WHEA HEADLINES

#8 Boston College earned the first two wins of the 2019-20 Hockey East season as the Eagles swept Merrimack in a two-game road set. Sophomore netminder Maddy McArthur (St. Catherines, Ont.) posted a 2-0-0 record, including a 25- save shutout in Friday's 2-0 victory. Cayla Barnes (Eastvale, Calif.) dished out assists on each of the Eagles' game-winning goals.

New Hampshire started the 2019-20 season with a bang, pouring in six goals as Ava Boutilier (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) returned from a 2018-19 injury by stopping all 14 shots on net she saw from Franklin Pierce in the 6-0 shu tout win. Senior Taylor Wenczkowski (Rochester, N.H.) opened the scoring and also picked up two assists.

Holy Cross began a four-game home stand with a pair of stalemates against Penn State, the first two games played between the two programs. Sophomore netminder Jada Brenon (Pendleton, N.Y.) stopped 40 shots in a 3-3 tie Friday night, bringing her season total to 80 saves in two starts for the Crusaders.

UConn kicked off its 2019-20 season with a pair of exhibition victories, including a 4-1 win over the NWHL's Connecticut Whale. Natalie Snodgrass (Eagan, Minn.) tied for the team lead with three points (1g, 2a) while freshman defenseman Claire Peterson (San Jose, Calif.) scored two goals against the Whale, including the game-winning tally at 5:44 of the second period.

Both Maine and Providence downed the University of New Brunswick in preseason tilts. On Friday, the Black Bears' Tereza Vanisova, ME (Strakonice, Czech Republic) potted two goals and added an assist in a 4-2 win, while Lauren De- Blois (Lewiston, Maine) scored the lone goal for the Friars in their 1-0 triumph.

HOCKEY EAST WOMEN'S PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Maddy McArthur - Boston College

Maddy McArthur (So., G; St. Catherines, Ont.) posted a 2-0-0 record to open her 2019-20 season, earning a pair of wins on the road against league foe Merrimack. She recorded a 25-save shutout in Friday's 2-0 victory over the Warriors and added 23 saves on 24 shots in Saturday's 3-1 triumph.

PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Carly Beniek - Holy Cross

Holy Cross freshman forward Carly Beniek (Mound, Minn.) found the back of the net with just 5:07 remaining in regulation to knot Friday's game with Penn State at three. Her first career tally capped off a two-goal comeback for the Crusaders, who earned a pair of ties over the weekend against the Nittany Lions.

HOCKEY EAST WOMEN'S DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Ava Boutilier - New Hampshire

Ava Boutilier (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) returned from a 2018-19 injury by stopping all 14 shots on net she saw from Franklin Pierce. The sophomore opened up her redshirt sophomore campaign by backboning New Hampshire to a 6-0 victory on Sunday for her second career shutout.

HOCKEY EAST WOMEN'S TOP PERFORMERS

Cayla Barnes (So., D; Eastvale, Calif.) Tied for the league lead in points with three assists in a two-win weekend at Merrimack. She dished out an assist on each of the Eagles' game-winning goals, including the opener in Friday's 2-0 win and a pair of helpers in Saturday's 3-1 victory. She also logged six shots on net and blocked four shots.

Caroline DiFiore, BC (Fr., F; Medfield, Mass.) Helped the Eagles to a two-win weekend with a goal and one assist. She registered three shots on net and earned a .692 face-off winning percentage (18-8.) She set up the game-winning goal in Saturday's 3-1 victory and added an empty-net insurance goal in Friday's 2-0 season-opening win.

Savannah Norcross, BC (So., F; Lynn, Mass.) Netted a goal in each of Boston College' s two Hockey East wins at Merrimack over the weekend, while putting six shots on net.

Natalie Snodgrass, UConn (Jr., F; Eagan, Minn.) Tied for the team lead with three point s (1g, 2a) in a pair of exhibition wins over the weekend.

Claire Peterson, UConn (Fr., D; San Jose, Calif.) Scored two goals in UConn's 4-1 pre season victory over the NWHL's Connecticut Whale, including the game-winning tally at 5:44 of the second period.

Jada Brenon, HC (So., G; Pendleton, N.Y.) Stopped 40 shots in a 3-3 tie with Pe nn State on Friday night, bringing her season total to 80 saves in two games for the Crusaders.

Tereza Vanisova, ME (Sr., F; Strakonice, Czech Republic) Potted two goals and added an assist in Maine's 4-2 exhibition win over New Brunswick on Friday night.

Léa-Kristine Demers, MC (Sr., G; Repentigny, Québec) Stopped a total of 59 of 63 shots she saw in a weekend series against Boston College.

Gabby Jones, MC (So., F: Westfield, Mass.) Posted the lone goal for the Warriors in their season-opening two-game set against Boston College.

Tamara Thiérus, UNH (Fr., F; Saint-Jerome, Que.) The freshman forward made her collegiate debut for New Hampshire with a two-assist effort against Franklin Pierce on Sunday, chipping in helpers on the Wildcats' fourth and sixth tallies in an eventual 6-0 victory.

Taylor Wenczkowski, UNH (Sr., F; Rochester, N.H.) Opened the scoring in New Hampshire's 6-0 win over Franklin Pierce on Sunday, scoring with just 49 seconds left in the opening frame. Her goal opened the flood gates, as the Wildcats went on to score three more goals in the opening 2:01 of the middle stanza. The redshirt senior also picked up assists on two other goals.

Lauren DeBlois, PC (Fr., D; Lewiston, Maine) Scored the lone goal for the Friars in their 1-0 exhibition win over New Brunswick.