Amy Hollstein handles the puck in a game earlier this season.

Eagles pose major challenge heading into exams

By: Russell Blair

Posted: 12/5/08

While most students will spend Friday night dreading upcoming exams, the women's hockey team will have one last test as they take on No. 7 Boston College at Freitas Ice Forum.

Following the matchup with the Eagles, UConn will go on to play six games over break, all at Freitas Ice Forum here in Storrs.

The six games - part of a larger streak of twelve consecutive home games dating back to Nov. 12 - will pit UConn (8-6-2, 3-4-0 Hockey East) against conference foes Vermont and Boston University as well as Mercyhurst and Harvard.

UConn and Boston College (9-3-3, 6-2-1) will be playing their third and final matchup of the season after the Eagles defeated the Huskies 3-2 in Chestnut Hill, Mass., and again 4-0 at home.

This time around the Huskies are riding a three-game winning streak including victories over then-No. 10 Wayne State and a 3-2 win over Yale in the Nutmeg Classic title game. The last time the Huskies fell was Nov. 20 at the hands of the Eagles.

After playing Boston College twice already and with a matchup down the road in the Hockey East tournament possible, coach Heather Linstad feels her team has made the proper adjustments.

"The second loss to Boston College we came out flat and we just didn't play well," Linstad said. "Since then we've been much better on the power play and coming out and scoring goals quickly."

The Huskies have notched six power-play goals in their last three contests after being shutout in back-to-back games by Providence and Boston College.

"We played six periods of scoreless hockey and that's never a good thing," Linstad said. "But we came out strong against Brown and now I think we're working better as a team offensively."

Following Friday's contest and the subsequent week off for final exams, the Huskies will return to action Dec. 14 against No. 10 Harvard. The Crimson, out of the ECAC, are led by senior forward Sarah Wilson who leads the team in goals, assists, points and penalty minutes. Last year, the Huskies played Harvard close in Cambridge, Mass. before surrendering two third-period goals en route to a 2-0 shutout.

UConn then has an uncharacteristic lapse in play going 19 days without a game. While one week is generally taken off so players can visit their families during the holidays, Linstad made free the week following Christmas intentionally when she planned the schedule.

The extra week will give Linstad and her coaches time to travel around and scout players to get a jump on the recruiting process. Many prep schools and club teams host tournaments around the holidays providing an opportunity to scout some of the top players in the country all at once.

The Huskies will play five more games, including three in conference, before classes resume for second semester. The most important being a back-to-back series against Vermont. A pair of win over the Catamounts (4-11, 1-4) would give Huskies a better-than .500 conference record and a boost heading into some tough road games. UConn defeated Vermont 2-1 on the road in Burlington, Vermont Oct. 18.

With a tough series of games coming up, Linstad knows now more than ever her team needs to step up their play and play to win.

"These next few weeks really are the heart of our season," Linstad said. "We play a lot of tough conference games, and if we falter now it can hurt as at the end of the season in the tournament."