BURLINGTON, Vt. - The No. 3 seeded Providence College women's hockey team shut out the No. 2 seeded University of Vermont, 1-0, on Wednesday, Mar. 1 at Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington, Vt. The Friars advance to their second Hockey East Championship Game in three seasons and will face-off against top-seeded Northeastern on Saturday, March 4 in Boston, Mass. Puck drop is slated for noon at Matthews Arena and can seen live on ESPNU.
SCORE
Providence - 1 | Vermont - 0
RECORDS
Providence - 22-10-4 | Vermont - 22-11-3
VENUE
Gutterson Fieldhouse | Burlington, Vt.
GAME FLOW & NOTES
- Both teams skated through first period scoreless as the Catamounts held a 10-8 advantage in shots through 20 minutes of play.
- After killing off the game's lone power play opportunity midway through the second period, the Friars began to generate momentum offensively before the second period concluded.
- The Friars got on board with 3:00 remaining in the middle frame with a goal from Delaney Couture (Shrewsbury, Mass.), the senior's second of the tournament and fifth of the season. Ida Press (Uppsala, Sweden) was credited with the assist as Couture fired a rebound chance under the crossbar.
- Despite a third period push from the Catamounts, the Friars continued their strong defensive play.
- With time expiring, Sara Hjalmarsson (Bankeryd, Sweden) saved a shot by Vermont off the goal line with to secure the 1-0 win for the Friars. The officials reviewed the play after the buzzer sounded and deemed the puck did not cross the goal line.
- Hope Walinski (Lincoln, R.I.) finished with 30 saves and adds her second shutout in three-career starts.
- Walinski's performance tonight makes her the fourth Friar to post a shutout in the semifinal round.
- Providence earned its first win in four games against Vermont this season and improved to 2-3 all-time against the Catamounts in postseason play. The Friars even their all-time Hockey East Tournament record at 22-22.
- Saturday will mark Providence's eighth appearance in the Hockey East Championship Game. The Friars have a 3-4 record in those appearances. The team's last appearance in the title game was in 2021, when they were defeated by Northeastern, 6-2.
- All-time, the Friars are 1-4 in postseason play against Northeastern, with their only win coming in the 2012 Hockey East Semifinals (2-0).
- The Friars aim for their first Hockey East title since 2005.
STAT COMPARISON
Providence -
Shots: 19
Face-offs: 26/20
Power plays: 0/0
Penalty Kill: 1/1
Vermont -
Shots: 30
Face-offs: 20/26
Power plays: 0/1
Penalty Kill: 0/0
PC GAME HIGHS
Shots: Becker, Tyo (4)
Goals: Couture (1)
Assists: Press (1)
Points: Couture, Press (1)
UP NEXT
The Friars travel to Boston, Mass. to take on No. 1 seeded Northeastern on Saturday, Mar. 4 in the Hockey East championship at 12:00 p.m.
