Huskies Play Host to No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth

Oct. 14, 2011

STORRS, Conn. - The University of Connecticut women's ice hockey team returns home to take on No. 5/6 Minnesota-Duluth for a pair of games at the Freitas Ice Forum this weekend. The Huskies and Bulldogs face-off at 7:00 pm on Friday night, followed up by a 4:00 pm matinee on Saturday afternoon.

About the Huskies... UConn gets back on its home ice with an 0-2-2 overall record after suffering a 4-1 road loss to St. Lawrence and skating to a 3-3 draw with Clarkson, last weekend. Senior Sami Evelyn and junior Kelly Horan are tied for the team lead in points with three each. Evelyn has netted on goal and two assists, while Horan has dished out a team-best three helpers. In net, senior Alexandra Garcia and sophomore Nicole Paniccia have each started two games. Garcia has earned a pair of ties with a .908 save percentage and 2.77 goals against average, while Paniccia owns a .920 and 2.02.

Last Time Out... Junior defender Maude Blain, on the power play, posted the only Husky score in their 4-1 loss at St. Lawrence, last weekend. Between the pipes, Paniccia provided 28 saves, while allowing three goals. Against Clarkson, UConn held the lead on three occasions, but could not hold on. Evelyn scored her first of the season, only 1:04 into the game, to give Connecticut its first lead of the game. Freshman Emily Snodgrass later added her first career goal, followed by a score from sophomore Jocelyn Slattery. Garcia stopped a season-high 38 saves in goal. Golden Knight junior Danielle Skirrow scored twice, including the game-tying goal at the 12:51 mark of the third period.

Scouting the Bulldogs... Minnesota-Duluth opened its season with a weekend split against No. 5 Boston College. The Bulldogs won the opener, 7-2, and fell in game two, 3-2. Nationally, they are ranked fifth by USA Today and sixth by USCHO.com. Junior defenseman Jessica Wong led the UMD offense with two goals and three assists in the game one win over the Eagles. Sophomore forward Katie Wilson added a goal and two assists. Junior goaltender Jennifer Harss made 61 saves, 33 of which came in the Bulldog's win, to enter this weekend with a .918 save percentage and 2.50 GAA. Minnesota-Duluth finished the 2010-'11 season with a 22-9-3 record and was knocked out by eventual NCAA champion Wisconsin, 2-1, in the NCAA quarterfinals.

Last Time vs. Minnesota-Duluth... Last October, the Huskies were swept in a weekend series, hosted by the Bulldogs. It was the first time that the two teams took the ice to face one another. UConn was shutout in game one, 8-0, and game two, 4-0, by then No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth. Garcia provided 35 saves in the 4-0 loss for the Huskies. Jessica Wong tallied a hat trick in the opener and collected two assists in game two. Audrey Cournoyer and Haley Irwin each totaled three scores and had two assists for the weekend. Kim Martin made 21 saves to earn a shutout in game two.

Against the WCHA... Connecticut holds an all-time record of 7-14-5 when facing opponents out of the WCHA. At home the Huskies are 4-6-1, including a three-game win streak over then No. 10 Ohio State and Minnesota State, who UConn defeated on back-to-back nights, in October of 2007. Prior to last year's match-up with UMD, the Huskies split a weekend series at Minnesota State in October of 2008.

Freshmen Firsts... Seven different players have scored for Connecticut through four games, none of whom have scored more than once, and three of them have been freshmen. Caitlin Hewes, Sarah MacDonnell, and Emily Snodgrass have each recorded the first goal of their collegiate careers through the first two weekends of the season. Hewes and Snodgrass each have two points, including one assist each, while classmate Rachel Farrel recorded her first career point with an assist against St. Lawrence last weekend. Red-shirt sophomore Maggie Walsh has also made her presence in the lineup known as she is tied for second on the team with two assists, her firsts in a UConn uniform.

Up Next... UConn remains at home for its first two Hockey East contests of the season as Maine visits the Freitas Ice Forum next weekend. The Huskies take on the Black Bears at 7:00 pm on October 21 and again at 2:00 pm on October 22.

University of Connecticut Athletics

Players Mentioned

Maude Blain

Sami Evelyn

Rachel Farrel

Alexandra Garcia

Caitlin Hewes

Kelly Horan

Sarah MacDonnell

Nicole Paniccia

Jocelyn Slattery

Emily Snodgrass

Maggie Walsh

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