LONG, HERMAN RECEIVE HOCKEY EAST WEEKLY ACCOLADES

MICAELA LONG

KAYLEY HERMAN

WAKEFIELD, Mass. – Senior forward Micaela Long (South Boston, Mass.) and junior goaltender Kayley Herman (Weyburn, Saskatchewan) of the fourth-ranked University of New Hampshire women’s ice hockey team were honored as Pure Hockey Player of the Week and co-Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, by Hockey East on Monday.

Herman, who shares the honor with Alexandra Garcia of the University of Connecticut, and Long led the Wildcats to road victories last week against Boston College (4-0 on Dec. 8) and Dartmouth College (4-1 on Dec. 12).

Long recorded five points (one goal, four assists) and had a plus/minus rating of +3 in the two wins. She opened the week with one assist at BC, then matched her career highs in both assists (three) and points (four) by factoring in all four of the team’s goals at Dartmouth. Three of Long’s points were recorded in a span of 5:37 in the second period to turn a one-goal deficit into a two-goal lead. Her tally broke a 1-1 tie and proved to be the game-winning goal.

Herman went 2-0-0 last week by stopping 51 of 52 shots for a 0.50 goals-against-average, .981 save percentage and one shutout. She stopped all 21 shots, including 11 in the second period, against Boston College and then recorded 10 saves all three periods at Dartmouth to match her season high of 30 saves. Herman stopped all 11 shots she faced on the opponents’ four power-play opportunities.

A UNH Wildcat has been honored as Pure Hockey Player of the Week five of the past seven weeks (in one of the other two weeks, UNH did not play a game), and a ‘Cat has received two of the last four Defensive Player of the Week awards. For Herman, this marked her first Defensive Player of the Week accolade this season and third of her career.

Long has eight goals and 22 assists for 30 points in 18 games. She leads the nation in assists (1.22 per game) and ranks sixth in points (1.67 per game). Long leads the team in both assists and plus/minus (+14), and she is second in points as well as tied for second in goals. She has an 11-game point-scoring streak in which she has tallied four goals and 15 assists for 19 points; overall, she has recorded a point in 17 of 18 games with eight multiple-point performances – including seven multiple-assist efforts – this season.

Herman has played in nine games (eight starts) and is unbeaten with a 6-0-2 record, 1.48 GAA, .934 save percentage and three shutouts. She is ranked eighth in the nation in goals-against-average as well as ninth in save percentage. In three Hockey East league games, Herman has a 2-0-1 record with a 1.30 GAA, .934 save percentage and one shutout. Her career numbers include 49 victories and 14 shutouts, which is tied for fifth on UNH’s all-time list.

New Hampshire (12-2-4, 6-1-1-0 Hockey East) resumes play Jan. 8, 2010 in the opening game of the Sun Life Frozen Fenway doubleheader against Northeastern University. The game, which will be the first women’s ice hockey outdoor game in NCAA history and will be televised live by NESN, begins at 4 p.m. Four seats located in the Green Monster section are available on UNH’s online auction.

The Wildcats’ next home game is Jan. 16 (2 p.m.) vs. Providence. It is part of Hockey East’s 3rd Annual Skating Strides against Breast Cancer fundraising initiative.