University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Fall to Maine Despite Hurlburt's Hat-Trick
3/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
STORRS, CT (March 7) -- Freshman standout Leslie Hurlburt (Markham, Ontario) notched the first hat-trick of her career, running her season goals total to nine but the University of Connecticut women's ice hockey team dropped its season finale 4-3 to Maine on Sunday afternoon at the UConn Ice Arena in Storrs. With the loss, the Huskies conclude the 2003-04 campaign with an overall mark of 9-19-6 and a league mark of 5-11-4. Maine improves to 12-15-4, 9-9-2.
The Huskies finished fifth in the league, one spot out of the Hockey East tournament. This marks the first time in head coach Heather Linstad's coaching and playing career that her team did not advance to the postseason.
After Hurlburt tied the score at three with just over four minutes left in regulation, Maine forward Tristan Desmet scored the game-winner when she controlled a rebound and stuffed it past UConn keeper Shannon Murphy (Mapleville, RI).
The Huskies took a 1-0 advantage into the second period, and after Maine scored two unanswered goals Hurlburt notched an equalizer, making the score 2-2 with 12:49 remaining in the stanza.
The Huskies once again out-shot Maine, this time by a healthy 39-to-19 margin. However Lara Smart came up huge once again, stopping 36 shots and 30 in the first two periods. Murphy made 15 saves for Connecticut.
