretch, which was 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 the streak, the Wildcats outscored opponents 27-15, led by Taylor Wenczkowski who had seven goals and four assists in the streak. Meghara McManus had five goals, two assists in the streak, and was one of four Wildcats with seven points in the streak. Tori Howran (Bancroft, Ontario) had a team-high six assists during the run.
In net, Kyra Smith made 220 saves and allowed just 15 goals, for a .936 save% and 1.64 GAA.
Scouting #7 BC
- The Eagles (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) come into Friday night's game at the Conte Forum with an overall record of 19-10-0 and a home record of 12-1-0. The Eagles are 16-7-0 in conference this season.
- The Eagles faced off on the road against Harvard on Feb. 5 where they lost 4-1 in the first round of the Beanpot.
- The Eagles are averaging 3.24 goals and 37 shots per game, and their shot percentage this season is .088. They have a .165 power play conversion percentage, and 4.9 penalties per game. The opposition is averaging 2.0 goals and 22.7 shots per game a .090 shot percentage. Opposition has .181 power play conversion percentage and averages 4.3 penalties per game.
- Sophomore Daryl Watts is second for the Eagles in points with 31 (15G,16A). She leads BC in goals with 15 and is third in plus/minus with +12.
-Senior Megan Keller is leading BC in points with 34 (14G,20A). Keller is leading the Eagles in both assists (20) and plus/minus with a +29.
-In net, the Eagles rely on freshman goaltender Maddy McArthur in 27 of their 29 starts. McArthur holds a 18-9-0 record with a team-high .910 save percentage and a 2.04 GAA. McArthur has recorded five shutouts this season with her latest coming in a Feb. 1 matchup against Holy Cross.
Scouting Merrimack.
- The Warriors (North Andover, Mass.) come into the weekend with 23 conference points, in fifth place with a 10-8-3 Hockey East record, and 14-9-5 overall.
- Merrimack is coming off two straight ties to Hockey East schools, tying #10 Boston University 3-3 and Providence 2-2.
- The Warriors will begin the weekend Friday night against #3 Northeastern at Matthews Arena.
- The Warriors are led by senior forward Katelyn Rae who has 30 points on the year with 20 goals and 10 assists. She has tallied five power play goals, two short-handed goals, and two game-winners this season.
- In 25 starts, the Warriors have looked to senior Samantha Ridgewell, who holds a 13-7-5 record on the year. She has a save% of .937 and a GAA of 1.81
- In the other three starts, Léa-Kristine Demers holds a 1-2-0 record, a .917 save% and a 3.18 GAA.
-- unh --
New Hampshire is riding its longest winning streak since the 2010-11 season, winning its last five games against Providence, Holy Cross, and Maine, to sit in sixth place in the Hockey East standings with just five regular season games remaining.
UNH travels to Boston College on Friday evening for a 6 P.M. puck drop with the #7-ranked Eagles; the Wildcats then return home to face the Merrimack Warriors in the conclusion of their three-game season series.
Merrimack currently sits two points ahead of New Hampshire coming into the weekend; the Warriors face #3 Northeastern on Friday night prior to traveling to Durham.
The Series: New Hampshire vs. Boston College
The Wildcats snapped a 14-game winless streak against BC last February in Conte Forum, upsetting the Eagles by a score of 2-1, handing the Eagles just their second Hockey East loss of the 2017-18 season. Earlier this year, the Wildcats hosted the #10 Eagles at the Whittemore Center and tallied two third period goals to secure a 3-2 come-from-behind victory.
The Series: New Hampshire vs. Merrimack
The young lifetime series between Merrimack and UNH dates back to October of 2015, where the Warriors took down the Wildcats by a score of 2-1. Overall, the Wildcats lead the lifetime series with a 8-2-1 record. Earlier this season the Wildcats swept a weekend home-and-home series with the Warriors, winning at home 3-2 in game one, and taking game two on the road by a score of 4-3 in overtime.
Last Time Out:
The Wildcats came into Whiteout the Whitt weekend tied with the Maine Black Bears in the Hockey East standings at 17 points each. With the better record, Maine held the seventh place spot and New Hampshire sat as the last playoff-eligable team; with a two-game sweep, extending its winning streak to five games, UNH leapfrogged over Maine to sit in sixth after a 5-2 win on Saturday and a 3-2 win on Sunday.
Saturday's game started quick with junior Meghara McManus (Milton, Mass.) tallying the opening goal 1:21 into the game to put New Hampshire up early. Senior Devan Taylor (North Billerica, Mass.) scored just 57 seconds into the 2nd period to lead 2-0. Though Maine would tally two in the third, New Hampshire responded with three of its own to take the first game of the weekend series.
In Sunday's contest, the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission with goals from senior Jenna Rheault (Deering, N.H.) and the first career goal of sophomore Julia Scammell (Truro, Nova Scotia). After Maine tallied two in the 2nd to start the 3rd period level, junior Taylor Wenczkowski (Rochester, N.H.) tallied her second game-winner of the weekend, and fifth of the season, to drop the Black Bears by a score of 3-2.
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 included 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).
- The Wildcats had their unbeaten streak snapped in mid-January by the UConn Huskies, who took the season series 2-1-0 with a weekend sweep.
- After dropping the first game of the Providence series by a score of 4-0, the 'Cats bounced back and snapped their losing streak with a 5-0 victory over the #9-ranked Friars. Riding that performance, the 'Cats swept Holy Cross and Maine in consecutive weekends to secure the team's first five-game win streak since 2010 and move up two spots in the conference standings.
