PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Freshman goaltender Sedona Blair (Eden Prairie, Minn.) recorded a career-high 40 saves to lead the University of New Hampshire women's hockey team to Friday night's 3-1 victory against Providence College at Schneider Arena.
Blair made 17 saves in the first period and 15 more in the second to backbone UNH to a 2-0 lead through 40 minutes. She stopped eight more shots in the final frame to finish with 40.
Junior defender Marina Alvarez (Center Moriches, N.Y.) and junior forwards Brooke Hammer (Commerce Township, Mich.) and Shea Verrier (Reading, Mass.) scored the Wildcats' goals.
PC goalie Hope Walinksi was credited with 12 saves and Rachel Weiss ended Blair's shutout bid on a goal with 3:43 remaining.
UNH improves to 5-5-1 overall and 3-3-1 in Hockey East. PC is now 1-7-0, 1-3-0.
UP NEXT
- New Hampshire and Providence conclude the two-game series Saturday, Nov. 4 (7 p.m.) at UNH's 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.
- Fans are encouraged to donate new or lightly-used coats to the 'Cats Cupboard Coat Drive at Saturday's game vs. PC.
FIRST PERIOD
- UNH took a 1-0 lead on Hammer's goal at 4:18. Sadie Makokis (St. Albert, Alberta) pinched at the left point to keep an attempted wraparound clear in the attack zone. Makokis sidestepped a Friar and wristed a shot toward goal that Hammer redirected into the net from the top of the crease.
- Blair was credited with a save on Kiara Kraft's shot at 9:57, but the puck trickled toward the net and was cleared out of the crease by captain Charli Kettyle (Perth, Ontario).
- The Wildcats were assessed a five-minute major penalty for elbowing at 11:06. Blair made five saves and UNH blocked two shot attempts for a successful penalty kill.
- The 'Cats were whistled for a hooking penalty and 18:19 and Blair made four more saves the final 1:41 of the period to send New Hampshire into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead.
SECOND PERIOD
- Providence was whistled for penalties at 4:40 and 5:36 to give UNH a 5-on-3 power play for 67 seconds. The Wildcats fired four shots on goal during the two-skater advantage but Walinski stopped them all to keep the margin at one goal.
- UNH sustained pressure however, and Alvarez wristed a shot from the left circle that beat Walinksi glove side for the goal and 2-0 lead at 6:45. From the right circle, Kyla Bent (Halifax, Nova Scotia) moved the puck low to Sydney Leonard (St. Bonifacius, Minn.), who slipped a pass across the slot to Alvarez.
- Blair made seven saves in the next five minutes to keep the lead at two goals.
- PC gained a 5-on-3 power play for 53 seconds at 15:54 but Blair made two saves in the span and then two more when the 'Cats returned a skater out of the penalty box for the 5-on-4 penalty kill.
- UNH was whistled for another penalty at 17:28, however, to give the Friars another 5-on-3 power play opportunity.
- The 'Cats did not allow a shot on goal during that 26 seconds and then Chavonne Truter (Uxbridge, Ontario) had a shorthanded breakaway. She was denied on her first shot and then again on the rebound - and a third shot was lifted wide of the right post - to keep the score 2-0.
- PC was called for a penalty to end the Friars' power play and make it 4-on-4. UNH went on the power play with 28 seconds remaining in the second period but did not record a shot.
THIRD PERIOD
- The series of penalties continued early in the third period with the home team called for tripping at 1:55 to put UNH back on the power play.
- Walinski stopped the only shot on target to keep PC within two goals.
- The Wildcats went on their fifth power play at 7:11, and Walinski once again stopped the one shot on goal.
- The Friars were whistled for yet another penalty at 13:01, but Walinski backboned another successful penalty kill with one save.
- Weiss netted a 4-on-4 goal on a redirection off a centering pass from the right circle to trim the deficit to 2-1 at 16:17.
- Providence pulled Walinski in favor of an extra skater with 3:05 on the clock and she remained on the bench when the Friars went on the power play at 17:32 to give the Friars a 5-on-3 advantage.
- Both teams returned a player from the penalty bench five seconds later to make it 6-on-4.
- UNH blocked two shots and then Blair made two saves before PC was whistled for cross checking at 18:45.
- Walinski returned to the ice for 11 seconds before going back to the bench for the extra skater at 18:56 to create a 5-on-4 for the Friars.
- The Wildcats' penalty ended at 19:32 to give the Wildcats a power play, but it was 5-on-5 on the ice with Walinski still on the bench.
- Verrier gained possession at the defensive blue line, skated through the neutral zone and fired a shot from the blue line into the empty net to give New Hampshire a 3-1 lead with 11 seconds remaining.
GAME NOTEBOOK
- Providence recorded a 41-15 shot advantage.
- The teams combined for 15 penalties for 33 minutes.
- UNH was 2-for-7 on the power play and a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill, including a five-minute major and a pair of abbreviated two-skater PC power plays.
- The Wildcats had a 25-18 edge in the faceoff circle.
- UNH was credited with 27 blocks and PC blocked 11 shot attempts.
UNH NOTEBOOK
- Blair surpassed her previous benchmark of 36 saves established Oct. 13 at the University of Maine.
- Blair matched her career high for saves in a single period with 17 stops in the first period; she established that benchmark with 17 saves in the second period against nationally-ranked Quinnipiac University on Oct. 7.
- The previous time a UNH goalie recorded 40+ saves was Feb. 10, 2023, when Ava Boutilier had 42 in a 3-3 tie at Vermont.
- Makokis recorded her first career point on the first-period assist.
- It was Hammer's second goal of the season and seventh career.
- Verrier also has two goals this season; she has eight in her career.
- Alvarez and Leonard are tied for second on the team with eight points.
- Leonard ranks third on the team with five assists.
- Bent leads all Wildcats with seven assists. Her seven points ranks fourth.
- Truter finished with a team-high seven faceoff wins. Both Leonard and Nicole Kelly (Brantford, Ontario) won six faceoffs.
- Kettyle led all players with five blocks. Kelly was credited with four and Rae Breton (Brighton, Ontario), the Hockey East Defender of the Month, had three, as did Alvarez.
- UNH scored multiple power-play goals in a game for the second time this season; the 'Cats netted three vs. Merrimack College (Oct. 14).
SERIES NOTEBOOK
- UNH has an 88-65-15 lifetime record against PC in one of the oldest and longest rivalries in women's college hockey.
