New Hampshire Wildcats women's ice hockey

New Hampshire Wildcats Women's Ice Hockey
Current season
University	New Hampshire
Conference	Hockey East
Head coach	Hilary Witt 8th (1st at UNH) year, 96–126–24
Arena	Whittemore Center Arena Capacity: 6,501
Location	Durham, New Hampshire
Colors	UNH Blue and White
NCAA Tournament Frozen Four
2006
NCAA Tournament Appearances
2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
Conference Tournament Champions
ECAC: 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1996
Conference Regular Season Champions
2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

The New Hampshire Wildcats represent the University of New Hampshire. They have won five ECAC championships between 1986 and 1996. When the Wildcats joined Hockey East, they won four Hockey East titles from 2006 to 2009. The Wildcats have more wins than any other women's ice hockey program at 668 in its first 32 years. The Wildcats went undefeated in their initial 74 games (73-0-1) spanning the 1978 through 1982 seasons. A UNH goaltender has been declared Hockey East Goaltending Champion in the first six years of the league’s existence.^[1] From 2007 to 2009, UNH hosted NCAA Tournament Regional home games.

Year by year

Won Championship

Lost Championship

Conference Champions

League Leader

Year	Coach	W	L	T	Conference	Conf. W	Conf. L	Conf. T	Finish	Conference Tournament	NCAA Tournament
2014-15	Hilary Witt	10	23	3	Hockey East	6	13	2	6th HE	Lost Quarterfinals vs. Northeastern (2-1, 2-3, 3-4)	Did not qualify
2013-14	Brian McCloskey	9	23	2	Hockey East	4	15	2	8th HE	Lost Quarterfinals vs. Boston College (1-8)	Did not qualify
2012-13	Brian McCloskey	14	16	4	Hockey East	10	8	3	4th HE	Lost Quarterfinals vs. Providence (4-5 OT)	Did not qualify
2011-12	Brian McCloskey	10	22	3	Hockey East	4	15	2	6th HE	Lost Quarterfinals vs. Boston University (1-9)	Did not qualify
2010-11	Brian McCloskey	14	16	2	Hockey East	7	13	1	7th HE	Did not qualify	Did not qualify
2009-10	Brian McCloskey	19	9	5	Hockey East	13	6	2	2nd HE	Lost Semifinals vs. Boston University (0-4)	Lost First Round vs. Minnesota-Duluth (1-2)
2008-09	Brian McCloskey	24	6	5	Hockey East	15	2	4	1st HE	Won Semifinals vs. Providence (3-1) Won Championship vs. Boston College (2-1)	Lost First Round vs. Minnesota-Duluth (1-4)
2007-08	Brian McCloskey	33	4	1	Hockey East	20	1	0	1st HE	Won Semifinals vs. Boston University (8-0) Won Championship vs. Providence (1-0)	Lost First Round vs. Minnesota-Duluth (2-3)
2006-07	Brian McCloskey	28	4	5	Hockey East	18	1	2	1st HE	Won Semifinals vs. Connecticut (2-0) Won Championship vs. Providence (3-1)	Lost First Round vs. St. Lawrence (2-6)
2005-06	Brian McCloskey	33	3	1	Hockey East	19	1	1	1st HE	Won Semifinals vs. Maine (6-0) Won Championship vs. Boston College (6-0)	Won First Round vs. Harvard (3-1) Lost Frozen Four vs. Minnesota (4-5)
2004-05	Brian McCloskey	21	8	6	Hockey East	13	3	4	1st HE	Lost Semifinals vs. Connecticut (4-5 OT)	Did not qualify
2003-04	Brian McCloskey	23	9	4	Hockey East	17	1	2	1st HE	Won Semifinals vs. Northeastern (5-0) Lost Championship vs. Providence (0-3)	Did not qualify
2002-03	Brian McCloskey	27	7	2	Hockey East	13	2	0	2nd HE	Won Semifinals vs. Maine (2-0) Lost Championship vs. Providence (0-1)	Did not qualify
2001-02	Karen Kay	19	12	5	ECAC Eastern	11	6	4	3rd ECAC E.	Won Quarterfinals vs. Connecticut (4-1) Lost Semifinals vs. Northeastern (0-2)	Did not qualify
2000-01	Karen Kay	17	17	0	ECAC	13	11	0	6th ECAC	Lost Quarterfinals vs. St. Lawrence (0-1)	Did not qualify
1999-00	Karen Kay	24	10	0	ECAC	17	7	0	4th ECAC	Lost Quarterfinals vs. Northeastern (3-4)	Did not qualify
1998-99	Karen Kay	23	7	5	ECAC	19	4	3	2nd ECAC	Won Quarterfinals vs. Princeton (7-1) Won Semifinals vs. Brown (5-1) Lost Championship vs. Harvard (4-5 OT)	Did not qualify
1997-98	Karen Kay	31	5	3
1996-97	Karen Kay	23	9	3
1995-96	Karen Kay	24	5	2
1994-95	Karen Kay	23	10	2
1993-94	Karen Kay	14	10	3
1992-93	Karen Kay	17	5	2
1991-92	Russ McCurdy	15	6	2
1990-91	Russ McCurdy	19	3	0
1989-90	Russ McCurdy	20	3	1
1988-89	Russ McCurdy	16	6	0
1987-88	Russ McCurdy	15	5	1
1986-87	Russ McCurdy	18	1	3
1985-86	Russ McCurdy	18	3	1
1984-85	Russ McCurdy	18	3	0
1983-84	Russ McCurdy	16	4	0
1982-83	Russ McCurdy	19	1	0
1981-82	Russ McCurdy	18	1	1
1980-81	Russ McCurdy	21	0	0
1979-80	Russ McCurdy	20	0	0
1978-79	Russ McCurdy	16	0	1
1977-78	Russ McCurdy	15	0	0

