The Daily Campus

Issue date: 1/21/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Nick Hart Cristin Allen controls the puck in UConn's match against Maine on Nov. 8. Allen had two goals in the Huskies' 3-1 victory over Vermont on Jan. 4.

A five-game winning streak, wins over the No. 4 and No. 9 teams in the nation and opponents held scoreless on the power play for four straight games. What sound like accolades acquired over a season's worth of games are merely what the women's hockey team accomplished during UConn's winter break.

The No. 8 Huskies kicked things over Dec. 14 with a 3-2 win over then-No. 9 Harvard, despite being outshot by the Crimson 31 to 25. Dominque Thibault led the way for UConn, netting two goals, including a game-tying goal with 5:30 left to play in the second. Sophomore Monique Weber put the game away with her fourth goal of the season in the third off an assist from Jennifer Chaisson.

After taking two weeks off, including time spent with families during the holidays, the Huskies returned to Storrs for the New Year to delve into Hockey East play. UConn played three games against conference foes, including back-to-back matches with the Catamounts of Vermont and a Jan. 10 matchup with then-No. 9 Boston University.

On Jan. 3, in the first game of the doubleheader with Vermont, the Huskies shutout the Catamounts 7-0, scoring the second most goals all season and the most in conference play. Thrice taking advantage of the extra skater, UConn tallied three power play goals with four goals combined coming from defensemen Rebecca Hewett, Cristin Allen and Sami Evelyn. None had scored more than two goals on the season prior. The second game against Vermont was much of the same as UConn came away with a 3-1 win made possible through a pair of Cristin Allen goals, including a shorthanded tally with 3:22 in the 1st period which put the Huskies up for good 2-0.

Just a week later, UConn took on their toughest conference challenge of the break, going toe-to-toe Boston University. UConn took their conference leading 20.6 percent conversion on the power play and put it to good use, with Thibault getting the scoring started in the second, her 19th goal of the season, coming with the extra skater after a Caroline Bourdeau interference penalty. The Huskies defense remained tight and Monique Weber tallied a pair of goals to give Brittany Wilson her third shutout of the season and UConn the 3-0 win, their second consecutive win over ranked opponents. The win would land UConn the No. 9 spot in the polls formerly held by the Terriers.

Continued...

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