The UConn women’s hockey team took a trip to Erie, Pa. on Friday to take on Mercyhurst University in a two-game series. The first game on Friday, Oct. 24 ended in a draw (1-1). In the second game on Saturday, Oct. 25, the Huskies held on to a close 4-3 win.
UConn is coming off a weekend sweep against Princeton University. The first game ended in a 2-1 win for the Huskies. The second game ended in a 3-0 shutout win for the Huskies. The shutout was largely contributed to graduate student goaltender Tia Chan. Chan especially dominated in the second period, turning away 16 shots on goal. Offensively, junior forward Julia Pellerin and senior forward Kyla Josifovic led. Pellerin had four shots on goal in the first period and scored her first goal of her UConn career to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead going into the third period. In the beginning of the third period, Josifovic scored a goal for the Huskies. Five minutes later she scored her second goal to give the Huskies the win.
Friday’s matchup began with the Huskies facing early challenges, as Mercyhurst capitalized on a power play to score just five minutes into the game. Despite the opening goal giving the Lakers early momentum, the Huskies quickly responded with offensive pressure and multiple shots at goal. The Huskies’ attempts at a goal were consistently stopped by sophomore goalkeeper Magdalena Luggin allowing Mercyhurst to go into the second period ahead 1-0.
The Huskies brought early dominance to the second period, controlling possessions throughout the period. Both teams also received power play opportunities early in the period, but neither was unable to capitalize on these opportunities. UConn’s offense outshot Mercyhurst 16-8 in the period. The defense, junior defender Maya Serdachny largely limited Mercyhurst’s shots on goal.
Early in the third period, the Huskies’ intensity paid off. A Mercyhurst penalty gave UConn a power play, allowing Serdachny to score her first goal of the season to tie the game 1-1. Both teams continued to play with aggression throughout the last period and into intense overtime. However, both goalkeepers stood strong to end the game in a tie.
In the shootout, Chan dominated stopping both of Mercyhurst’s allotted attempts at goal. On the other end, Pellerin and sophomore forward Claire Murdoch delivered successful goals to claim the 2-0 shootout win for the Huskies.
In Saturday’s matchup, the Huskies wasted no time, asserting early offensive control. Senior forward Megan Woodworth opened the scoring midway through the first period with her third goal of the season.
With four minutes remaining in the first period Serdachny scored in her second straight game to double the Huskies lead. Mercyhurst looked like they would go scoreless in the first period; however, with under a minute to play, Mercyhurst responded with a goal bringing the score to 2-1.
Mercyhurst carried their momentum into the second period, tying the game 2-2 just six minutes into the period. The Huskies did not allow Mercyhurst to continue this momentum for long. Less than two minutes later, Murdoch found space in front of the net and scored her second goal of the season.
The Huskies continued to control possessions in the second period, outshooting Mercyhurst 17-4. In the closing seconds of the period, Pellerin capitalized on this control to extend UConn’s advantage 4-2 with a second remaining. This shot ended up being the game’s winning goal and Pellerin’s second game-winning goal of the season.
Mercyhurst came into the third period with intensity, scoring five minutes into the period. They made several more attempts to tie up the game; however, Chan held up under pressure, obtaining 14 of her 24 saves in the third period.
Next up, the Huskies will host Holy Cross on Saturday, Nov. 1 and Sunday, Nov. 2 for a two-game series. The games will begin at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., and Husky fans can tune into these matchups on FloSports.