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University of New Hampshire Athletics
Six Team Awards Announced at End of Spring Semester
5/22/2020 5:02:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey
DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team announced its annual awards after the conclusion of the spring semester. The 2019-20 Wildcats recorded 18 wins and advanced to the Hockey East semifinals for the first time in a decade.
2019-20 UNH Women's Hockey Team Awards
Karyn L. Bye Award (MVP) – Meghara McManus
Colleen Coyne Award (Best Defensive Player) – Tori Howran, Ava Boutilier
Sue Merz Award (7th Player) – Carlee Turner
Tricia Dunn Award (Most Improved Player) – Annie Berry
Dr. Allison Edgar Academic Award for Excellence – Nikki Harnett, Grace Middleton,
Carlee Turner
Blue Line Club Award – Meghara McManus
Senior forward Meghara McManus (Milton, Mass.) was feted with the Karyn L. Bye Award as the team's most valuable player, as well as the Blue Line Club Award, given to a player that embodies what it means to be a Wildcat by exhibiting a positive culture in the locker room, on the ice, in youth clinics and in the community.
She led the Wildcats in both goals (17; no teammate reached double digits) and points (27), ranked second in shots (117) and had a .145 shooting percentage that topped all 'Cats who scored five or more goals. McManus netted four power-play goals – that ranked second – as well as two game-winning goals. At the other end of the ice, she was a key member of the penalty-kill unit and blocked 23 shots, which tied for second among UNH forwards.
McManus was a consistent point producer, as she went more than two games without a point just once (four games) in 36 games and tallied a point in seven of the last 10 games of the 2019 calendar year with nine points (6g, 3a) in that span. In 26 Hockey East league games, she recorded 13 goals and six assists for 19 points.
In late April, McManus was selected in the fifth round (29th overall) of the National Women's Hockey League draft by the Boston Pride.
Senior defenseman Tori Howran (Bancroft, Ontario) and redshirt sophomore goaltender Ava Boutilier (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) were announced as co-recipients of the Colleen Coyne Award as the best defensive players. This duo led New Hampshire to the 10th-best defense and ninth-ranked penalty kill in the NCAA.
Howran, a captain, played all 37 games and logged innumerable minutes stabilizing UNH's defensive unit. She blocked 57 shots, which ranked third, was the top 'Cat in assists (20) and ranked second in points (22). She also led the team in power-play points with 14 (1g, 13a) and both her goals were game-winning tallies. In 27 Hockey East games, she tallied 14 points, all on assists, and blocked 39 shots.
Howran blocked at least one shot in 28 of 37 games with a season high of five at Boston University and four in back-to-back games at UConn and vs. BU. Her offensive highlights included three assists in a win against nationally-ranked Boston College and scoring the game-winning goal in Game 2 of the Hockey East quarterfinal series against Providence College to send UNH into the semifinals.
Earlier this month, Howran signed a contract with the NWHL's Connecticut Whale. She was selected with the first pick of the second round – seventh overall – by the Whale in the 2020 NWHL draft.
Boutilier compiled a 13-10-2 record with a 1.80 GAA, .940 save percentage and six shutouts in 27 games (26 starts). She ranked No. 6 in the nation in save percentage, tied for sixth in shutouts and was No. 9 in GAA. The .940 save percentage is No. 3 on UNH's list of single-season superlatives and her 717 saves is No. 5.
Her stats improved to a 1.72 GAA and .942 save percentage with four shutouts in 20 Hockey East contests. And then in the conference quarterfinal series, she had a 35-save shutout effort vs. Providence.
Boutilier was named to the Hockey East All-Star Third Team. Her other accolades included Goaltender of the Month (February) by both the Women's Hockey Commissioner's Association and Hockey East for recording a 0.99 GAA and .969 save percentage. She was also a four-time Defensive Player of the Week in the league.
The Sue Merz 7th Player Award was presented to senior forward Carlee Turner (Scottsdale, Ariz.). The captain finished with seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 34 games; those numbers tied for third in goals, fourth in assists and tied for fourth in points. Turner netted a team-leading five power-play goals and fired 102 shots, which ranked fourth. She scored one game-winning goal and recorded an assist on four other game-winners.
