STORRS, Conn. -- Three Huskies posted multi-point efforts for the UConn women's hockey team, powering UConn to a season-high five goals and a 5-2 victory over Rensselaer on Saturday at Freitas Ice Forum. By completing the weekend sweep of RPI, Connecticut improves to 3-4-0 while the Engineers fall to 1-5-1.
The victory marked the first time Connecticut has won consecutive games since it won five in a row in January 2011. The five scores tallied by the Husky offense are the most since February 23rd, 2013 when they scored five in a loss to Boston University. Five different skaters found the back of the net for UConn in the victory.
The Engineers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead just 3:11 into the first period on an unassisted goal from Laura Horwood. The freshman forced a turnover deep in the Connecticut zone and walked in, sending a shot under Elaine Chuli's pad and into the net.
The Huskies responded at 12:53 when Emily Snodgrass (Eagan, Minn.) netted her second goal in as many days after she grabbed the loose rebound from Rebecca Fleming's (Newton, Mass.) shot and buried it from right in front of the net. Fleming and sophomore Margaret Zimmer (St. Charles, Ill.) were credited with assists on the play.
Connecticut was able to capitalize on the power play after Rensselaer's Katie Rooney was whistled for tripping at 17:18. The Huskies got a good cycle working on the perimieter, with Michela Cava (Thunder Bay, Ontario) and Brittany Berisoff (Kelowna, British Columiba) directing the puck to a waiting Sarah MacDonnell (Quispamsis, New Brunswick) at the point. MacDonnell took a big rip and her slapshot found its way through traffic and past Kelly O'Brien to give the Huskies the lead.
Connecticut opened up the second period on a power play, carrying over 1:43 of RPI penalty time, and took a 5-3 advantage when Jordan Smelker was called for holding 0:50 seconds into the period. The Huskies promptly converted the scoring chance as Berisoff collected a loose rebound in front of net and flipped a shot past O'Brien. Snodgrass and Kiana Nauheim (Fairbanks, Alaska) recorded assists on the play.
Just 99 seconds later, Leah Buress (Windsor, Ontario) scored her first goal of 2013-14 at 3:21 to open up the Husky lead to 4-1. The chance was created by an end-to-end rush by Cava, before she was pinned behind the RPI net by a pair of defenders. Cava alertly flipped the puck over the cage, where Buress was waiting to bury the goal. Following the UConn goal, O'Brien was replaced by back-up goaltender Brianna Piper.
Midway through the third period the Husky defense successfully thwarted a 5-on-3 chance for RPI, but the Engineers were able to grab their second score of the game when Heidi Huhtamaki ripped shot past Chuli to pull within two.
The Huskies added a goal in the waning minutes of the third period when Kayla Campero (Wallingford, Conn.) forced a turnover at center ice and buried an empty netter to extend the Connecticut lead to 5-2.
Chuli finished with 22 saves for UConn, while O'Brien stopped 10 before Piper came on to turn aside 18. All told, UConn received goals from five players and points from nine different skaters. Berisoff (1-1-2), Cava (0-2-2) and Snodgrass (1-1-2) turned in multi-point efforts for the Huskies.
The Huskies return to the ice on Friday, Nov. 1 when they host Vermont at 2 p.m at Freitas in their Hockey East opener.