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Freshman forward Viki Harkness scored the game's lone goal for the Huskies
UConn Blanks Yale, 1-0, In Nutmeg Classic
Freshman forward Viki Harkness scored the game's lone goal for the Huskies

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - UConn freshman goaltender Samantha Carpentier-Yelle sent back all 28 Yale shots while freshman Viki Harkness tallied the lone goal as the Huskies came away with a 1-0 win over the Bulldogs Saturday afternoon in the consolation game of the 2018 Nutmeg Classic at Ingalls Rink.

Seventeen of Carpentier-Yelle's saves came in the final period, including several over the last few minutes that allowed the Huskies to protect their 1-0 lead and earn the freshman goaltender her second win of the season and first career shutout. UConn moves to 7-8-1 on the season while Yale drops to 2-8.

After two scoreless periods where UConn had several scoring opportunities and put 14 shots on Yale goaltender Tera Hofmann, the Huskies finally broke through in the third, scoring off a two-on-one break for the game's only goal. Viki Harkness buried her first goal of the season and career, pushing the puck past the pad of Hofmann off a feed from sophomore Natalie Snodgrass, who picked up her team-leading tenth assist.

Carpentier-Yelle got better as the game went on, stopping five in the first, six in the second and 17 in the final period. The UConn penalty kill chipped in as well, killing off a full two minutes of a 5-on-4 advantage for Yale in the first.

Hofmann finished the night with 21 stops in taking the loss.


1st Period:

The Husky offense was all over Hofmann in the first period, peppering the Yale goaltender with 10 shots but were unable to capitalize on the opportunities in front of the net. Carpentier-Yelle was equally up to the task, turning away all five shots she saw from the Bulldogs.


2nd Period:

UConn continued to attack in the second session, but only got off four shot attempts through the second 20 minutes. The Huskies earned a power play opportunity in the second, but couldn't cash in on the extra man advantage. On the opposite end of the Ice, Carpentier-Yelle continued to deny the Bulldogs as she stuffed six shots.


3rd Period:

The third period saw Yale outshoot the Huskies 17-7 as UConn's Carpentier-Yelle stood tall.

Gaining a two-on-one advantage on the break, sophomore Natalie Snodgrass fed the puck down to Harkness on the left side who placed the puck into the top right corner of the post to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead at the 13:57 mark.

With Yale searching for an equalizer in the last few minutes, the UConn defensive unit dug in and denied each and every attempt made by the Bulldogs to extend the game an extra five minutes, preserving the one-goal advantage.

Game Summary

Saturday, November 24, 2018
Nutmeg Classic Third Place

1
0
Game statistics
22 Shots 28
0 / 1 Power Plays 0 / 1
1 / 2 PIM 1 / 2
7-8-1 Records 2-8-0
GOAL SCORERS
UConn Yale
Viki Harkness (1)
3rd/13:57  GW
GOALTENDERS
UConn Yale
Samantha Carpentier-Yelle
59:58, 28 Saves, 0 GA
(W, 2-1-0)

Empty Net
0:02, 0 GA
Tera Hofmann
58:09, 21 Saves, 1 GA
(L, 2-5-0)

Empty Net
1:51, 0 GA