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UConn junior forward Dominique Thibault controls the puck in UConn's first game of the season against Dawson Blues. The two teams skated to a 4-4 tie in the exhibition match.

Hot UConn offense hopes to melt ice

UConn to test offensive firepower against Colgate, St. Lawrence

By: Jake Goldberg

Posted: 10/10/08

The women's ice hockey team plays two games at home this weekend, first against Colgate University at 7:00 tonight, and then against St. Lawrence University at 4 p.m. Saturday.

The Huskies (2-1) look to keep their high powered offense going into the weekend. After the first three games of the season they have scored a combined 20 goals. According to coach Heather Linstad however, there still may be room for improvement.

"We have done some good things, including this past weekend, but we can still be more aggressive and gritty," Linstad said, "especially around the net where we could get a couple more goals here and there."

For Colgate (1-0), this will be their second game of the season and first on the road. The Raiders beat Syracuse in the first game of the season at home 4-3. Colgate is coming off a 12-17 season in which they played much better in the second half of the season, led by junior Sam Hunt who scored 22 goals and dished out 14 assists.

The Huskies will have to be able to control the dynamic scorer and be able up to tighten up the defensive end, according to Linstad.

The team has let up six goals in the past two games, both against Minnesota State. One of the things Linstad is waiting on is for a goalie to emerge from the team that will play consistently.

Freshman goalie Alexandra Garcia will get the nod on Friday night but junior Jennie Bellonio and senior Brittany Wilson are both capable of playing between the pipes.

"We are trying to find that No. 1 goalie," Linstad said. "Garcia had a good week in practice and a good week last week, so she gets the chance to start the game."

According to Linstad the Huskies have had a good week in practice and that they are prepared with a winning attitude that is pleasing the coach.

The team looks to play primarily three lines from here on out, but would like contributions from each line, something they struggled with last season.

"We are going to play with three lines, but I really expect people to step up on three lines this year," Linstad said. "We need to be able to score from all three lines and be able to use the great depth that we have coming off the bench."

Saturday will be the first game for St. Lawrence, which is coming off a 28-10-1 season where they played in the NCAA tournament. Since 1998-1999 season, when coach Paul Flanagan took over, St. Lawrence has not had a losing season.

St. Lawrence has four players returning from last season that put up over 34 points throughout the season, including two women who scored over 20 goals last year.

Both Colgate and St. Lawrence bring fast skaters to the ice over the weekend, something UConn is looking forward to.

"They are fast, but I feel like we are one of the fastest teams in the Big East," Linstad said. "We look forward to the challenge of both teams skating fast."