GAME DAY: #4 WOMEN'S HOCKEY PLAYS HOME-AND-HOME SERIES VS. #8 BOSTON U.

NOTES | STATS (BU) | VIDEO (BU) | STATS (UNH) | VIDEO (UNH) | TICKETS (UNH)

THE MATCHUP
    The University of New Hampshire women’s ice hockey team, ranked fourth in the national polls, plays a home-and-home series against eighth-ranked Boston University. The teams face off in Boston on Nov. 6 and conclude the two-game series Nov. 7 at the Whittemore Center. Both games begin at 7 p.m.
    Saturday’s game is part of the Wildcat Food Drive. Fans are encouraged to bring a canned food item or make a cash donation at the promotions table on the concourse. All proceeds and contributions will go to support the Food Bank and granite state communities. Those making contributions will be entered to win the WOQK 97.5 FM prize.
    UNH has a 16-1-2 lifetime record against Boston University that includes 8-0-1 at home and 6-1-1 on the road. It was the Terriers, however, who got the better of last year’s matchups as BU recorded a 3-2 win at Walter Brown Arena on Oct. 23. The teams then skated to a 2-2 tie Oct. 30 at the Whittemore Center and a 3-3 draw Dec. 7 in Boston; the Terriers won both shootouts. It marked just the second time in the seven year history of Hockey East that UNH did not record a win in a season series vs. an opponent.
    In the Oct. 23 meeting, BU led 2-0 at the first intermission, UNH rallied to tie the score in the second stanza and the Terriers netted a power-play goal with 8:05 remaining to take a lead it would not relinquish.
    In the next matchup, Boston U. once again struck first and led 2-1 at the end of one period. Following a scoreless middle frame, the ‘Cats netted a shorthanded third period goal to force overtime. The Terriers outscored UNH 2-0 in the shootout to earn the extra point in the Hockey East standings.
    Then in December, UNH responded to BU’s game-opening tally with three consecutive goals to build a 3-1 lead. The Terriers rallied to tie the game, and BU once again took the extra point by winning the shootout, 1-0.
    In the three game series, New Hampshire recorded a 97-71 shot advantage. On special teams, UNH went 3-for-18 on the power play and BU converted 4 of 17 opportunities.

PATON RECEIVES WEEKLY AND MONTHLY HONORS
    Senior forward Kelly Paton was feted twice by Women’s Hockey East this week. On Monday, she was honored as the league’s Player of the Week. One day later, Paton was named Player of the Month for October.
    Paton received the weekly accolade based on her performance against UConn (3-1 win) and Maine (5-0 win). She tallied three goals and four assists to factor in seven of the team’s eight goals on the week. Paton tallied two goals and two assists vs. Maine to match her career high of four points. Against UConn, Paton set up both second-period goals and scored early in the third to help the ‘Cats erase a one-goal deficit.
    Paton recorded a point in all nine UNH games in the month of October to finish with 15 points on four goals, including one game-winning tally, and 11 assists; those numbers calculate to 1.22 assists per game and 1.67 points per game.
    She factored in 15 of the team’s 35 goals (43%) for the month, and in three games she had a hand in all of UNH’s goals. Paton’s other numbers in the month of October included a seven-game assist streak and four multiple-point games.

THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
    New Hampshire is 7-0-1 at the Whittemore Center this season and has outscored the opposition 30-8 in those eight games.
    The Wildcats have scored 16 of their 35 goals in the second period with a 16-4 scoring advantage.
    Sixteen of the 35 goals have been scored on the power play. The ‘Cats have scored a power-play goal in eight consecutive games and in 9 of 10 this season.
    UNH has not lost a regular-season game at the Whittemore Center since Nov. 11, 2007 (2-1 to Princeton). Since that game, the ‘Cats are 28-0-5 in regular-season home games.
    Eighth-year head coach Brian McCloskey is approaching the 200-win milestone, as he enters the weekend with 196 career victories (196-42-26 overall record). There are currently nine active Division I coaches with 200+ wins. McCloskey’s predecessors at UNH also exceeded 200 victories. Russ McCurdy compiled a 264-36-10 record from 1978-92 and Karen Kay went 215-90-25 from 1993-2002.
    UNH shut out the opposition in the second and third games of the season; the Wildcats did not record back-to-back shutouts last year. UNH’s shutout streak ended at 183 minutes, 30 seconds when Syracuse scored its second-period goal.

'CAT NIPS
    Junior goaltender Kayley Herman recorded her second shutout of the season –13th of her career –with a 12-save effort Nov. 1 at home against Maine.
    Junior defenseman Raylen Dziengelewski tallied three assists –and a +4 plus/minus rating – in the 5-0 win against Maine. The three assists (and points) were one less than her personal best of four assists (and points) she established in November 2007 against Niagara.
    Senior forward Micaela Long already has 12 assists this season, which is one less than her total from a year ago. Her previous best single-season assist mark is 16.
    Senior forward Kelly Paton has recorded 10 of her team-high 19 points on the power play.
    Paton and Long account for 25 of the team’s 59 assists.
    Freshman defenseman Bryanna Farris scored her first collegiate goal Nov. 1 vs. Maine. Classmate and fellow blueliner Kailey Chappell tallied her first career assist in that game vs. the Black Bears.