Spring Break
Huskies fall on Senior Night
Jake Goldberg
Issue date: 2/23/09 Section: Sports
The last home regular season game didn't go as planned for the five seniors on the women's ice hockey team, as they suffered a loss to the top team in Hockey East, New Hampshire, on Saturday night.
The Huskies (19-11-4, 12-8-1) lost 4-3 on Saturday and 4-2 on Sunday to the division-leading Wildcats (22-5-5, 16-2-3). With the two losses, UConn will be the fifth seed in the Hockey East tournament.
The Huskies were able to jump out to a comfortable 3-1 lead after just over a period of play and looked to be on the road to one of their biggest victories of the season. Lauren Lemond, Monique Weber and Kristen Russell all found the back of the net to give New Hampshire something to think about other than UConn's vaunted first line.
New Hampshire was able to battle back during the end of the second period and gain momentum off of goals by Kelly Paton and Kacey Bellamy to tie the game at 3-3. The third period was back-and-forth with each team getting chances to seal the game. During a frantic scrum in front of the net, with two minutes remaining in the period, New Hampshire's Jenn Wakefield was able to tap one behind senior goalie Brittany Wilson for the game winning goal.
"I thought they were a little grittier down in front of our net," said head coach Heather Linstad. "They created some opportunities and put some rebounds away especially that fourth goal. We had some opportunities that we didn't finish and I think our goalie could have made a few more covers."
The game showcased each team's speed and provided a fast-paced game for the packed crowd at the Freitas Ice Forum. Many family members were on hand to witness the last regular-season home game for Russell, Brittany Wilson, Brianna Uliasz, Nicole Tritter and Samantha Reid.
Although they came up short, the five seniors and the rest of their UConn teammates showed the fans and themselves that they could hang with any team in the Hockey East conference.
"We have said all year that we can beat anyone but it's up to them to make up their minds if they want to play for 60 minutes or not," Linstad said. "Sometimes we play head games with ourselves and that's what hurt us more than what the other team did."
With the two losses, it is likely that the Huskies will have to win the conference tournament in order to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Linstad stressed that the team has to deal with the mental side of the game better, but the talent is there.
"This is what we have, so it's a mental game of bouncing back and realizing the good things that we did and realizing that we have to tighten up on some mistakes," Linstad said.
The Huskies will open the Hockey East tournament on the road as the league's No. 5 seed. UConn travels to No. 4 Providence Saturday at 1 p.m.
The winner will play either top-seeded New Hampshire or second-seeded Boston University, depending on the result of the other quarterfinal.
The Huskies (19-11-4, 12-8-1) lost 4-3 on Saturday and 4-2 on Sunday to the division-leading Wildcats (22-5-5, 16-2-3). With the two losses, UConn will be the fifth seed in the Hockey East tournament.
The Huskies were able to jump out to a comfortable 3-1 lead after just over a period of play and looked to be on the road to one of their biggest victories of the season. Lauren Lemond, Monique Weber and Kristen Russell all found the back of the net to give New Hampshire something to think about other than UConn's vaunted first line.
New Hampshire was able to battle back during the end of the second period and gain momentum off of goals by Kelly Paton and Kacey Bellamy to tie the game at 3-3. The third period was back-and-forth with each team getting chances to seal the game. During a frantic scrum in front of the net, with two minutes remaining in the period, New Hampshire's Jenn Wakefield was able to tap one behind senior goalie Brittany Wilson for the game winning goal.
"I thought they were a little grittier down in front of our net," said head coach Heather Linstad. "They created some opportunities and put some rebounds away especially that fourth goal. We had some opportunities that we didn't finish and I think our goalie could have made a few more covers."
The game showcased each team's speed and provided a fast-paced game for the packed crowd at the Freitas Ice Forum. Many family members were on hand to witness the last regular-season home game for Russell, Brittany Wilson, Brianna Uliasz, Nicole Tritter and Samantha Reid.
Although they came up short, the five seniors and the rest of their UConn teammates showed the fans and themselves that they could hang with any team in the Hockey East conference.
"We have said all year that we can beat anyone but it's up to them to make up their minds if they want to play for 60 minutes or not," Linstad said. "Sometimes we play head games with ourselves and that's what hurt us more than what the other team did."
With the two losses, it is likely that the Huskies will have to win the conference tournament in order to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Linstad stressed that the team has to deal with the mental side of the game better, but the talent is there.
"This is what we have, so it's a mental game of bouncing back and realizing the good things that we did and realizing that we have to tighten up on some mistakes," Linstad said.
The Huskies will open the Hockey East tournament on the road as the league's No. 5 seed. UConn travels to No. 4 Providence Saturday at 1 p.m.
The winner will play either top-seeded New Hampshire or second-seeded Boston University, depending on the result of the other quarterfinal.
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