CONNECTICUT TOPPLES PROVIDENCE COLLEGE, 4-1
UConn Head Coach Heather Linstad Earns 300th Career Victory

Monique Weber scored two goals for the Huskies

STORRS, Conn. (Feb. 13, 2010) - Sophomore Monique Weber (Rogers, Minn.) scored twice to lead the No. 7 University of Connecticut women's ice hockey team past No. 8/9 Providence on Saturday evening. The win gave UConn head coach Heather Linstad her 300th career coaching victory in front of a home crowd at Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum. The Huskies now share the Hockey East lead with Providence.

Weber added an assist to her consecutive first period goals and was joined on the scoresheet more than once by senior Cristin Allen (Pickering, Ont.) who finished the game with a pair of assists. Weber is now tied for the team lead with 27 points while Allen is tied for second on the team with 23 points. Junior Jennifer Chaisson (Cumberland, Ont.), with an assist on the eventual gamewinner, tied Allen for second on the team in points (23).

The Huskies opened the game with a goal 43 seconds into the regular-season finale with Providence. Allen sent the pass across the ice to freshman Maude Blain (Magog, Que.) who sent it up to Weber streaking up the left side. Weber hit the back of Genevieve Lacasse's net for the early 1-0 UConn lead.

Weber and Allen combined again for a power-play goal just past the midway point of the opening period. Chaisson had the secondary assist as Weber tipped Allen's shot from inside the blueline.

At 3:21 in the second period, senior Michelle Binning (Oshawa, Ont.) scored on a wide open net with assists from classmate Amy Hollstein (Pembroke, Mass.) and Weber. It was Weber's third point of the game and fourth against the Friars over the two-game weekend.

The major penalty called on the Huskies resulted in a five-minute power-play opportunity for the Friars which they capitalized on at 7:51. Jean O'Neill scored with assists from Jessica Cohen and Lauren Covell to put Providence (13-10-9, 9-5-5-3) on the board, trailing 3-1.

Junior Brittany Murphy (Tewksbury, Mass.) stole the puck in the neutral zone and sent the puck to classmate Jessica Lutz (Rockville, Md.) who put it past Lacasse for her third of the season. UConn led 4-1 with less than three minutes remaining in regulation.

The Huskies (19-7-5, 10-4-5-1) went on to win the game while maintaining an important advantage in faceoffs (40-26). Hollstein was 5-of-5 in draws while Lutz finished the game 15-of-19.

UConn wraps up the regular season with a pair of games against Northeastern. Saturday's 1 p.m. game at Freitas Ice Forum is Connecticut's Senior Day. The UConn Huskies head to Boston on Sunday for a 1 p.m. game to close out the regular season at Northeastern.

Game Notes

- Head Coach Heather Linstad is now among only three women's ice hockey coaches to have 300 career victories. She joins Harvard's Katey Stone and Brown's Digit Murphy.

- This is the second-consecutive season that the Huskies won the regular-season finale with Providence. UConn defeated the Friars at home 2-1 last year.

- Maude Blain and Monique Weber finished the three-game series against Providence with four points. Both scored two goals, including each scoring a power-play goal, and had a pair of assists.