Beyond the Dashers News: Hockey East report: Week of November 30

Backcheck
Think the committee behind the forthcoming Frozen Fenway event could have been much more encouraged by the indoor preview New Hampshire and Northeastern concocted at Matthews Arena on Sunday?

About 40 days before they are slated to lock twigs on the temporary Yawkey Way Pond, less than a 10-minute drive from the fabled outdoor venue, and within the even older barn on Huntington Ave., the Wildcats and Huskies delivered a crisp arm-wrestling bout in their first get-together on the year, New Hampshire ultimately tipping the scale via Courtney Birchard with just 3:27 to spare for a 2-1 decision.

To their credit, the Huskies broke as negligible a sweat as a victim of the Granite State Goddesses can, thus keeping intact their season-long posture amongst the league’s and nation’s elite achievers. For her 30-save performance, celestial stopper Florence Schelling has indulged in her sixth Defensive Player of the Week laurel out of nine opportunities, and her skating mates gave her a gratifying share of protracted breathers throughout the day, at one point throwing seven unanswered stabs at New Hampshire’s Lindsey Minton to start the second period.

Naturally, the Cats’ marquee figures stood tall as well. Birchard and senior captain Kelly Paton combined for a goal apiece and 15 of the team’s 32 shots on net. Paton’s left winger Micaela Long pitched in five bids of her own and collaborated with Paton in setting up Birchard’s decider.

Elsewhere across Sunday’s scoresheet, UNH boasted but a slender edge in the way of face-offs (24-22) and blocked shots (11-10). And though they endured five minor penalties compared to a mere two taken by Northeastern, both of their goals were shorthanded.

And with the ice chips having settled, Northeastern still has sole claim to first place at 7-2-1 within league boundaries while the fourth-place Wildcats –who have at least three games in hand on all of their relevant rivals- are the lone team still left without a regulation conference loss at 5-0-1.

UNH is still tops in the way of offense, NU headlines the defensive leaderboard. The Cats are best in both special teams categories, the Dogs are the most disciplined gang on the coast. And if the national rankings froze in place from now through March, both programs would all but be a lock for an NCAA berth.

All that showed on Sunday on the campus that formerly housed the Red Sox and their Royal Rooters. May it show again in six weeks at the Hub’s contemporary ballyard, when there will be a few more observers.

Forecheck
Currently lodged in seventh place with a 1-3-3 league record, Connecticut will have an enticing opportunity to gain a little more traction in a home-and-home set with Boston University. Lately, UConn’s bipolar offense has gone from charging up a seven-goal outburst for its only intraleague win versus Maine, to going utterly numb in back-to-back shutout losses via Boston College two weeks ago, to disassembling Yale, 6-1, in this past Saturday’s Nutmeg Classic championship game.

At the moment, though, they flaunt the league’s third-most productive strike force immediately behind none other than the Terriers.

Weekly scoreboard
Tuesday, November 24
Boston University 2, Maine 1 (SO)
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wbu_mne1.n24
http://www.goterriers.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/112409aaa.html
http://goblackbears.cstv.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/112409aaa.html

Wednesday, November 25
Northeastern, 1 Vermont 0
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wnoever1.n25
http://gonu.com/whockey/2010/wh10-14.shtml
http://www.uvm.edu/~sportspr/womens_hockey/?Page=News&storyID=15493

Friday, November 27
Minnesota Duluth 3, Boston College 0
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wbc_mnd1.n27
http://bceagles.cstv.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/112709aaa.html

Maine 5, North Dakota 5
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wmnendk1.n27
http://goblackbears.cstv.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/112709aaa.html

Princeton 3, Boston University 1
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wbu_prn1.n27
http://www.goterriers.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/112709aaa.html

Providence 2, Wisconsin 2
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wprvwis1.n27
http://www.friars.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/112709aaa.html

Connecticut 1, Quinnipiac 0
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wconqui1.n27
http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/112709aaa.html

Saturday, November 28
Maine 3, North Dakota 3
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wmnendk1.n28
http://goblackbears.cstv.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/112809aaa.html

Minnesota Duluth 5, Boston College 1
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wbc_mnd1.n28
http://bceagles.cstv.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/112809aaa.html

Boston University 3, Princeton 1
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wbu_prn1.n28
http://www.goterriers.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/112809aaa.html

Connecticut 6, Yale 1
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wconyal1.n28
http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/112809aaa.html