^[2][3][4][5]

History

The Wildcats competed in the first AWCHA Division I National Ice Hockey Championship. Contested in March 1998, the Wildcats defeated the Brown Bears by a 4-1 score, to become the first recognized national champion in women's college ice hockey.^[6] On January 15, 2000, Carisa Zaban recorded her second straight hat trick (including her 100th career goal), while Samantha Holmes scored one goal and five assists. The Wildcats defeated Northeastern by a score of 9-1.

2006 to 2008

From 2005-06 to 2007-08, the Wildcats set school records with 33 wins in 2006 and 2008. The 2006 team broke seven team and three individual UNH records as well as four team and one individual NCAA records, and 14 team and five individual Hockey East records. In addition, the club had its first perfect season at the Whittemore Center in 2006 (17-0-0). In 2006-07, the club was ranked No. 1 in the nation during the 2007 season (ended at No. 4). The club’s 28 wins in 2007 ranks fourth on program’s single-season list The following year, in 2007-08, New Hampshire was ranked No. 1 in the nation for eight weeks in the 2008 season. In 2008, the Wildcats ended the year #1 in the nation in penalty kill, #2 in offense, #2 in defense and #2 in power play. The 2008 Wildcats broke six Hockey East team records and tied two others en route to the league’s first undefeated season. During the 2007-08 season, Sam Faber of New Hampshire set an NCAA record (since tied) for most game winning goals in one season with 13.^[7]

Current roster

Number	Name	Position	Year	Height	Home Town	Previous Team
1	Marie-Eve Jean	G	Jr	5-8	Gatineau, Quebec	John Abbott College
2	Ashley Wilkes	G	So	5-9	North Pole, Alaska	North American Hockey Academy
3	Haley Breedlove	D	Jr	5-10	Plano, Texas	Alliance Bulldogs
4	Heather Kashman	F	Sr	5-9	Edmonton, Alberta	Edmonton Thunder
5	Julia Fedeski	D	Fr	5-10	Algonquin Highlands, Ontario	Bisho Strachan School
6	Jonna Curtis	F	Jr	5-3	Elk River, Michigan	Elk River
7	Sara Carlson (C)	F	Jr	5-9	Hutchinson, Minnesota	Minnesota Whitecaps
8	Nicoline Jensen	F	Jr	5-5	Rødovre, Denmark	Danish National Team Previous College: Castleton
9	Brenna Boulanger	F	Sr	5-9	Dover, New Hampshire	St. Thomas Aquinas
10	Amy Schlagel	D	Fr	5.-8	Blaine, Minnesota	Blaine H.S.
11	Kaylee Forster	D	Fr	5-8	Zimmerman, Minnesota	Elk River
13	Amy Boucher	F	Fr	5-7	Edmonton, Alberta	Edmonton Thunder
15	Brittney Redlick	F	Jr	5-6	Biggar, Saskatchewan	Warner Hockey School
16	Ali Praus	F	Fr	5-10	Long Lake, Minnesota	Benilde-St. Margaret's
17	Jenna Lascelle	F	Sr	5-6	Cornwall, Ontario	Ontario Hockey Academy
18	Kate Haslett	D	So	5-4	Rothesay, New Brunswick	Brooks School
19	Cassandra Vilgrain	F	So	5-5	Calgary, Alberta	Edge School for Athletes
20	Margo Lund	F	Jr	5-9	St. Paul, Minnesota	Hill-Murray School Previous College: St. Lawrence
21	Jess Ryan	D	Sr	5-3	Cloquet, Minnesota	Cloquet
22	Caroline Broderick	D	Sr	5-11	Marblehead, Massachusetts	Ontario Hockey Academy
23	Brooke Avery	F	Fr	5-10	Loudon, New Hampshire	St. Paul's
24	Kayla Mork	F	Sr	5-4	Victoria, Minnesota	Breck
26	Carlee Toews	F	Fr	5-5	Grand Prairie, Alberta	Okanagan Hockey Academy
27	Hannah Armstrong (C)	F	Sr	5-9	Aurora, Ont.	Dr. Denison Secondary
35	Vilma Vaattovaara	G	Jr	5-7	Veikkola, Finland	Ilves

Erin Whitten

Erin Whitten shut out Dartmouth College in her collegiate debut. She began her coaching career when she joined the UNH women’s ice hockey staff on July 17, 2000. On July 27, 2006, she was promoted to the position of associate head coach on July 27, 2006.

