NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's ice hockey team will play a home-and-home series against Boston University beginning on Thursday night from Lawler Rink at 7 p.m. The second game will be played in Boston at Walter Brown Arena on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Warriors are currently in seventh place in the Hockey East standings with 10 points, while the Terriers sit in sixth place with 13 points.
Last Time Out:
- The Warriors split the weekend against No. 9/9 Maine last weekend, having a 4-1 setback on Friday, before stunning the home team, 4-2, on Saturday.
- Junior forward Katelyn Rae had five goals over the weekend, which earned her this week's Hockey East Player of the Week.
- The Warriors also had six others add to the scoresheet. Juniors Jessica Kuhlman, Dominique Kremer, Madison Morey, Paige Sorensen, and Emily Volpe, along with sophomore Mikyla Grant-Mentis all had an assist in Saturday's victory.
- Junior goaltender Samantha Ridgewell had her eighth 30+ save performance of the year and picked up her sixth win of the season Saturday, while making 31 saves. Sophomore netminder Léa-Kristine Demers had 35 saves in Friday's contest.
Earlier This Season vs. BU
- Both teams met to start the Hockey East season back on Sept. 23, 2017 at Walter Brown Arena, with Merrimack coming out on top, 2-1. The Warriors trailed 1-0 heading into the second period, but two unanswered goals were all they needed to take the victory.
- Rae and freshman Megan Fergusson each scored power play goals for Merrimack in the second period. Ridgewell made 31 saves in the game.
The Warriors:
- Rae has a team-high 18 goals and 23 points through 23 games. She is tied for 10th in conference play with 14 goals and 18 points.
- Grant-Mentis is second on the team in scoring with 15 points (9g, 7a). Junior Felila Manu has a team-high seven assists.
- Ridgewell is 13th nationally with a .928 save percentage, which leads all Hockey East goaltenders.
The Terriers
- Maine enters the series with an 8-13-6 overall record and 4-10-5 in conference play, sitting in sixth place in the standings with 13 points.
- Victoria Bach leads the team in scoring with 47 points and 28 goals. She also has 19 assists, good for second on the team. Rebecca Leslie has 40 points with 16 goals and 24 assists.
- Corinne Schroeder has made 18 starts in net with an 8-6-4 record and a .917 save percentage.
- Boston University's has the fourth best scoring offense in Hockey East action, while their power play is second with a 21.9% conversion rate.
Concussion Awareness Weekend
- In conjunction with the Headway Foundation, the women's ice hockey team will be participating in the 2018 Concussion Awareness Weekend on Friday, Feb. 2 through Sunday, Feb. 4. The goal of the 2018 Concussion Awareness Weekend is to promote a safer sports culture surrounding concussions through the Headway's 'New Tough' Campaign, spread awareness, and provide educational resources for the student athletes. To learn more about the Headway Foundation and the campaign, click here. To check out their 'New Tough' Campaign video click here.
- The Warriors will be on the road for that weekend, with trips to Providence, Rhode Island on Friday and Burlington, Vermont on Sunday.
Up Next
Merrimack will play the next two games on the road with games at No. 10 Providence and at Vermont. The game against the Friars is on Friday, Feb. 2 with a 7 p.m. puck drop from Schneider Arena. The game against the Catamounts is scheduled for a 1 p.m. puck drop from Gutterson Fieldhouse on Sunday, Feb. 4.
