After wrapping up a dominant regular season, the UConn Huskies now turn their attention to the postseason where they will play No. 7 Maine Black Bears in the Hockey East Quarterfinals this Saturday in Storrs.
UConn enters the matchup with a 24-8-2 overall record and a 17-6-1 record in conference play, momentum that could prove crucial as the Huskies chase a deep Hockey East run.
The Huskies displayed offensive and defensive power in their matchups this past weekend. On Friday, Feb. 20, the Huskies fell to their rival Husky opponents, Northeastern, in overtime, despite putting up a strong performance. On Saturday, Feb. 21, the Huskies defeated Merrimack in another home matchup, powered by sophomore forward Claire Murdoch’s first career hat trick.
The Huskies outshot their opponents in both games, shooting 42-32 against Merrimack and putting out 14 shots in just the third period versus Northeastern. These two matchups displayed the depth of the team, with five different players recording points across the two games. The team also exceled in high pressure situations, going 1-for-4 on power play and perfect on penalty kill against Merrimack.
Defensively, graduate goaltender Tia Chan stood out with 29 saves in the win over Merrimack. Chan also had a strong performance against Northeastern, keeping the Huskies in control early on with nine first period saves. Junior forward Ashley Allard has also been a defensive force showing dominance in the faceoff circle. The team has shown overall defensive strength, allowing just six goals across the two final goals of the regular season.
Offensively, Murdoch was a key player, recording her first hat trick along with the game-winner goal. Forward junior Julia Pellerin also displayed offensive strength, recording her eleventh goal of the season to open the matchup against Merrimack. Pellerin also added an assist to the game-winning goal. Forward senior Brooke Campbell contributed to the offense with a power-play goal, her seventh goal of the season. Along with a strong defensive performance, Allard also dominated offensively with a goal against Northeastern.
Maine enters the Hockey East tournament with a strong opening round, a 4-0 win against Merrimack, to advance to the quarterfinals, securing the first playoff win under head coach Molly Engstrom. The Black Bears outshot Merrimack 26-20 in the matchup and took early control by scoring twice in the first period.
Offensively, junior forward Raegan Wurum dominated, with two goals in the opening round of the tournament, including a key goal late into the second period. Freshman forward Isabelle Michaud clinched the win for the team, scoring her tenth goal of the season. Junior forward Lily Fetch also provided key defensive strength for the Black Bears, with her sixth goal of the season scored in the second period. Scoring, featuring four players, displayed the depth of the team.
Sophomore goalie Kiia Lahtinen provided a powerful defensive force for Maine. Lahtinen recorded a 20-save shutout versus Merrimack, which is the first back-to-back shutout stretch by a Maine goalie since 2016. This is also Lahtinen’s sixth career shutout, fourth shutout of the season and third shutout this month.
Though UConn holds the historical advantage with an 8-1-1 advantage over Maine in the last 10 matchups, the teams’ recent meetings, including a close 4-3 victory on Jan. 10, suggest Saturday’s matchup could once against come down to a single goal.
Puck drop is set for Feb. 28 at 3 p.m., and Husky fans can tune in to this matchup on FloSports.