PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Senior goalie David Fessenden (Parker, Colo.) recorded his first shutout of the season with 35 saves as the University of New Hampshire men's hockey team defeated No. 11 Providence, 2-0, on Friday night at Schneider Arena in Hockey East action.
Freshman forward Cy LeClerc (Brentwood, N.H.) and senior captain Chase Stevenson (West Kelowna, British Columbia) each scored for UNH.
The Wildcats advance to 5-16-1 (1-11-1 Hockey East), while the Friars fall to 11-5-5 (6-2-5 Hockey East).
UP NEXT:
- The Wildcats return to action when they take on Sacred Heart on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. at the Whittemore Center on ESPN+. Following the game will be Skate with the 'Cats as fans are strongly encouraged to bring their own skates.
- Go to UNHWildcats.com/Tickets or call the ticket office at (603) 862-4000 to catch the most exciting family entertainment in New Hampshire.
Score: New Hampshire 2, #11 Providence 0
Records: UNH 5-16-1 (1-11-1 Hockey East), PC 11-5-5 (6-2-5 Hockey East)
Location: Providence, R.I. (Schneider Arena)
Date: Friday, January 6, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Attendance: 2,842
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- At 4:04 into the first period, junior forward Nick Cafarelli (Middleton Mass.) skated over the blue line with the puck and found sophomore forward Liam Devlin (Needham, Mass.), who then sent a backhander to LeClerc as he scored lower stick side to give UNH the 1-0 lead.
- Then at 13:38 of the first period, sophomore defenseman Colton Huard (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) sent the puck to the net as senior forward Ryan Black (Pomfret, Conn.) deflected a loose puck in front of the goal to Stevenson who scored on a one-timer to the open glove side for his sixth goal of the season.
- Fessenden was outstanding in net including making 18 saves over the final 20 minutes of play to keep the Friars off the scoreboard for the 2-0 final.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Fessenden tallied 35 saves, while Philip Svedebäck made 21 saves for the Friars.
- Providence outshot UNH, 35-23.
- The Wildcats went 0-1 on the power play, while the Friars went 0-4.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- UNH went 1-1-1 versus the Friars this season and lead the all-time series 93-68-17.
- The Wildcats shut out Providence who were second in Hockey East with 67 goals and had not been shut out all season.
- This is the first shutout for Fessenden as a Wildcat and the second of his collegiate career. He posted a shutout as a member of Alabama Huntsville in the 2020-21 season.
- His 18 saves during the third period are the most he has posted in a period as a Wildcat.
- LeClerc leads the team with nine goals. This was his team-best second game winner of the season.
- Devlin and Huard are each on three-game point streaks. Devlin has three goals and two assists for five points during this stretch and Huard has two goals and three assists for five points.
- The last time the Wildcats recorded a shutout versus Providence was when Danny Tirone made 24 saves on Dec. 2, 2017 in a 1-0 win.
