The UConn women’s ice hockey team came up short this past weekend as they battled the University of Maine on Friday and the University of New Hampshire on Sunday.
UConn did not achieve the results it set out for on Friday night in Orono, Maine as it fell to the Black Bears 5-4 in overtime. The Huskies came running out of the gates, as junior forward Jada Habisch found the back of Maine’s net not even a minute into the first period to give UConn the early 1-0 lead. However, goals by Black Bears Ana Stevenson and Anna Caumo within the period put the home team ahead 2-1. Right before the end of the opening period of play, UConn freshman forward Kyla Josifovic tied the game at two off of a slick pass from senior defender Camryn Wong.
In the second period, Maine took a 4-2 lead over UConn after goals by Ally Johnson and Ida Kuoppala. Despite firing nearly ten shots on goal, the Huskies failed to cut the Black Bears’ lead down until late in the second, when senior defensemen Claire Peterson scored a power play goal to cut the lead to one. UConn’s captain Coryn Tormala played hero for the Huskies, as she scored the game-tying goal right before the second period came to a close.
Despite the huge offensive surges felt from both teams in this matinee game, neither UConn nor Maine found the back of the net in the third period, sending the game into overtime. With two minutes left in the overtime period, UConn made a passing error getting the puck down the ice. This led to a breakaway goal from Maine’s Grace Heiting to give them the win on its home ice. This loss would snap the team’s six-game win streak and knock the Huskies’ record to 16-9-3 overall and 10-8-3 in Hockey East play.
On Sunday, UConn looked to get back into the win column with a day game against New Hampshire, in the Huskies’ annual Skating Strides game against cancer. Despite the home crowd advantage and their flashy pink sweaters, they fell short on their own ice, losing to the Wildcats 3-0.
The first goal of the game was not scored until New Hampshire’s Kira Juodikis wrapped around the right post and pushed the puck past UConn sophomore goaltender Megan Warrener. New Hampshire’s second goal of the game did not come until midway through the third period where Emily Rickwood put the Wildcats up 2-0 over the Huskies on a power-play goal.
New Hampshire sealed the game late in the third period as Annie Berry rifled a shot from near the blue line onto an open net to give her team the 3-0 win. Wildcat goaltender Nicky Harnett was a brick wall, saving all 22 shots she faced from UConn’s offensive barrage.
Following this loss, UConn’s record fell to 16-10-3 overall and 10-9-3. The two losses the Huskies suffered this weekend will no doubt hurt their conference standings, as they try to stay in the top half of the Hockey East conference amidst quickly approaching playoffs. However, there is no doubt that they can amass the momentum they gained following the winter break and get back into the win column once again.