NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - Senior forward Nicole Kelly (Brantford, Ontario) scored two goals to lead the University of New Hampshire women's hockey team to Friday night's 3-2 victory against Merrimack College at Lawler Rink.
Kelly scored the first goal of the game and what proved to be the game-winning goal when she gave the Wildcats a 3-1 second-period lead. Tamara Thiérus (Saint-Jérôme, Quebec) scored UNH's other goal.
UNH goaltender Sedona Blair (Eden Prairie, Minn.) recorded 23 saves, including 10 io the third period.
MC goalie Calli Hogarth was credited with 25 saves. Maria Lindberg and Teghan Inglis scored the Warriors' goals.
UNH improved to 13-14-2 overall and 10-10-2 in Hockey East to climb into fourth place in the league standings. Merrimack is now 9-17-3, 6-13-3.
UP NEXT
- New Hampshire and Merrimack conclude the home-and-home series Feb. 10 at UNH's Whittemore Center at Key Auto Group Complex.
- It is the annual Stick it to Stigma game to promote mental health awareness and suicide prevention. UNH will wear special edition jerseys and there is an in-game silent auction to bid on the jersey for each player on the team.
FIRST PERIOD
- New Hampshire recorded a 10-4 shot advantage to take a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes.
- Kelly scored on the second shot of the game to give the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead at 3:25 of the opening stanza. She corralled a loose puck in the defensive zone, beat a defender at the top of the circle and snapped a shot high shortside.
- Marina Alvarez (Center Moriches, N.Y.), who created the turnover in the defensive zone, was credited with the assist.
SECOND PERIOD
- UNH outscored the hosts 2-1 in the second period on a 12-10 edge in shots.
- MC tied the score, 1-1, at 4:20 when Lindberg scored from the top of the crease.
- The Wildcats scored 29 seconds apart to quickly transform a tie into a 3-1 lead.
- Thiérus put the Wildcats back in front, 2-1, at 6:46 when she carried the puck through the neutral zone and fired a shot from the right faceoff dot past Hogarth. Chavonne Truter (Uxbridge, Ontario) initiated the sequence with a poke check at the defensive blue line.
- Kelly completed a give-and-go play from Brooke Hammer (Commerce Township, Mich.) with a shot from the right circle that hit the inside of the near post and went into the goal. Brianna Legros (New Liskeard, Ontario), who dug the puck out of the corner in the defensive zone to Kelly to spring the 2-on-1 breakaway.
THIRD PERIOD
- Merrimack tallied the only goal of the final frame on an 11-6 shot advantage.
- Inglis trimmed the deficit to 3-2 at 9:49 on a one-timer from the slot through traffic.
- MC pulled Hogarth in favor of an extra skater with 1:59 remaining but Blair stopped all three shots the rest of the way to preserve the victory.
GAME NOTEBOOK
- UNH finished with a 28-25 shot advantage.
- Merrimack had the 32-23 edge in the faceoff circle.
- Neither team scored on the power play; the Wildcats had three opportunities and MC had two.
- UNH was credited with 10 blocked shot attempts and the Warriors had 11.
UNH NOTEBOOK
- Kelly scored two goals for the second consecutive game and she has six goals in her four-game goal streak.
- Kelly also recorded a team-high eight faceoff wins.
- Hammer extended her point streak to four games and assist streak to three,
- Legros also pushed her assist streak to three games.
- Kira Juodikis (LaSalle, Ontario) and Shea Verrier (Reading, Mass.) led the 'Cats with two blocks apiece.
- The goals 29 seconds apart marked the quickest goals by UNH this season.
- The Wildcats improved to 11-3-1 when scoring first and 10-3-1 when scoring three or more goals in a game,
SERIES NOTEBOOK
- UNH has a 17-7-2 lifetime record against Merrimack.
- The teams skated to a 3-3 tie - and UNH won the shootout, 1-0 - at the Whitt back in October.
