Women's Ice Hockey Returns to Hockey East Action vs. UVM

Matchup	Merrimack (3-4-2, 1-1-1 WHEA) // Vermont (2-5, 1-3 WHEA)
Date/Time	Friday, Oct. 27, 2017 (7pm) // Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017 (2pm)
Venue/Tickets	Lawler Rink // North Andover, Mass. // Tickets
Multimedia	Watch ($) // Live Stats // Twitter // Instagram

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's ice hockey team returns to Hockey East action this weekend with a pair of home games against Vermont. Friday night's game is set to begin at 7 p.m., while Saturday's puck drop is 2 p.m.

Last Time Out:

• The Warriors went 1-1 this past weekend against Penn State, with both games being decided in overtime. On Friday night, it was junior Paige Sorensen (Plymouth, Minn.) that gave Merrimack the overtime victory on a power-play goal with 1:03 left in the game. She received a pass from classmate Felila Manu (Anchorage, Alaska) along the boards and fired a rocket by the Penn State goaltender. Junior captain Jessica Bonfe (Woodbury, Minn.) also scored in the game. Sophomore goalie Léa-Kristine Demers (Repentigny, Quebec) had 20 saves in the game.
• However, on Saturday, it was Penn State that came away on top in the high-scoring affair, winning 4-3 in overtime. Junior captain Paige Voight (St. Michael, Minn.) picked up two points in the game, while Bonfe scored her second goal of the weekend. Junior Dominique Kremer (West Fargo, N.D) also scored for the Warriors, while classmates Meghan Martin (Newport, Vt.) and Katelyn Rae (Courtice, Ontario) each had an assist. Junior goalie Samantha Ridgewell (Outlook, Saskatchewan) finished with 27 saves.
• Merrimack's scoring defense is 18^th in the country, allowing 2.11 goals per game. In three Hockey East games, the Warriors have surrendered just 1.67 goals per game.

Inside the Series vs. Vermont:

• Merrimack has a 4-1-1 record against the Catamounts in the short history between the two schools, while going 2-1 last season and 2-0-1 during 2015-16 season.
• Five of the games have been decided by one goal or less, not counting the 3-3 tie in Merrimack's inaugural season.
• In the third game of the season-series last year, the Warriors rallied from a 2-0 deficit, to win 3-2, on Feb. 18 at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Voight and Kremer scored in the first period to tie the game, before junior Madison Morey (Fairbanks, Alaska) notched the game-winner with 4:02 left to play. Demers had a season-high 42 saves in that game.

 
The Catamounts:

• Vermont enters the weekend with a 2-5 overall record and 1-3 in Hockey East play. The Catamounts began the season winning two of their first three games, before dropping their last four contests. Last weekend, Vermont lost a pair of Hockey East games at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Friday's game was a 5-4 loss against New Hampshire, while Sunday's game was a 4-2 defeat against Boston College.
• Eve-Audrey Picard leads the team with seven points on five goals and two assists so far. Alyssa Gorecki and Saana Valkama both have six points (2g, 4a).
• Melissa Black and Sydney Scobee have split time in net over the first seven games. Scobee is 1-2-0 in three starts, with a 2.71 goals-against average, while Black is 1-3-0 in four starts.

Up Next
Merrimack hits the road on Friday Nov. 3^rd and Saturday, Nov. 4^th for a pair of non-conference games against Union College in Schenectady, New York. Friday's game begins at 6 p.m. and Saturday's game has a 3 p.m. puck drop.