Boutilier Shuts Out Merrimack with 18 Saves in 3-0 Win

Friday, January 22

North Andover, MA

2 PM

University of New Hampshire

4-10-1, 4-10-1HE

Merrimack College

1-8-0, 1-8-1HE

Team	1	2	3	F
New Hampshire	1	2	0	3
Merrimack	0	0	0	0

1/22/2021 5:33:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey

Box Score

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. –Ava Boutilier (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) stopped all 18 shots on goal and three Wildcats recorded two points apiece to lead the University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team to Friday afternoon's 3-0 win against Merrimack College at Lawler Rink.

Charli Kettyle (Perth, Ontario) and Lauren Martin (Cambridge, Ontario) both finished with a goal and an assist while Jada Christian (Caledon East, Ontario) had two assists. The two points matched a personal best for Kettyle, while Christian equaled her high of two points with the career-high two assists.

Boutilier, who made seven saves in both the second and third periods, recorded her second shutout of the season and ninth of her career.

MC goalie Emma Gorski was credited with 49 saves, including 21 in the third period.

UNH ended a five game winless streak to improve to 4-10-1 both overall and in Hockey East. Merrimack fell to 1-8-0 both overall and in the league with its seventh consecutive loss.

The Wildcats and Warriors conclude the home-and-home series Jan. 23 (7 p.m.) at the Whittemore Center.

FIRST PERIOD SUMMARY

· UNH generated a 10-4 shot advantage and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission on a late power-play goal.

· Merrimack went on the first power play of the game at 3:58, but Boutilier denied both Allison Reeb and Gabby Jones to keep the game scoreless.

· UNH went back on the penalty kill at 15:02, but only for 25 seconds as Tamara Thiérus (Saint-Jérôme, Quebec) intercepted a pass in the defensive zone and advanced with speed through the neutral zone for a breakaway. Thierus continued from the right point to the top of the slot, where her wrister was stopped by Gorski.

· MC was whistled for a slashing penalty on the play, however, to create 4-on-4 and a subsequent UNH power play for 25 seconds.

· The Wildcats capitalized on that skater advantage to take a 1-0 lead at 17:26. Lauren Martin (Cambridge, Ontario) carried the puck into the left circle and left a drop pass for Kettyle. Her initial shot from the point was stopped by Gorski, who also denied Christian off the rebound. That rebound went to the left doorstep, however, and Kettle chipped the puck into the open near side.

SECOND PERIOD SUMMARY

· UNH outscored the hosts 2-0 in the second stanza with an 11-7 shot advantage.

· Martin and Paige Rynne (Ancaster, Ontario) scored goals 2 minutes, 42 seconds apart – at 11:56 and 14:38, respectively -- to quickly extend a one-goal lead into a three-goal cushion.

· Thiérus entered the attack zone on the right wing and fired the puck across to the far corner. The puck ricocheted up the left boards, where Kettyle gained control, immediately regained control on a pass that hit Christian and saucered the puck across the slot. Martin gained possession at the top of the right circle and her low shot went past three Merrimack skaters and beat Gorski between the legs.

· In the 14^th minute, Maddie Truax (Gardner, Mass.) one-timed a centering pass from Ciara Wall (Hampton, N.H.) that was blockered aside by Gorski.

· Rynne netted her first goal of the year to extend the lead to 3-0 at 14:38. Truax carried the puck through the right circle and behind the net around to the left half-boards, where she flipped a backhander toward the slot. Rynne skated onto the puck and blasted a rising shot into the cage. Wall was also credited with an assist.

THIRD PERIOD SUMMARY

· New Hampshire recorded a 21-7 shot advantage in the scoreless final frame.

· With UNH shorthanded in the 12^th minute, Chavonne Truter (Uxbridge, Ontario) corralled a loose puck in the low slot and Gorski, retreating to the crease after losing the puck behind the net, made the save.

· The Wildcats generated a 2-on-1 rush with 5:20 remaining, but Annie Berry was turned aside by Gorski.

· In a scrum at the top of the crease, Boutilier denied both Dominika Laskova and Courtney Maud with 4:21 on the clock. After a lengthy review, the original call of no goal stood and Boutilier's shutout was preserved.

· Moments later, Christian led a rush down the slot but her bid was thwarted by a glove save.

· UNH outshot the Warriors 9-0 the rest of the way to preserve the shutout.

UNH NOTEBOOK

· Boutilier increased her career saves total to 2,166, which ranks second in program history. Jen Huggon holds the benchmark of 2,851.

· Boutilier is No. 4 in career minutes at 4686:04; third on the list is Alicia Roberts at 6526:33.

· Kettyle's first period goal was the first by the Wildcats in 145 minutes, 18 seconds (dating back to Truter's goal at 17:08 of the third period vs. Northeastern University on Jan. 9).

· Kettlye's tally was UNH's second power-play goal of the season and ended a drought of seven consecutive power plays without a goal dating back to Christian's power-play Dec. 30 at Holy Cross.

· Martin matched her season high of two points with the goal and assist. She also led the 'Cats in the faceoff circle by winning 10 of 19 draws.

· The goal marked Rynne's first point of the season in seven games. She now has eight goals and 17 points in 48 career games.

· Christian nearly doubled her career assist total. She had three assists the previous 50 games.

· Brianna Legros (New Liskeard, Ontario) recorded a game-high four blocks.

· Emily Rickwood (Brantford, Ontario), who entered the game atop the Hockey East leaderboard in blocks, had two blocks to increase her season total to 36.

SERIES NOTEBOOK

· UNH has an 11-3-2 lifetime record against Merrimack.

· The Wildcats are unbeaten (3-0-1) the past four games vs. the Warriors.

· This was the second shutout victory in series history. The other was Dec. 6, 2019 (6-0 at Lawler Rink).