Oct. 7, 2011

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

STORRS, Conn. -  The University of Connecticut women’s ice hockey team hits the road for a pair of games at opponents out of the ECAC this weekend. The Huskies face St. Lawrence and Clarkson at 1:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

About the Huskies... UConn is 0-1-1 on the young season, following a home series against RPI last weekend. Senior forward Sami Evelyn and junior forward Kelly Horan hold the early lead in points with two apiece. Freshmen Caitlin Hewes and Sarah MacDonnell each scored in their debut for the Huskies in a 3-3 tie last Friday night. Senior Alexandra Garcia and sophomore Nicole Paniccia have each started one game in net for Connecticut. Garcia allowed three scores and made 21 saves to earn a tie, while Paniccia took a loss after allowing one goal and making 18 saves.

Last Time Out... The Huskies gave up the game-tying or game-winning goal with less than four minutes to play in each game against Rensselaer at Freitas Ice Forum last weekend. Behind goals from Hewes, MacDonnell, and senior defenseman Rebecca Hewett, UConn led 3-2 until a turnover at the blue line led to an RPI goal that forced overtime in an eventual 3-3 tie. In game two of the series, the two teams were scoreless and appeared headed for a second OT game until Alissa Harrison fired home the deciding goal with 8.9 second remaining to hand the Engineers a 1-0 victory.

Scouting the Saints... St. Lawrence’s lone game of the season came as a 6-3 win at home over Clarkson, last Saturday. The Saints and Golden Knights were tied a three going into the third period. SLU dominated the final frame, outscoring Clarkson 3-0. Six different players scored for the Saints. Senior Vanessa Emond, junior Kelly Sabatine, and sophomore Mel Desrochers each scored and contributed two assists. Between the pipes, freshman Carmen MacDonald stopped 29 shots, including all 14 she faced in the third period, to claim the victory. Last year, St. Lawrence posted a 16-18-2 record and finished seventh in the ECAC at 11-11-0.

Last Time vs. St. Lawrence... Stephanie Raithby and Jennifer Chaisson each scored in the first period for Connecticut, but St. Lawrence came all the way back to steal a 3-2 win in Storrs, last October. The Saints tied the game nearly six minutes into the third period with a power play goal from Karell Emard and posted the game-winning goal at the 11:44 mark with a goal by Kelly Sabatine. St. Lawrence held a distinct 37-14 edge in shots. Alexandra Garcia provided 34 saves for the Huskies, but Caitlyn Lahonen needed to make just 12 saves to bring home the win for the Saints.

All-Time vs. SLU... The Saints lead the all-time series with UConn 3-9-1. St. Lawrence won the first ever meeting between the two programs by a score of 5-1 on January 10, 2003. The Huskies earned their first win of the series, 3-2, on November 29, 2003 against a St. Lawrence team ranked fifth in the country. Between 2006 and 2010, the two teams faced off five times with SLU being ranked. In those games, UConn posted a record a 2-1-1, including a 3-2 road win against No. 3 St. Lawrence in 2007 and a 2-1 road win against No. 5 SLU in 2009.

Scouting Clarkson... Prior to their three-goal loss to St. Lawrence, the Golden Knights opened the season with a 3-3 tie at Vermont, last Friday. Sophomore forward Jamie Lee Rattray leads an 0-1-1 Clarkson squad with four points on a goal and three assists. Senior forward Juana Baribeau is second on the team with a goal and two assists for three total points. In goal, sophomore Erica Howe holds a 4.32 goals against average and .857 save percentage on 54 saves.

Last Time vs. The Golden Knights... Maude Blain, Taylor Gross, and Kelly Horan all scored for the Huskies in a 3-1 win at home for UConn, last October. Clarkson cut a 2-0 Connecticut lead in half, just 1:20 into the third period with a goal from Juan Baribeau. The Huskies put the game away on an empty net goal by Horan with 36 ticks left on the clock. Alexandra Garcia made 34 saves for UConn, while Lauren Dahm made 31 for the Golden Knights.

All-Time vs. Clarkson... The Huskies and Golden Knights are an even 1-1 all-time, playing in each of the last two seasons. Clarkson won the first match-up 4-0 at home in 2009.

Up Next... UConn returns to the Freitas Ice Forum on October 14 and 15 for games against No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth. The puck drops on game one at 7:00 pm, followed by a 4:00 pm start time for game two.