| Matchup |
Merrimack (8-13-3, 3-9-2 WHEA)
#10/#10 Maine (14-6-3, 8-3-2 WHEA) |
| Date/Time |
Saturday, January 13, 2018 (2 p.m.) |
| Venue/Tickets |
| Lawler Rink // North Andover, Mass. // Tickets |
|
| Multimedia |
Live Stats // Watch ($) // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's ice hockey team host No. 10/10 Maine on Saturday afternoon in Hockey East action at Lawler Rink. Puck drop is set for 2 p.m. It will be the fifth nationally ranked opponent the Warriors have faced this season.
Last Time Out:
- The Warriors won their second game in a row, defeating New Hampshire on Wednesday night, 4-2, at Lawler Rink. Junior Katelyn Rae (Courtice, Ontario) had a three-point game, scoring a pair of goals and adding an assist. That extended her point streak to six games, which matches her career-best.
- Sophomore Mikyla Grant-Mentis (Brampton, Ontario) scored the eventual game-winning goal at the 12:45 mark of the second period. Junior Annie Boeckers (Otsego, Minn.) also scored in the game, picking up her first tally of the season. Junior goaltender Samantha Ridgewell (Outlook, Saskatchewan), who matched her career-high in wins in a season with five, made 23 saves in net.
Last Season vs. Maine
- After going winless against Maine during the 2015-16 season, the Warriors won the first two meetings last year by scores of 5-1 and 7-2, respectively. The Black Bears took the final game of the series. The seven goals in a game were the most scored in a single game by the Warriors.
- Junior Paige Voight (St. Michael, Minn.) combined for four points (2g, 2a) in the first two games, while classmate Jessica Bonfe (Woodbury, Minn.) tallied three points (2g, 1a). Sophomore goaltender Léa-Kristine Demers (Repentigny, Quebec) had 29 saves in the first game, while making 37 saves in the second game.
- Juniors Jessica Kuhlman (Severna Park, Md.), Madison Morey (Fairbanks, Alaska), and Katelyn Rae, along with sophomore Mikyla Grant-Mentis all found the back of the net in the second game. Rae picked up a hat trick in the third game of the series.
The Warriors:
- Rae leads the team with 17 points (12g, 5a), while Grant-Mentis has 13 points on nine goals and four assists. Junior Felila Manu (Anchorage, Alaska) leads the team with seven assists. Captain Paige Voight is third on the team in scoring with nine points (3g, 6a).
- Ridgewell is eighth nationally with a .932 save percentage, which is second among Hockey East goaltenders.
- In conference play, Merrimack sits sixth in scoring defense, allowing just under three goals per game.
The Black Bears
- Maine enters the weekend with a 14-6-3 overall record and an 8-3-2 Hockey East record, sitting in third place in the standings. The Black Bears have won three straight and have an eight-game unbeaten streak. Maine swept Boston University 4-1 and 3-2 this past weekend.
- Tereza Vanisova leads the team with 34 points (12g, 22a), and is also sixth among conference leaders. Brooke Stacey is second on the team in scoring, adding 22 points on 13 assists and nine goals. Carly Jackson has started 20 of 21 games in net, with a 12-5-3 record and two shutouts. She also boasts a 1.81 GAA, which is first among Hockey East goaltenders and 11th nationally.
- The Black Bears bring the 16th best scoring offense to Lawler, averaging 2.70 goals per game. Their defense allows 2.04 goals per contest, which ranks in the top 10 in the nation. The penalty kill is 12th nationally, killing off 87.1 % of the penalties.
Up Next
The Warriors will head to Orono, Maine to conclude the season series with the Black Bears next weekend for a pair of games, beginning Friday afternoon. Puck drop for both contests is 2 p.m. from the Harold Alfond Sports Arena.
