Re: 2009-2010 New Hampshire Wildcats Season
Wildcat women overpower Niagara
By AL PIKE
apike@fosters.com
apike@fosters.com
Monday, October 19, 2009
DURHAM — Upset at blowing a three-goal lead at home 24 hours earlier and having to settle for a tie, the University of New Hampshire women's hockey team refocused for the rematch Sunday.
On the strength of four power-play goals, the third-ranked Wildcats skated to a 6-1 win over Niagara at the Whittemore Center to improve their record to 5-0-1. The one blemish came Saturday when the Purple Eagles rallied from a 3-0 deficit to forge a 3-3 result.
"I told them we had to compete harder," said UNH coach Brain McCloskey. "I thought we backed off a little bit. We had the 3-0 lead and I thought we got outcompeted. They were the hunter and we were the hunted, and we didn't swing back. I thought we did today."
The heart-to-heart didn't take immediate effect. The momentum of that comeback appeared to carry over when Niagara scored first Sunday to go ahead, 1-0. But a pair of power-play goals by UNH in the final 42 seconds of the first period changed the lead and the complexion of the game.
The Wildcats built on it from there, scoring twice in the second period and twice more in the third. The first line of seniors Micaela Long and Kelly Paton, and freshman Kristine Horn combined for three goals and seven assists.
"We moved the puck better coming out of our own end," McCloskey said. "That's always been the key to our game. ... I thought for a good stretch today we did a good job finding the open stick and moving with the puck on our stick. (Saturday) when we kind of lost the momentum in the second and third we were standing flat-footed."
Long had two goals and two assists, Horn had a goal and two assists and Paton added three assists. Freshman Kristina Lavoie scored twice for her first career goals and Kelly Cahill contributed a goal and an assist.
Leading 1-0, Niagara (1-3-2) took back-to-back penalties 1:29 apart to give UNH the opening it was seeking Sunday. The Wildcats capitalized on the two-man advantage when Long one-timed a cross-crease pass from Horn with 42 seconds remaining in the first.
"I think we just really capitalized on the opportunities today," Long said. "We were moving the puck well and getting a few shots in there."
With UNH still up a player, Horn netted the eventual game-winner by converting a cross-crease pass from Paton to put the Wildcats ahead to stay, 2-1, with 7.7 seconds left in the first period.
"We played the game we wanted to play up until we took those penalties in the last minute of the first," said Niagara coach Chris MacKenzie. "After that it was a different game."
UNH outshot the Purple Eagles, 31-18, including 16-7 in the second period when the Wildcats scored twice more 1:59 apart.
"I think we're really proud of how we came back today," Long said. "We came out strong and played a whole game today, so that was good to see."
Lavoie made it 3-1 with her first college goal at 7:33 of the second. Long's centering pass was intended for Cahill, but the puck struck a defender and squirted in front and Lavoie was there to finish. Less than two minutes later the lead grew to 4-1 when Long beat Niagara goalie Jenni Bauer with a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle.
The Wildcats added two more power-play goals 2:10 apart in the third period to complete the scoring. Lavoie scored off a goalmouth scramble and Cahill converted a feed from Horn at the 7:31 mark as UNH went 4 for 5 on the power play.
"We need to get scoring out of those young kids," McCloskey said. "I think that's a good sign for us."
The Wildcats had scored six power-play goals in the first five games combined, but netted four Sunday on just eight shots. They also went 5 for 5 on the penalty kill in contrast to Saturday's performance in which Niagara went 2 for 4 on the power play to get back in the game after UNH had taken a 3-0 lead in the first 15 minutes.
"It felt kind of like a loss because we had the 3-0 lead," McCloskey said. "I think a tie/loss was a good thing (Saturday). It's like 'Are you going to put up or not?' I really thought our kids competed with heart today. They were challenging us to compete. If we weren't going to compete, we weren't going to win."
The Wildcats plan to use Saturday's tie as an early wake-up call.
"I think we'll keep that in the back of our head," Long said. "We can't go out there and just expect to win, we have to earn every win. We have to play a solid 60 minutes."