Players to Watch
- Junior forward Taylor Wenczkowski now leads the team in points and goals, with 16 goals and 21 points. Wenczkowski has tallied four power play goals, five game-winning goals, and a short-handed goal. Wenczkowski's longest point streak of the year (four games) is tied for the team high; she tallied seven points in those four games.
- Fellow junior Meghara McManus is now second on the team in points with 17 after tallying her fifth multi-point game of the season against Maine on Saturday. She leads the team with 12 career multi-point games.
- Senior Devan Taylor is now tied for third on the team in points with 15 after a two-goal, one assist performance against Maine. Taylor has three power play goals on the year, with two game-winners and a team-high +4.
- Tied with Taylor is freshman Lauren Martin (Cambridge, Ontario). Martin is on a four-game point streak and now leads the team with 12 assists.
- Juniors Carlee Turner (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Nicole Dunbar (Coto de Caza, Calif.) and senior captain Marie-Jo Pelletier (Dalhousie, New Brunswick) round out the top scorers; Turner sits at 14 points while Dunbar and Pelletier sit at 13. Turner has seven goals and assists each on the year, while Dunbar has six goals, and seven assists, including three power play goals. Pelletier is second on the team with 10 assists, along with three goals on the year.
Mind the Net
Senior captain Kyra Smith (Littleton, Colo.) has been the go-to starter in net for UNH and has a 12-5-2 record since taking the starting job. Overall this season she has a .938 save% and a 1.81 GAA for a 12-7-2 record. Her save% is good for fifth-best in the nation, second-best in the conference.
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
Redshirt junior Taylor Wenczkowski, and true juniors Meghara McManus, Nicole Dunbar, and Carlee Turner, have tallied a total of 39 of UNH's 66 goals (59% of team total), and 65 of the teams 166 points (39% of team total).
The entire junior class has tallied 42 goals (64%) and 79 points (48%).
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 on January 5, and her four-point weekend against Maine, Taylor Wenczkowski was named the Hockey East Player of the Week on two occasions this season (January 7th | February 4). The accolades are the first two weekly awards for Wenczkowski in her career.
Smith Stops Them All
For her 41-save shutout over #9 Providence, along with her 22-save performance in Friday's loss, Kyra Smith was named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, January 21. It was Smith's fifth career weekly accolade from the Hockey East conference, and UNH's second of the year. Smith has tallied two shut outs on the season, four in her career.
Down (A Player) But Not Out
When playing on the penalty kill this season, the Wildcats have stopped 88.4% of opponent's power play attempts, which ranks fourth-best in the nation. The Wildcats have allowed just 11 power play goals this season, on 95 attempts.
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.
Historic Streak
The Wildcats were unbeaten through a nine game stretch, having not lost from November 10, 2018 at #6 Northeastern up until January 11th at UConn. They had a 7-0-2 record in that stretch, which was 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 the streak, the Wildcats outscored opponents 27-15, led by Taylor Wenczkowski who had seven goals and four assists in the streak. Meghara McManus had five goals, two assists in the streak, and was one of four Wildcats with seven points in the streak. Tori Howran (Bancroft, Ontario) had a team-high six assists during the run.
In net, Kyra Smith made 220 saves and allowed just 15 goals, for a .936 save% and 1.64 GAA.
Scouting #7 BC
- The Eagles (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) come into Friday night's game at the Conte Forum with an overall record of 19-10-0 and a home record of 12-1-0. The Eagles are 16-7-0 in conference this season.
- The Eagles faced off on the road against Harvard on Feb. 5 where they lost 4-1 in the first round of the Beanpot.
- The Eagles are averaging 3.24 goals and 37 shots per game, and their shot percentage this season is .088. They have a .165 power play conversion percentage, and 4.9 penalties per game. The opposition is averaging 2.0 goals and 22.7 shots per game a .090 shot percentage. Opposition has .181 power play conversion percentage and averages 4.3 penalties per game.
- Sophomore Daryl Watts is second for the Eagles in points with 31 (15G,16A). She leads BC in goals with 15 and is third in plus/minus with +12.
-Senior Megan Keller is leading BC in points with 34 (14G,20A). Keller is leading the Eagles in both assists (20) and plus/minus with a +29.
-In net, the Eagles rely on freshman goaltender Maddy McArthur in 27 of their 29 starts. McArthur holds a 18-9-0 record with a team-high .910 save percentage and a 2.04 GAA. McArthur has recorded five shutouts this season with her latest coming in a Feb. 1 matchup against Holy Cross.
Scouting Merrimack.
- The Warriors (North Andover, Mass.) come into the weekend with 23 conference points, in fifth place with a 10-8-3 Hockey East record, and 14-9-5 overall.
- Merrimack is coming off two straight ties to Hockey East schools, tying #10 Boston University 3-3 and Providence 2-2.
- The Warriors will begin the weekend Friday night against #3 Northeastern at Matthews Arena.
- The Warriors are led by senior forward Katelyn Rae who has 30 points on the year with 20 goals and 10 assists. She has tallied five power play goals, two short-handed goals, and two game-winners this season.
- In 25 starts, the Warriors have looked to senior Samantha Ridgewell, who holds a 13-7-5 record on the year. She has a save% of .937 and a GAA of 1.81
- In the other three starts, Léa-Kristine Demers holds a 1-2-0 record, a .917 save% and a 3.18 GAA.
-- unh --
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