Matchups with Brown, Union not to be taken lightly

Alternating wins and losses over their last four contests, the UConn women's hockey team has thus far been eluded by consistency and any promises of a steady season.

After a hard-fought win over Syracuse last Friday, the team (2-3-1) turned in a baffling 5-2 loss to Colgate the next day, leaving many fans scratching their heads. With matchups this weekend against Brown and Union, the Huskies need to boost their powerplay, which has gone a sour 1-27 so far. However, the Huskies confidence has yet to be shaken.

"Actually over the weekend we had really good puck movement and created a lot of scoring opportunities," said head coach Heather Linstad. "I think the biggest difference right now is that some of our kids are gripping their sticks too tight instead of going out and just playing. The offense is going to be there because we've gotten good puck movement, but we need to just finish,"

Tonight's game at Brown will be the team's first chance to break free from their recent offensive doldrums. Longtime women's hockey fans may actually recall last year's game with Brown because after a power outage delayed the opening faceoff, UConn went on to blank Brown 4-0. The star of last year's contest was senior goalie Jennie Bellonio, who posted her first career shutout, piling up 17 saves over the course of the game.

"I think we played really well against them last year but the year before we tied them," said Linstad. "So, a big difference, I think, was that we were playing in our building with the crowd behind us and we were very enthusiastic. And now, we're playing on the road and everything's a little different when you're on the road. So, we did dominate them, but this is a new year."

Bellonio relieved sophomore goalie Alexandra Garcia in their last game against Colgate, but it is unclear who will start in the goal for the Huskies. Linstad said she had not decided over their week of practices and it will most likely be a game-time decision.

At those practices, the Huskies spent a considerable amount of time on their defensive zone coverage, in response to the four goals to they allowed Colgate in only two periods and two scores to Syracuse that nearly sparked a comeback. Following the defensive work, they worked on getting out in transition and attacking the opponent in their own zone. Being able to execute these things and benefit from an early lead can go a long way when playing an unfamiliar opponent such as Union.

"They've got one of those teams that you can't take lightly and they'll bite you in the butt if you do," said Linstad. "I think they'll give anyone in the ECAC a run for their money and they're certainly going to do the same to us on Saturday,"

Union is led by sophomore forward Lauren Hoffman and senior defenseman Jackie Koetteritz, who currently lead the team in points. Koerritz has tallied three goals on the year and will be the focus of the Huskies' defensive efforts come game time.

Regardless of their opponent but, Linstad expects the team to execute their brand of play and believes in time that the goals will come.

"This year we've had better puck movement in the offensive zone than we did all of last year and we scored a lot last year," said Linstad. "So we just need to loosen up, play Husky hockey and bury our chances. That's it."