DURHAM, N.H. - Freshman goalie Sedona Blair (Eden Prairie, Minn.) stopped all 25 shots on goal and senior Nicole Kelly (Brantford, Ontario) scored the only goal to lead the University of New Hampshire women's hockey team to Saturday night's 1-0 victory against 13th-ranked University of Vermont at the Whittemore Center at Key Auto Group Complex.
Blair made 11 saves in the first period, four in the second and 10 in the third to record her second shutout of the weekend, third straight and fourth of the season. Kelly broke the scoreless tie with 2:07 remaining in regulation.
UVM goalie Jessie McPherson was credited with 14 saves.
The Wildcats extended their winning streak to three games to improve to 9-7-1 overall and 6-5-1 in Hockey East. UVM is now 7-8-1, 6-6-0.
UP NEXT
- UNH returns to action Friday, Dec. 8 (6 p.m.) against Providence College. That game is also a Wildcat Toy Drive featuring a Teddy Bear Toss.
- The Wildcats also play host to Brown University next weekend on Dec. 10 (2 p.m.) for Camper Appreciation Day. There will be a postgame Skate with the 'Cats that is open to everyone in attendance.
- Purchase tickets online at unhwildcats.com, by calling (603) 862-4000 or by visiting the Whittemore Center ticket office.
FIRST PERIOD
- UVM recorded an 11-4 shot advantage in the scoreless opening 20 minutes.
- Fifty seconds into the game, Kira Juodikis (LaSalle, Ontario) led a rush down the slot and pulled the puck toward the left post, where she was stopped by McPherson.
- Lara Beecher's shot from the left circle beat Blair but ricocheted off the left post at 12:13.
- Vermont went on the first power play of the game at 12:21, but Blair stopped the only shot on goal (by Evelyne Blais-Savoie at 13:32), to keep the game deadlocked 0-0.
- With 3:15 on the clock, Brooke Hammer (Commerce Township, Mich.) raced past a UVM skater onto a loose puck in the right circle, but her backhander from the faceoff dot sailed wide of the far post.
- With 1:30 remaining in the first period, Beecher's shot from the low slot was blocked by Julia Cabral (Lee, N.H.) and Blair stone Bella Parento's shot off the rebound from the right doorstep.
SECOND PERIOD
- New Hampshire tallied a 5-4 shot advantage in the scoreless second stanza.
- One minute into the middle period, Beecher shoveled a loose puck in the low slot toward the right post but Blair scooped up the puck from the ice.
- UNH went on its first power play at 2:22 but the visitor's penalty kill did not allow a shot.
- With the Wildcats on another power play, Chavonne Truter (Uxbridge, Ontario) corralled a stretch pass at the blue line for a breakaway down the slot. She snapped a hard wrister that McPherson blocked aside.
- With the teams skating 4-on-4 at 11:57, Hailey Eikos' shot through traffic from the high slot was stopped by Blair, who also denied Bella Parento off the rebound at the right post.
- UNH went on its third power play of the second period at 15:40 and Truter, at the left post, one-timed a pass from behind the net but McPherson slid into position to keep the score tied at zero.
THIRD PERIOD
- Vermont had a 10-6 edge in shots in the final frame.
- New Hampshire's fourth power play of the game started at 3:16 and sustained pressure genterated a shot by Annie Berry (Milton, Mass.) from the top of the slot through a pair of screens, but McPherson blocked the shot away.
- One minute later, McPherson fought off another shot through traffic from the high slot - this time off the stick of Charli Kettyle (Perth, Ontario). Sydney Leonard (St. Bonifacius, Minn.) corralled the rebound in the slot and shoveled a backhander wide of the left post.
- UVM went to the penalty box for holding at 6:17 and the Wildcats appeared to take a 1-0 lead at 6:44, but review ruled that the puck was batted in the goal to keep the score tied 0-0.
- Truter had a shorthanded breakaway through the left circle and her shot beat McPherson but caromed off the crossbar at 10:18.
- Blair made three saves on the remainder of the UNH penalty kill.
- Vermont returned to the power play at 14:24 but Blair backboned another successful UNH penalty kill with three more saves.
- Kelly gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead at 17:53. The scoring sequence began with a shot by Marina Alvarez (Center Moriches, N.Y.) from the top of the right circle that sailed wide of the far post. Berry gathered the puck behind the net and her centering pass from the left post went to Kelly in the slot and she ripped a shot from between the hashmarks under the crossbar.
- UVM pulled McPherson for an extra skater with 68 seconds remaining but New Hampshire effectively thwarted the Catamount's efforts to keep the puck in the attack zone and preserve the one-goal advantage.
GAME NOTEBOOK
- UVM finished with a 25-15 shot advantage and 23-19 edge in the faceoff circle.
- UNH was scoreless on five power plays and the Catamounts went 0-for-4.
- The Wildcats were credited with 16 blocked shot attempts while UVM blocked 11 shot attempts.
UNH NOTEBOOK
- Blair extended her shutout streak to 180 minutes, 4 seconds. She has stopped 63 shots in her stretch of three consecutive shutouts.
- The last time UNH shut out three consecutive opponents was Jan. 22-23 & Feb. 5, 2021, when the Wildcats defeated Merrimack College (3-0 and 4-0) and 10th-ranked Providence (1-0).
- It was the fourth goal of the season for Kelly, who recorded a hat trick in the season opener.
- Alvarez is now tied with Juodikis and Kyla Bent (Halifax, Nova Scotia) for the team lead with seven assists this season.
- Alvarez is also tied for second in points with Shea Verrier (Reading, Mass.) at 10.
- Bent, Kettyle and Brianna Legros (New Liskeard, Ontario) led all skaters with three blocks apiece.
- Verrier won a team-high nine faceoffs. Truter was next with seven.
- UNH is now 1-2-0 against nationally-ranked teams this season; all three games have been at the Whitt; both of the previous two were against then-No. 8 Quinnipiac University.
SERIES NOTEBOOK
- UNH has a 38-20-8 lifetime record against Vermont that includes 23-5-2 on home ice.
- UVM won the season series, 2-1-0, as the home team successfully defended home ice all three games.
