DURHAM, N.H. - Freshman goalie Sedona Blair (Eden Prairie, Minn.) made 33 saves to lift the University of New Hampshire women's hockey team to Saturday afternoon's 4-2 win against University of Maine in a Whiteout the Whitt Border Battle at the Whittemore Center at Key Auto Group Complex.
Graduate student forward Annie Berry (Milton, Mass.), graduate forward Tamara Thierus (Saint-Jerome, Quebec.), junior forward Kira Juodikis (LaSalle, Ont.) and senior forward Nicole Kelly (Brantford, Ont.) each scored a goal.
Junior forwards Shea Verrier (Reading, Mass.) and Brooke Hammer (Commerce Township, Mich.) both recorded two assists for two points.
Blair recorded 13 saves in both the second and third periods, as well as seven in the first, to record her 12th win of the season.
Maine goalie Julia Bachetti recorded 26 saves. Elise Morphy and Ashley Kokavec scored for the Black Bears.
UNH improved to 12-12-2 overall and 9-8-2 in Hockey East with the weekend sweep of Maine, which is now 11-14-2 and 7-11-2 in Hockey East.
UP NEXT
- UNH returns to the ice vs. Northeastern University at home for Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day on Feb. 1 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 at Key Auto Group Complex ticket office.
FIRST PERIOD
- UNH took an early 1-0 lead at 3:00 when Thierus punched it in from the crease. Verrier corralled her own rebound at the right post and slipped the puck in front to Thierus. Chavonne Truter (Uxbridge, Ontario), who had fed the puck from the slot to Verrier, earned the secondary assist.
- Maine responded with a power-play goal at 14:10 by Kokavec from the left edge of the blue paint to tie the game 1-1.
- The Black Bears took a 2-1 lead at 17:35 in a four-on-four with a hard shot to the left by Morphy. The assist went to Lily Fetch.
- Maine had a 12-9 edge in shots, while UNH led in faceoffs 11-9.
SECOND PERIOD
- The 'Cats tied the game back up, 2-2, 19 seconds into a power play with a goal by Berry at 16:47 when she popped the puck into the open left side of the net. Kettyle, whose initial shot from the high slot was blocked, and Verrier, who swung the puck back to Kettyle from the right circle, set up the tally.
- Blair kept Maine at two goals with 13 saves in the second stanza and a total of 20 in the two periods.
THIRD PERIOD
- Hammer stole the puck in the left circle and her shot trickled past Bachetti, then Juodikis was in position for the rebound at the top of the crease and tipped the puck into the net to give UNH the lead, 3-2, at 4:49.
- With 2:19 left, Maine took out Bachetti for a 6-on-5 advantage, but Kelly's shot from the neutral zone produced an empty-net goal that strengthened the lead to 4-2 with 1:59 on the clock.
- Bachetti returned to the ice and then back to the bench at 18:40 but Blair turned aside all three shots the rest of the way to preserve the win.
GAME NOTEBOOK
- Maine edged UNH at 35-30 in shots on goal, and the 'Cats led in the faceoff circle, 32-30.
- UNH dominated with 20 blocked shots and Maine had seven.
- The Black Bears and the 'Cats both went 1-for-2 on the power play.
UNH NOTEBOOK
- Verrrier matched her career high of two assists for the second consecutive game to finish with a six-point weekend.
- She also equaled her season high and led all skaters with 12 faceoff wins.
- This was Hammer's first career multiple-assist game.
- With an assist Saturday, Kettyle tallied four points, all on assists, in the two-game sweep.
- Juodokis scored her team-leading 10th goal of the season and 39th career.
- Rae Breton (Brighton, Ontario) and Kettlye led all skaters in blocked shots with three apiece.
- Blair finished with 30+ saves for the 10th time this season, including five of the past six games.
- Blair put up 30+ saves in all three matchups against Maine this season.
- Sydney Leonard (St. Bonifacius, Minn.) won 11 of 15 faceoffs for an impressive .733 win percentage in the circle.
- UNH had a weekend sweep on home ice, which had not happened since Jan. 7-8, 2022 against Providence College.
SERIES NOTEBOOK
- UNH has a 49-21-8 lifetime record against Maine that includes 28-10-3 on home ice.
- The Wildcats completed the season series sweep of the Black Bears. New Hampshire had not accomplished that since the 2009-10 season.
- The 'Cats have won four straight Border Battle games against Maine.
