NEW HAMPSHIRE TOPS DALHOUSIE IN EXHIBITION, 5-1
Junior forward Jessica Hitchcock nets two goals for Wildcats

Sophomore forward Jenna Lascelle had a goal and an assist for the Wildcats

DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team downed Dalhousie University in an exhibition contest by a score of 5-1 Saturday afternoon.

New Hampshire was able to set the pace early in the first period and keep it going. Sophomore Jenna Lascelle (Cornwall, Ontario) got the Wildcats on the board at the 3:01 mark with a shorthanded goal. The play started when Kailey Chappell (Pickering, Ontario) sent the puck up the ice to Lascelle who then carried it in and beat Dalhousie goalie Zoe Zivolak for the 1-0 lead. The Wildcats struck again at 14:38 when Kristina Lavoie (Fonthill, Ontario) notched the second goal of the game. Assisting her on the play were Lascelle and Nicole Gifford (Ennismore, Ontario). At the end of the first period, UNH held a 2-0 advantage.

Junior Jessica Hitchcock (LaSalle, Ontario) got the offense rolling in the second period for New Hampshire when she scored her first goal of the game. Freshman Jonna Curtis (Elk River, Minn.) assisted Hitchcock on the play for her first of two assists on the afternoon. The Tigers responded at 15:45 in the second period when Sarah Robichaud scored during shorthanded play. The goal was unassisted. Hitchcock responded with her second goal of the game less than a minute later at the 16:29 mark on a power play. Hitchcock was fed the puck from Kristine Horn (Utica, Mich.) and beat Dalhousie goalie Brittany McMacken up top, bouncing the shot in the net off the crossbar.

New Hampshire kept the offense coming in the third period and tallied its fifth and final goal of the contest from freshman Megan Armstrong (Edina, Minn.) scored with 1:21 remaining in the contest. Curtis and Hitchcock set up the play in front of the net for Armstrong who rifled the shot to the back of the net. At the end of the contest, New Hampshire downed Dalhousie by a score of 5-1.

Moe Bradley (Swampscott, Mass.) Marie-Eve Jean (Gatineau, Quebec) and Vilma Vaattovaara (Veikkola, Finland) each saw a period of play between the pipes for New Hampshire. Bradley stopped all three shots she faced in the first period while Vaattovaara stoped two of the three shots Dalhousie sent her way. Jean stonewalled the Tigers on all four shots she was faced with. Zivolak played the first period in goal for Dalhousie and made saves on 16 of the 18 shots that she faced. McMacken played the remainder of the contest in net and made a combined total of 26 saves on 29 shots. New Hampshire outshot Dalhousie by a total of 47-10 in the match and went 1-for-6 on the power play while the Tigers were 0-for-5.

The Wildcats will begin regular season play Oct. 5 when they travel to Syracuse University. The puck is set to drop at 4 p.m.