STORRS, Conn. - Junior goaltender Jakob Hellsten (Ljusdal, Sweden) recorded his second shutout of the season and five different Wildcats found the back of the net as the No. 17 University of New Hampshire men's hockey team defeated UConn, 5-0, on Friday night at Toscano Family Ice Forum in Hockey East action. Sophomore forward Morgan Winters (Osprey, Fla.) recorded three assists for three points.
With the win, the Wildcats improve to 12-6-1 (5-3-1 Hockey East), while the Huskies fall to 9-11-2 (5-8-1 Hockey East).
UNH's 12-6-1 start to the season is its best in 11 years when the Wildcats were 13-4-2 in 2012-13. The 5-3-1 Hockey East record is their best start in seven years when they were 6-2-1 in 2016-17.
UP NEXT:
- The Wildcats will conclude the series versus the Huskies when they return to the Whittemore Center at Key Auto Group Complex on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 4 p.m. for Community Heroes Day presented by Milton Cat as the first 500 fans will receive a 'Cat Hat giveaway. There will also be an autograph session after the game.
Score: ##17 New Hampshire 5, Connecticut 0
Records: UNH (12-6-1, 5-3-1 Hockey East); UConn (9-11-2, 5-8-1 Hockey East)
Location: Storrs, Conn. (Toscano Family Ice Forum)
Date: Friday, Jan. 19, 2024
Attendance: 2,691
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- At 16:20 of the first period, freshman forward Ryan Conmy (Alexandria, Va.) sent a puck towards the goal that was deflected off a UConn player and to the back of the net for the 1-0 lead. The goal was his team-leading 11th of the season. Junior defenseman Colton Huard (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) and senior forward Liam Devlin (Needham, Mass.) each posted an assist.
- At 3:15 of the third period, UNH increased the lead to 2-0 when senior defenseman Nikolai Jenson (Cold Spring, Minn.) scored on a rebound off a shot by Winters for his third goal of the season. Junior captain Alex Gagne (Bedford, N.H.) also posted an assist on the goal.
- Just 19 seconds later, freshman forward Marty Lavins (Riga, Latvia) made it a 3-0 contest when he fired a shot from the left faceoff circle to the upper stick side corner of the net for his third goal of the season. Winters also tallied an assist on the goal.
- Then 48 seconds later, Devlin scored on a one-timer for the 4-0 lead. The goal was his fifth of the year. Sophomore forward Cy LeClerc (Brentwood, N.H.) and Huard each had an assist.
- With just 21 seconds remaining, senior forward Cam Gendron (Hampstead, N.H.) scored on a power play for his first goal of the season for the 5-0 final. Winters and freshman defenseman Brendan Fitzgerald (North Reading, Mass.) each recorded an assist.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- UNH outshot UConn, 40-20.
- The Wildcats went 1-5 on the power play, while the Huskies went 0-3.
- Hellsten recorded 20 saves for his second shutout of the season to improve to 8-3-1 on the year, while Ethan Haider tallied 35 saves.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- The Wildcats are 6-0-0 after a loss this season.
- Hellsten has allowed two goals or fewer in 10 of his 12 starts. His 1.66 goals against average is the best in the country.
- The three assists by Winters was a career-best.
- UNH is now 21-14-1 all-time versus UConn and 1-1-0 at the Toscano Family Ice Forum.
