This past weekend, the Huskies welcomed their northern Hockey East counterpart for a two-game series at Toscano. While Vermont is 7-11-1 in the conference, they made sure to put up a fight.
Friday’s contest was a quick victory for the Huskies. Standing tall as the first seed in Hockey East, UConn quickly lived up to their ranking by attempting seven shots on goal 10 minutes into the match. Just one minute later, senior Jada Habisch was quick to capitalize on the first power play of the day and found the back of the net with the help of Claire Peterson and Tia Chan.
With only seven conference wins compared to UConn’s 14, it quickly became clear Vermont would have their work cut out for them. The Huskies went on to fire off shot after shot, but Vermont was silent.
As the first period ended, UConn was visibly dominant, whereas Vermont had trouble finding a groove.
The start of the second period brought more technicalities to the ice. Despite three UConn penalties throughout the period, the Catamounts still could not take advantage of the edge. While the Catamounts demonstrated a bit more of a presence on the ice with over 10 shots in the first 10 minutes, they were no match for UConn goaltender Chan. The junior goalkeeper earned a .935 save percentage last season and has continued her dominance in the net with little getting past her.
A tripping penalty from Vermont granted UConn the upper hand they’d been looking for. In a skillful demonstration of passing expertise, sophomore Kylie Josifovic sent the puck to Ava Rinker, who nailed a second power-play goal for the Huskies. The final few moments of the period landed Habisch in the box, but the Huskies maintained their composure and were successfully able to kill the penalty.
The third period was the nail in the coffin for the Catamounts as the Huskies’ offensive line whizzed by for a third goal just over a minute in. Habisch, with her second goal of the game, is currently leading the Huskies for the second year in a row in scoring.
While the last period was characterized by several shots on goals and a call-and-response dynamic between the duo, the Catamounts could not keep up with the Huskies’ spunk and all-around strength on the ice. From the defensive line up to offense, UConn proved to be dominant and expertly skilled through and through.
The tide turned as Saturday’s matchup challenged UConn in a way they hadn’t seen before. The match was relatively clean, with only three penalties in total, but UConn struggled to find the groove they had sustained the day prior.
Instead of being in the driver’s seat, UConn had to work much harder for a leading position. The match began with three missed shots by the Huskies frontrunners Habisch and Ashley Allard. In a sharp contrast from Friday, the Catamounts were prepared to answer and broke through the Huskies’ defense to respond with four shots of their own.
Goaltender Chan maintained her composure but was already challenged much more than the day prior.
Vermont returned to the ice eager for a leg up and pushed UConn to an edge. From front to back, the Huskies were aggressive to protect their goaltender and find the back of the net of their own.
The Huskies had to prove they were just as hungry as the Catamounts; with the score 0-0 heading into the third period, it was anyone’s game.
In a surprising twist from the Friday contest, neither UConn nor the Catamounts could pull away for the final period. While both teams fired off several shots on goal, all were unsuccessful.
With a palpable energy on the ice, the Huskies were headed into overtime.
By this point, the ice was buzzing with energy as both groups demonstrated a hunger unlike before. As the puck danced around the ice, the Huskies and the Catamounts were finding a groove as both groups fired off four shots in the five-minute period.
For the first time this season, the Huskies were forced into an overtime shootout. Luckily enough, the odds were in UConn’s favor.
After a missed shot from the Catamounts and UConn’s Habisch, Vermont stepped up to a 1-0 lead with the first successful shootout attempt. However, sophomore Peterson was prepared to tie the score 1-1.
Following another missed attempt from Vermont, Allard scored the game’s final point and put the Huskies’ hard work into perspective. After a long-fought contest, the Huskies enjoyed a well-deserved 2-1 win.
With two more victories under their belt, the Huskies lived up to their No. 1 seed, but not without a challenge. This weekend, each player proved to be an important piece in the group’s greater efforts.
Looking ahead to next weekend, the Huskies will be headed to Providence to take on the No. 4 conference seed. With a 10-8-2 Hockey East record, the Friars will be prepared to put up a fight.