In addition to those stats, Turner was the top 'Cat in the faceoff circle. She led the team in faceoff winning percentage (60.8%), faceoffs won (436; the next closest was 311) and total faceoffs (717; closest teammate was 622).
Freshman forward Annie Berry (Milton, Mass.) was awarded the Tricia Dunn Award as the most improved player. Berry recorded 10 points, all on assists, in 37 games; she ranked second among UNH freshman in assists. Four of her assists came on a game-winning goal. She recorded seven assists in 27 Hockey East games. Half of Berry's 10 assists came in the last 12 games of the season, and that included a two-assist effort at Holy Cross and a helper in Game 1 of the Hockey East quarters at PC.
The Dr. Allison Edgar Academic Award for Excellence was presented to three players – Turner, Nikki Harnett (Plymouth, Minn.) and Grace Middleton (Midland, Mich.) – for their achievement in the classroom.
Harnett started nine games in 11 appearances as a rookie goalie. She finished with a 4-4-1 record, 2.12 GAA, .920 save percentage and two shutouts (both in Hockey East league action).
In her collegiate debut, Harnett stopped all 19 shots in 46:22 of relief action to earn the decision in a 3-3 tie at Vermont. In her second career start, she stopped 25 of 26 shots to backbone the Wildcats to a 2-1 win at Penn State. Harnett started seven consecutive games spanning Jan. 11 to Feb. 1 and went 3-3-0 with shutouts vs. UConn (career-high 32 saves) and Holy Cross (17 saves).
Middleton, a junior forward, skated in all 37 games and tallied 11 points with four goals and seven assists. In the faceoff circle, she won 144 of 266 draws for a .541 winning percentage; she ranked second on the squad in faceoff wins. Middleton scored two game-winning goals, including Game 1 of the Hockey East quarterfinals, and set up two other game-winners.
In addition to the aforementioned Howran, McManus and Turner, Abby Chapman (Beverly Hills, Mich.), Nicole Dunbar (Coto de Caza, Calif.), Lexie Revkin (Gaithersburg, Md.), Hannah Touzos (Foxboro, Mass.) and Taylor Wenczkowski (Rochester, N.H.) were honored as the Class of 2020.
2019-20 UNH Women's Hockey Team Awards
Karyn L. Bye Award (MVP) – Meghara McManus
Colleen Coyne Award (Best Defensive Player) – Tori Howran, Ava Boutilier
Sue Merz Award (7th Player) – Carlee Turner
Tricia Dunn Award (Most Improved Player) – Annie Berry
Dr. Allison Edgar Academic Award for Excellence – Nikki Harnett, Grace Middleton,
Carlee Turner
Blue Line Club Award – Meghara McManus
Senior forward Meghara McManus (Milton, Mass.) was feted with the Karyn L. Bye Award as the team's most valuable player, as well as the Blue Line Club Award, given to a player that embodies what it means to be a Wildcat by exhibiting a positive culture in the locker room, on the ice, in youth clinics and in the community.
She led the Wildcats in both goals (17; no teammate reached double digits) and points (27), ranked second in shots (117) and had a .145 shooting percentage that topped all 'Cats who scored five or more goals. McManus netted four power-play goals – that ranked second – as well as two game-winning goals. At the other end of the ice, she was a key member of the penalty-kill unit and blocked 23 shots, which tied for second among UNH forwards.
McManus was a consistent point producer, as she went more than two games without a point just once (four games) in 36 games and tallied a point in seven of the last 10 games of the 2019 calendar year with nine points (6g, 3a) in that span. In 26 Hockey East league games, she recorded 13 goals and six assists for 19 points.
In late April, McManus was selected in the fifth round (29th overall) of the National Women's Hockey League draft by the Boston Pride.
Senior defenseman Tori Howran (Bancroft, Ontario) and redshirt sophomore goaltender Ava Boutilier (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) were announced as co-recipients of the Colleen Coyne Award as the best defensive players. This duo led New Hampshire to the 10th-best defense and ninth-ranked penalty kill in the NCAA.
