The UConn women’s hockey team will host Boston University at the Toscano Family Ice Forum on Friday, Dec. 5. The puck drop for Friday’s matchup will be at 6 p.m. and includes an ugly sweater contest. The following day, the team will travel to Boston to complete the series. The puck drop for Saturday’s matchup is 4 p.m. The matchup will continue with Hockey East play, following a weekend that ended in a Nutmeg Classic win.
The Huskies are coming off a two-game winning streak, which led to their Nutmeg Classic Champion title this weekend. UConn hosted the classic beginning with Quinnipiac on Friday, Nov. 8. The Huskies came out on top 4-3. The following day, the Huskies took on Yale and came out on top 3-2 to officially claim the title.
The victory captured the dominance of the team as many individuals put on impressive plays. Defensively, graduate student goaltender Tia Chan continued to dominate, stopping a combined 86 shots this weekend. Senior forward Kyla Josifovic was an asset for the Huskies in both games, being named the most valuable player of the classic. She contributed key goals in both contests and also dominated on the defensive end. Offensively, junior forward Ashley Allard stood out, scoring two goals in the win against Quinnipiac, and generating constant offensive pressure to keep the speed of the game. Junior forward Julia Pellerin, fresh off scoring the winning shot against Yale, adds to the Huskies’ offensive strength going into the weekend. Consistent scoring by senior forward Megan Woodworth and pressure generated by senior forward Brooke Campbell will also contribute to the Huskies’ dominant offense.
The Terriers are coming off a shutout win against Holy Cross on Tuesday, Dec. 2, which captured the dominance of the team. Junior goaltender Mari Pieterson led defensively to record her third career shutout with 19 saves. Senior duo Luisa Welcke and Lilli Welcke led the offense, scoring early goals and assists to keep the momentum moving. Freshman Mia Vergilii also broke out as an offensive threat, scoring her first collegiate goal. Seniors Sydney Healey, Maeve Kelly, Riley Walsh and Clara Yuhn also added veteran dominance and stability on the offensive and defensive ends. The Terriers will lean on this experienced core to challenge the Huskies.
The Huskies competed against the Terriers last season for a two-game series in late February. The Huskies swept the series, winning 4-1 and 3-1 in the matchups. Goaltender Chan dominated the game with a strong 33-save performance. The victory extended UConn’s regular season winning streak over the Terriers to six straight games, even though the Terriers lead the all-time series 31-21-9.
UConn will hope to bring the same defensive and offensive dominance against a competitive BU team. Husky fans can tune into the Hockey East series on FloSports.