Women's Ice Hockey Falls at New Hampshire in First Game of Weekend Series
Links: Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Freshman Jessica Bonfe (Woodbury, Minn.) scored eight minutes into the third period to cut the Warriors deficit to two, but it would not be enough as the Merrimack College women's ice hockey team fell at New Hampshire in the first game of a weekend home-and-home series on Friday night, 4-1.
The Basics
Score: New Hampshire 4, Merrimack 1
Records: Merrimack (2-15-0, 1-8-0 HEA) | (5-13-1, 4-8-0 HEA)
Location: Whittemore Center | Durham, N.H.
How It Happened
After notching the program's first-ever win over the Wildcats earlier in the season at Lawler Rink, the Warriors were unable to seal the season series on the Olympic-sized sheet at the Whittemore Center, the first rink of that size Merrimack has played on.
New Hampshire would net a goal in each of the first two periods of the game, with its first period score coming with just 53 seconds on the clock from Julia Fedeski to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
Jonna Curtis, the lone goal scorer for UNH back on October 17 in North Andover, gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead at 16:15 of the second period on an unassisted effort that would hold into the final stanza. Freshman goaltender Samantha Ridgewell (Outlook, Saskatchewan) would turn away 15 shots in the second period of her first start since missing the previous six games with an injury.
New Hampshire would quickly go ahead 3-0 just over two minutes into the third period, but Bonfe would respond with her second of the season six minutes later at the 8:22 mark to put the Warriors on the board and cut the lead to two.
In a late effort, Merrimack would pull Ridgewell from the net with a just under two minutes remaining in the game, but Curtis would find the empty goal for her second of the game to seal the 4-1 win.
Inside The Numbers
- Ridgewell would make a total of 33 stops in her first game back, making double-digit saves in the first and second period and posting a .917 save percentage.
- Bonfe's goal improves the freshman's scoring line to 2-3-5. She has scored both of her goals in the last four games, and has tallied a point three of the last four games.
- Freshman Paige Sorensen (Plymouth, Minn.) tabbed the assist on Bonfe's goal, which is tied for the team lead with fellow freshman Paige Voight (St. Michael, Minn.). The defenseman has notched a point in four of the last five games (1g, 3a).
- The Warriors were outshot 37-15 in the game and fell in the faceoff margin 24-20. Both teams were 0-1 on the power play.
Up Next
The Warriors return to Lawler Rink tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. for the third and final game of the season series against New Hampshire, with the winner also taking the series.
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