STORRS, Conn. - Resuming Hockey East Play for the first time since Dec. 1, the UConn women's hockey team opened the near year with a 4-3 victory over the Holy Cross Crusaders Friday night at the Freitas Ice Forum.
Jaime Fox, Morgan Wabick, Catherine Crawley and Natalie Snodgrass each registered a goal for the Huskies. Both teams each took 22 shots on the evening, but UConn dominated the faceoff battle, registering 41 to Holy Cross' 15.
Freshman goaltender Samantha Carpentier-Yelle earned her fourth start and third win in her inaugural campaign, tallying 19 saves.
1st Period:
Holy Cross was the first team to strike on the night. The Crusaders took advantage of a transition opportunity and Julie Matthias found the back of the net to give them a 1-0 lead at 2:32.
UConn responded with a goal of its own at 9:14. Jaime Fox's shot from the left point was initially stopped, but the puck deflected off the heel of the Holy Cross netminder into the back of the net, evening the score at 1-1.
The Crusaders regained the lead at 19:03 after Matthias' second goal of the evening, but the Huskies raced down the ice and Morgan Wabick dumped the biscuit in the basket just 15 seconds later to tie the score, 2-2, heading into the first intermission.
2nd Period:
The Huskies grabbed a 3-2 lead six minutes into the second stanza. Natalie Snodgrass rifled a shot from the center that missed, but Catherine Crawley collected the rebound inside of the crease and slotted the puck home for the seventh time this season.
3rd Period:
UConn extended its advantage to two goals after Snodgrass blocked a Holy Cross shot attempt, collected the puck and skated coast-to-coast before dropping it in the bottom right corner of the net to give the Huskies a 4-2 lead at 14:33.
Holy Cross answered at 17:01 with a Rachel Moore goal to cut the deficit to one, 4-3. The Crusaders tried to find the equalizer over the final three minutes, but stifling defense from the Huskies prevented any chance of Holy Cross sending the contest into overtime.
Game Notes/Husky Highlights...
- UConn improves to 10-9-1 overall, 5-7-1 in Hockey East competition.
- The Huskies extend their win streak to three games.
