The UConn women’s hockey team competed against Boston College for a two-game series this weekend. The first game took place on the road at Conte Forum on Friday, Nov. 7 and ended in a 3-1 win for the Huskies. The Huskies hosted the second game at the Toscano Family Ice Forum on Saturday, Nov. 8, and the Eagles took the 2-1 win in the final seconds.
The Huskies are coming off a weekend sweep against Holy Cross. The first game ended in a close 4-3 win for the Huskies. The second game ended in another close 3-2 win for the Huskies. Senior forward Kyla Josifovic delivered the first win for the Huskies, with her second game-winning goal of the season. On the defensive end, freshman goaltender Taylor Belchetz earned her first career win with 23 saves. Senior forward Megan Woodworth shifted the momentum for the Huskies with her fourth goal of the season in the third period. On the defensive end, graduate student goaltender Tia Chan earned her sixth win of the season with 21 saves.
In Friday’s matchup, the Eagles took control early on, allowing them to take an early 1-0 lead in the first period. They also took control of shots on goal, leading 11-3 in the first period. However, as the period continued, the Huskies began to shift the momentum in their favor by taking control of the possessions and continuing to maintain a steady defense.
Chan provided a defensive backbone for the Huskies throughout the game with a total of 31 saves. Her consistency allowed the Huskies to bounce back after coming out short in the first period. Offensively, junior forward Julia Pellerin and Josifovic led the way and allowed UConn to take control of the game. Both players increased the pace of the game and contributed to opening shooting lanes for the Huskies. Sophomore forward Claire Murdoch capitalized on this momentum to break the Huskies scoring slump and tie the game at 1-1.
In the third period, the Huskies continued to play with speed and aggression. Sophomore forward Sadie Hotles executed a defensive sequence to bring the Huskies to a 2-1 lead with just under four minutes left. In response to this late deficit, Boston College decided to pull its goaltender to gain an extra skater in the final minutes. However, Josifovic shut down the Eagles hopes to rebound with an empty net goal, extending the lead to 3-1 and securing the victory for the Huskies.
The Huskies returned home for the second matchup of the series. The Eagles’ senior goaltender, Grace Campbell, proved to be a formidable force throughout the game. Campbell consistently prevented top offensive Huskies from scoring, including Josifovic, Pellerin, Hotles and graduate student Claire Peterson. Josifovic nearly scored a goal on a power play, hitting the post, but Campbell quickly reacted to prevent the goal. The Eagles’ strong defense early on allowed them to open scoring midway through the first period.
The defense on both ends was dominant, allowing no scoring in the second period. For the Huskies, senior Emma Eryou and senior Megan Duchesne-Chalifoux were strong on defense for the Huskies with crucial shot blocks.
The Huskies tied the game with less than 10 minutes left in the third period with a goal by junior forward Martha Mobarak from a pass by Pellerin. This marks Mobarak’s first goal of the season and Pellerin’s second assist of the weekend.
The momentum was shifted to the Huskies with their game-tying goal, although the Eagles found a way to scramble to the front of the net with just two seconds remaining giving them the game-winning goal.
Next up, the Huskies will host Vermont on Friday, Nov. 21 and Saturday, Nov. 22 for a two-game series. The games will begin at 6 p.m. and 2 p.m., and Husky fans can tune into these matchups on FloSports.