Howran, a captain, played all 37 games and logged innumerable minutes stabilizing UNH's defensive unit. She blocked 57 shots, which ranked third, was the top 'Cat in assists (20) and ranked second in points (22). She also led the team in power-play points with 14 (1g, 13a) and both her goals were game-winning tallies. In 27 Hockey East games, she tallied 14 points, all on assists, and blocked 39 shots.
Howran blocked at least one shot in 28 of 37 games with a season high of five at Boston University and four in back-to-back games at UConn and vs. BU. Her offensive highlights included three assists in a win against nationally-ranked Boston College and scoring the game-winning goal in Game 2 of the Hockey East quarterfinal series against Providence College to send UNH into the semifinals.
Earlier this month, Howran signed a contract with the NWHL's Connecticut Whale. She was selected with the first pick of the second round – seventh overall – by the Whale in the 2020 NWHL draft.
Boutilier compiled a 13-10-2 record with a 1.80 GAA, .940 save percentage and six shutouts in 27 games (26 starts). She ranked No. 6 in the nation in save percentage, tied for sixth in shutouts and was No. 9 in GAA. The .940 save percentage is No. 3 on UNH's list of single-season superlatives and her 717 saves is No. 5.
Her stats improved to a 1.72 GAA and .942 save percentage with four shutouts in 20 Hockey East contests. And then in the conference quarterfinal series, she had a 35-save shutout effort vs. Providence.
Boutilier was named to the Hockey East All-Star Third Team. Her other accolades included Goaltender of the Month (February) by both the Women's Hockey Commissioner's Association and Hockey East for recording a 0.99 GAA and .969 save percentage. She was also a four-time Defensive Player of the Week in the league.
The Sue Merz 7th Player Award was presented to senior forward Carlee Turner (Scottsdale, Ariz.). The captain finished with seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 34 games; those numbers tied for third in goals, fourth in assists and tied for fourth in points. Turner netted a team-leading five power-play goals and fired 102 shots, which ranked fourth. She scored one game-winning goal and recorded an assist on four other game-winners.
In addition to those stats, Turner was the top 'Cat in the faceoff circle. She led the team in faceoff winning percentage (60.8%), faceoffs won (436; the next closest was 311) and total faceoffs (717; closest teammate was 622).
Freshman forward Annie Berry (Milton, Mass.) was awarded the Tricia Dunn Award as the most improved player. Berry recorded 10 points, all on assists, in 37 games; she ranked second among UNH freshman in assists. Four of her assists came on a game-winning goal. She recorded seven assists in 27 Hockey East games. Half of Berry's 10 assists came in the last 12 games of the season, and that included a two-assist effort at Holy Cross and a helper in Game 1 of the Hockey East quarters at PC.
The Dr. Allison Edgar Academic Award for Excellence was presented to three players – Turner, Nikki Harnett (Plymouth, Minn.) and Grace Middleton (Midland, Mich.) – for their achievement in the classroom.
Harnett started nine games in 11 appearances as a rookie goalie. She finished with a 4-4-1 record, 2.12 GAA, .920 save percentage and two shutouts (both in Hockey East league action).
In her collegiate debut, Harnett stopped all 19 shots in 46:22 of relief action to earn the decision in a 3-3 tie at Vermont. In her second career start, she stopped 25 of 26 shots to backbone the Wildcats to a 2-1 win at Penn State. Harnett started seven consecutive games spanning Jan. 11 to Feb. 1 and went 3-3-0 with shutouts vs. UConn (career-high 32 saves) and Holy Cross (17 saves).
Middleton, a junior forward, skated in all 37 games and tallied 11 points with four goals and seven assists. In the faceoff circle, she won 144 of 266 draws for a .541 winning percentage; she ranked second on the squad in faceoff wins. Middleton scored two game-winning goals, including Game 1 of the Hockey East quarterfinals, and set up two other game-winners.
In addition to the aforementioned Howran, McManus and Turner, Abby Chapman (Beverly Hills, Mich.), Nicole Dunbar (Coto de Caza, Calif.), Lexie Revkin (Gaithersburg, Md.), Hannah Touzos (Foxboro, Mass.) and Taylor Wenczkowski (Rochester, N.H.) were honored as the Class of 2020.
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