Women's Hockey Starts Season Off Strong

By: Brittany Perrotti

Posted: 10/9/06

The women's hockey team recorded its first two wins of the season this weekend as it took both games from Vermont in their home opener, by a score of 7-2 and 3-0.

The Huskies dominated much of the first game after scoring four goals in the first period. The first came on a power play shot by captain Natalie Vibert at 8:03 as the puck went into the opposite corner. Twenty seconds later, UConn scored again on Justine Cigna's shot, which put the team up, 2-0. Two more goals followed for the Huskies less than six minutes later, one by Cristin Allen and one by captain Jaclyn Hawkins.

Vermont responded with a goal with a minute left in the period to bring the score at the end of the first period to 4-1. The Catamounts' penalties were rampant during the first period as the aggression continued to increase throughout the contest.

"We connected well at the start," said goaltender Brittany Wilson. "We got them to sit back on their heels."

"Vermont was more confident with the puck," Wilson said. "Our passes were better and we connected. Everyone kept their feet moving and hustled. If it weren't for that, I think the outcome of the game could've been different."

The Huskies would tack on three more goals that game, with two more made by Jaclyn Hawkins in each of the two remaining periods. The goal gave Hawkins her first hat trick with the third shot going in across her body while falling. Hawkins also had three assists in the game. The third UConn goal happened with 0.8 seconds left in the game on a shot by Brianna Uliasz.

"Scoring more than them is nice," said head coach Heather Linstad. "We had a lot of energy in the first period, and UVM took a lot of penalties. It was the reverse in the second period and they gained momentum. There weren't a lot of quality opportunities for them to score."

"We had a lot of scoring opportunities and we moved the puck quicker out of the defensive zone," Linstad said. "Our penalty kill went well, and younger players were contributing. When you kill, you have to take pride in that."

After the game, both players and Linstad said the team needed to be prepared for Vermont to come out strong on Saturday.

"They're going to come out flying," Wilson said. "They're not gonna take this."

"We have to put it in the past," Linstad said. "Vermont is going to play better. We have to focus on the little things."

Vermont did come out strong and the Huskies found themselves in the penalty box more than on the ice for much of the first period, at one point having three players in. They were able to prevent the Catamounts from scoring during the game, however.

UConn took a 1-0 lead after Hawkins scored her fourth goal of the weekend on a power play as the puck hit the top of the net at 16:17 in the second period. The Huskies scored again with 36 seconds left in the period on a shot by Vibert. Hawkins connected again in the third period with less than three minutes left.

She said she felt that five goals was "asking a lot," after a phone message before the game suggested that she would score five during the weekend.

"But I did it," Hawkins said. "I'll take it. Whatever it takes to win. Everyone's producing right now."

The teams went head-to-head in penalties during the second game as Vermont came out fighting.

"They came with battle guns," Hawkins said.

"They were battling to win," Linstad said. "There was definite clutching and grabbing and it's certainly not the way I want my team to play. We were in the penalty box until the 12th minute and we battled through. We killed their power plays and Brittany Wilson kept the game simple."

"The defense communicated and let me know where the puck was," said Wilson. "They made my job easier. If Vermont wanted to mess around with the puck behind the net, that's fine. We weren't going to chase them."

"We played pretty well," Linstad said. "There are little thing to work on and get better. We have to buckle down. It was a good start but we have a lot of work to do."