ORONO, Maine - Grad student Rae Breton (Brighton, Ontario) scored the game-winning goal and blocked nine shots to lift the University of New Hampshire women's hockey team to Friday afternoon's 3-2 victory against the University of Maine in a Border Battle, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings, at Alfond Arena.
Freshman goaltender Sedona Blair (Eden Prairie, Minn.) recorded a career-high 36 saves with 15 saves in the first period, followed by 13 in the second and eight in the third.
Breton, the defending Hockey East Army ROTC Defender of the Week, scored what proved to be the game-winning goal when she gave the Wildcats a 3-0 lead at 15:41 of the second period. Breton also led all skaters with the aforementioned nine blocked shots.
Senior Chavonne Truter (Uxbridge, Ontario) and freshman Dankia Botterill (Portage La Prairie, Manitoba) scored UNH's other goals.
Maine goalie Jorden Mattison was credited with 19 saves.
UNH improved to 3-2-0 overall by winning its Hockey East opener. Maine is now 2-3-0, 0-1-0.
UP NEXT
- New Hampshire returns to action Oct. 14 (7 p.m.) against Merrimack College at the Whittemore Center at Key Auto Group Complex.
- Purchase tickets online at unhwildcats.com, by calling (603) 862-4000 or by visiting the Whittemore Center ticket office.
FIRST PERIOD
- Maine recorded a 15-8 shot advantage in the first period but is was the Wildcats who led 2-0 through 20 minutes.
- Truter gave UNH a 1-0 lead at 9:03. Tamara Thiérus (Saint-Jérôme, Quebec) and Brianna Legros (New Liskeard, Ontario) were credited with the assists.
- UNH ended a successful penalty kill at 13:32 and went on the power play at 14:15.
- Boterill scored her first career goal with a power-play tally at 14:46 to extend the advantage to 2-0. Shea Verrier (Reading, Mass.) set up the goal.
SECOND PERIOD
- Maine outshot the Wildcats 13-7 in the second stanza, but once again it was the 'Cats who scored to push the lead to 3-0.
- The Black Bears went on their second power play of the game at 4:04 but did not record a shot on goal.
- Maine had another power play at 7:58 and this time Blair made two saves on UNH's successful penalty kill.
- The Wildcats did not score on an abbreviated 27-second power play, but did score four seconds later to extend the lead to 3-0 at 15:41. - Blaire denied Elise Morphy's initial shot and chance off the rebound to preserve the three-goal lead at 17:54.
THIRD PERIOD
- Maine scored both goals in the third period with a 10-7 edge in shots.
- New Hampshire went on its fourth power play of the game but Mattison stopped the only shot on target to keep the Black Bears within three goals.
- Blair kept the margin at 3-0 when she stoned Ashley Kokavec and then Mira Serengely off the rebound at 7:47.
- Ida Kuoppala scored at 8:11 to trim the deficit to 3-1.
- UNH responded with pressure, but Mattison stopped a pair of bids off the stick of Kira Juodikis (LaSalle, Ontario) in the 10th minute.
- Maine went on a power play at 17:41 and pulled Mattison in favor of an extra skater to create a 6-on-4 advantage.
- Haley Ryan scored one second after the penalty expired for an extra-attacker goal at 19:42 that pulled the home team within 3-2.
- Sedona secured the win with one more save when she denied Alyssa Wruble with eight seconds on the clock.
GAME NOTEBOOK
- Maine finished with a 38-22 shot advantage.
- UNH went 1-for-5 on the power play while Maine was officially 0-for-5.
- The Wildcats had a 34-22 edge in the faceoff circle.
- The 'Cats also blocked 21 shot attempts in comparison to Maine's four blocks.
UNH NOTEBOOK
- Thiérus has tallied a point in 4 of 5 games this season. She is tied for the team lead with three assists and is tied for second with four points.
- Truter has recorded a point three of the last four games.
- Truter won 10 of 13 faceoffs to tie Sydney Leonard (St. Bonifacius, Minn.) for most faceoff wins in the game.
- Verrier also excelled in the faceoff circle with 9 wins on 12 draws.
- Legros was the other 'Cat who recorded multiple blocks with three.
SERIES NOTEBOOK
- UNH has a 47-21-8 lifetime record against Maine.
- This was the Wildcats' first win in Orono Since Jan. 24, 2016, by a score of 3-0.