First Outdoor Game

• Aug 21: The Northeastern University women’s hockey team will face New Hampshire at Fenway Park on Jan. 8, 2010, in the first outdoor women’s college hockey game ever. The 4 p.m. game played between the Huskies and Wildcats will be the first game of a Hockey East Doubleheader. The men’s teams at Boston College and Boston University will face off at 7:30 p.m. This will be the 110th all-time matchup between the Huskies and the Wildcats.^[8] In the prior 109 matches, New Hampshire has a 73-28-7 record vs. the Huskies.

Notable players

• Kacey Bellamy
• Karyn Bye
• Colleen Coyne
• Tricia Dunn
• Sam Faber
• Samantha Holmes
• Sue Merz
• Kelly Paton
• Erin Whitten (Four-year varsity goaltender at New Hampshire from 1989–93)
• Carisa Zaban
• In the 2009-10 season, Kelly Paton ranked near the top in several scoring categories in the NCAA. She ranked fourth in assists per game (1.00), fifth in points per game (1.59) and tied for sixth in points (51). She led the Wildcats in points (51), goals (19) and plus/minus (plus-16). Paton was named Hockey East co-Player of the Year and won the Hockey East Three Stars Award. In addition, Paton was a unanimous All-Hockey East First Team selection, three-time Hockey East Player of the Month and three-time Hockey East Player of the Week.

Championships and accolades

• UNH's history includes four consecutive EAIAW (Eastern Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) titles from 1980–83 and five ECAC titles (1986-87-90-91-96).
• In 1998, New Hampshire won the inaugural women's ice hockey championship (sponsored by the American Women's College Hockey Alliance) in 1998 at the FleetCenter in Boston. In that 1998 season, Brandy Fisher won the inaugural Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the top women's collegiate player. Four Wildcats were also members of the 1998 gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic team.^[9]
• ECAC titles (1990, 1991)
• ECAC runner-up (1992, 1993)
• Appeared in the Frozen Four in 2006 and 2008
• Hockey East regular-season champions in ‘04 ‘05 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08
• Hockey East Tournament champions in ‘06 ‘07 ‘08

Awards and honors

Wildcats player Brandy Fisher was the first ever Patty Kazmaier Award winner. The program has had four finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award. Besides Fisher, the others have included Nicki Luongo in 1999, Carisa Zaban in 2000 and Kelly Paton in 2010.

• Courtney Birchard, 2010 WHEA First-Team All-Star^[10]
• Courtney Birchard, 2010 Women's RBK Hockey Division I All-America Second Team ^[11]
• Winny Brodt, 1998 AWCHA Tournament Most Outstanding player^[12]
• Tricia Dunn, Forward, New Hampshire; 1996 ECAC All-Tournament Team^[13]
• Brandy Fisher, F, 1996 ECAC Tournament most valuable player^[14]
• Brandy Fisher, Patty Kazmaier Award
• Martine Garland, Top 10 Finalist for 2007 Patty Kazmaier Award ^[15]
• Carolyn Gordon, 2003-04 Hockey East Player of the Year^[16]
• Samantha Holmes, 1999-2000 New England Hockey Writers Association Women's Division I All-Star Team ^[17]
• Jen Huggon, All-America honors in 2003
• Carrie Jokiel, 2000 Sarah Devens Award^[18]
• Kristina Lavoie, 2010 Hockey East Rookie of the Year
• Kristina Lavoie, 2010 WHEA Honorable Mention All-Star
• Kristina Lavoie, 2010 WHEA All-Rookie Team^[19]
• Micaela Long, 2010 WHEA First-Team All-Star
• Micaela Long, 2010 Hockey East Scoring Champion^[20]
• Nicki Luongo, 1999 American Women's College Hockey Alliance All-Americans, First Team^[21]
• Kerry Maher, 1999-2000 New England Hockey Writers Association Women's Division I All-Star Team
• Kira Misikowetz, Forward, 2001-02 New England Hockey Writers Women's Division I All-Star Team^[22]
• Kelly Paton – New Hampshire, WHEA Player of the Month, October 2009^[23]
• Kelly Paton – New Hampshire, WHEA Player of the Month, November 2009
• Kelly Paton – New Hampshire, WHEA Player of the Month, February 2010^[24]
• Kelly Paton, 2010 Hockey East Co-Player of the Year^[25]
• Kelly Paton, 2010 WHEA First-Team All-Star
• Kelly Paton, Runner Up, 2010 Hockey East Scoring Champion
• Kelly Paton, 2010 Frozen Four Skills Competition participant^[26]
• Kelly Paton, 2010 Women's RBK Hockey Division I All-America First Team ^[27]
• Heather Reinke, Defense, 1996 All-ECAC Team
• