STORRS, Conn. - Despite outshooting Colgate (1-3-0) by a margin of 37-26, the UConn women's ice hockey team (1-4-0) could not find the back of the net in a 1-0 setback on Saturday afternoon at Freitas Ice Forum.
The Huskies survived two first period penalties to keep the game scoreless, despite finishing the first frame with an even 7-7 shot total. Colgate used a two-on-one rush to open the scoring at 16:46 of the first period when Raiders forward Melissa Kueber carried the puck down the left side of the ice and cut to the bottom of the left circle. Kueber slid a centering pass to teammate Taylor Craig, who tucked the shot inside the right post to beat a sliding Elaine Chuli (Waterford, Ontario) on the far side.
UConn stepped up its forecheck in the second period, exploding for 19 shots in the frame. The Huskies nearly notched the equalizer midway through the stanza when Rebecca Fleming (Newton, Mass.) got a stick on a hard centering pass out of the corner. The puck deflected off her blade, fluttered through the air and just dinged off the right post. Erin Burns (Listowel, Ont.) also flirted with a potential game-tying goal, intercepting a pass in the neutral zone and rushing the puck into Colgate territory to earn two point blank opportunities goaltender Susan Allen turned aside. Connecticut outshot the Raiders 26-15 after the first two-thirds of the game but could not solve the hot goaltender.
Colgate looked to put the game away in the third period on another one-timer opportunity involving Kueber with six minutes elapsed . The junior one-touched a hard shot low and on net from just above the crease, but Chuli snapped the pads down and made a great reflex save to keep the game within reach. Kueber again threatened to increase the Colgate lead on a shorthanded breakaway opportunity 13 minutes in, finding nothing but Chuli's blocker as it spoiled the backhand attempt.
UConn tried to use a powerplay opportunity to tie the game, but Allen stopped the Huskies' best chance after Emily Snodgrass (Eagan, Minn.) tipped a Sarah MacDonnell (Quispamsis, New Brunswick) shot. Momentum shifted back to the Raiders when Snodgrass visited the sin bin after tripping up a Colgate forward, but the Raiders could not sneak one past Chuli. The Husky goaltender again stood tall in net after the Raider powerplay, denying another Colgate shorthanded breakaway after Miriam Drubel intercepted a pass between the UConn points and charged down the ice uncontested.
The Huskies looked to the tie the score late in the game, but another Snodgrass tripping penalty gave Colgate the man advantage in the closing minutes. UConn jumped back to even strength with 25 seconds left in the game, pulling Chuli for the sixth skater. The Huskies controlled the subsequent faceoff in their offensive zone but a Snodgrass shot went wide of the net and Colgate was able to clear the puck as time expired.
Chuli stopped 25 of the 26 shots she faced in 59:33 for the Huskies. Susan Allen made 37 saves to hold UConn scoreless and earn her first shutout of the season.
UConn takes a break from play next weekend before returning to the ice for back-to-back games against Rensselaer on Oct. 25th and 26th in Storrs. The puck is scheduled to drop at 2 p.m. for both games at Freitas Ice Forum.