DURHAM, N.H. - Ava Boutilier (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) made 30 saves, including four in overtime, to lift the University of New Hampshire women's hockey team to a 2-2 tie against No. 3 Northeastern University at the Whittemore Center on Saturday night.
Paige Rynne (Ancaster, Ontario), the second shooter in Round 5, scored the only shootout goal and Boutilier stopped four NU attempts in the shootout (the other was off target) to give the Wildcats an extra point in the Hockey East standings.
New Hampshire moves to 3-8-1 overall and in Hockey East, while NU is now 4-1-1, 4-1-1.
Northeastern goalie Aierin Frankel finished with 16 saves, including two in the five-minute extra session. She stopped two shots during the shootout and also made a poke check to deny another chance; UNH had one shot off target.
UNH is scheduled to return to action Jan. 15 at home against UConn.
FIRST PERIOD SUMMARY
- UNH generated a 6-5 shot advantage in the opening 20 minutes and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
- Nicole Kelly (Brantford, Ontario) gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead at 10:19 when her initial shot hit Frankel but continued behind her toward the open net. Kelly followed her shot and tapped the puck in for her third goal of the year
- Emily Rickwood (Brantford, Ontario) set up the tally with a tape-to-tape pass from blue line to blue line. Brianna Legros (New Liskeard, Ontario) was credited with the secondary assist.
- Both teams went 0-for-1 on the power play.
SECOND PERIOD SUMMARY
- Northeastern generated four power plays into a 14-3 shot advantage and one goal to level the score, 1-1, through two periods.
- Brooke Hobson converted Alina Mueller's pass into a goal at 8:13.
- In the 13th minute, Boutilier quickly slid to the top of the crease from the right post to deny Peyton Cullaton's one-timer from the slot.
THIRD PERIOD SUMMARY
- Mueller netted a 4-on-4 even-strength goal to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead at 3:26. In the slot, she received a return pass from Chloe Aurard on the right wing and snapped a rising one-timer into the cage.
- UNH tied the score with 2:52 remaining in regulation. Chavonne Truter (Uxbridge, Ontario) barreled down the slot and blasted a shot that was blockered down by Frankel. The puck caromed hard off the end boards back to the left post and went off Frankel, who was scurrying back, into the cage.
- Rae Breton (Brighton, Ontario) and Charli Kettyle (Perth, Ontario) were credited with the assists.
- Boutilier made two saves the rest of the way to send the game into overtime
OVERTIME SUMMARY
- Both teams had an excellent scoring chance in the opening 30 seconds of the 3-on-3 extra session.
- Mueller cut down the slot and, unmarked, redirected a diagonal pass that was stopped by Boutilier.
- UNH was whistled for tripping at 1:43 and called a timeout.
- The Wildcats' penalty kill allowed just one shot on goal the next two minutes, and Boutilier made that stop off Hobson's stick.
- Boutilier made two more saves within 30 seconds of the end of NU's power play, and Maddie Truax blocked two shots in the final minute to keep the game tied at 2.
SHOOTOUT SUMMARY
- NU shot first in every round of the shootout, which started with a best-of-three series and continued into two additional single rounds.
- Skaters are not credited with a shot or goal and goalies are not awarded saves in the shootouts.
- In Round 1, NU's Katie Cipra deked to the backhand but was stopped by Boutilier. UNH's Brianna Brooks (Whitby, Onario) also was denied on a backhander.
- In Round 2, Mueller was stopped by Boutilier. Kelly's shot sailed wide left.
- In Round 3, Aurard's bid went wide of the left post. Avery Myers (Fargo, N.D.) advanced down the slot and had the puck poke checked away.
- In Round 4, Boutilier stopped Lauren McInnis to keep NU scoreless in the shootout. Fankel did the same to the 'Cats by denying Tamara Thiérus (Saint-Jérôme, Quebec).
- In Round 5, Andrea Renner's shot was blocked aside by Boutilier. Rynne then advanced down the slot and ripped a shot that trickled between Frankel's legs across the goal line to end the shootout, 1-0 in favor of New Hampshire.
- In Round 3, Aurard's bid went wide of the left post. Avery Myers (Fargo, N.D.) advanced down the slot and had the puck poke checked away.
- In Round 4, Boutilier stopped Lauren McInnis to keep NU scoreless in the shootout. Fankel did the same to the 'Cats by denying Tamara Thiérus (Saint-Jérôme, Quebec).
- In Round 5, Andrea Renner's shot was blocked aside by Boutilier. Rynne then advanced down the slot and ripped a shot that trickled between Frankel's legs across the goal line to end the shootout, 1-0 in favor of New Hampshire.
UNH NOTEBOOK
- Boutilier increased her career saves total to 2,096, which ranks third in program history. No. 2 on the saves list is Alicia Roberts (1998-2000) at 2,090.
- Boutilier is No. 4 in career minutes at 4527:16; third on the list is Roberts at 6526:33.
- Boutilier stopped 69 of 73 shots (.945 save percentage) in the two-game series vs. NU.
- Truax and Rickwood both recorded four blocks and UNH blocked a total of 21 attempted shots.
- Kelly now has a team-high 10 points; she also leads the team with seven assists.
- Rickwood recorded an assist both games this weekend to increase her season total to six. That total ranks second on the team and her seven points is tied for third; both numbers are best among UNH blue liners.
- The first three UNH shooters in the shootout were freshmen.
- Rynne was a DNP the previous six games; her last game played was Dec. 11 vs. Maine.
SERIES NOTEBOOK
- UNH has a 79-58-10 lifetime record against Northeastern.
- The tie halted NU's streak of 10 consecutive wins in the series.
- UNH has a 4-0-10 overtime record vs. the Huskies.
- This was the first tie between UNH and NU since Dec. 3, 2011 (3-3 at the Whittemore Center) Since then, the 'Cats were OT victors in Jan. 2017 and Dec. 2017.
- The Wildcats' most recent win vs. the Huskies was Dec. 2, 2017 (2-1 in overtime at the Whittemore Center).
GOALS
UNH (2) - Nicole Kelly, Chavonne Truter
NU (2) - Brooke Hobson, Alina Mueller
ASSISTS
UNH (4) - Rae Breton, Charli Kettyle, Brianna Legros, Emily Rickwood
NU (3) - Alina Mueller, Chloe Aurard, Skylar Fontaine
GOALTENDERS
UNH-Ava Boutilier 5-13-8-4-30 (2 GA) (64:50) {W}
NU - Aerin Frankel 5-3-6-2-16 (2 GA) (65:00) {L}
PENALTIES
UNH: 7-14
NU: 3-6
POWER PLAYS
UNH: 0-2
NU: 1-6
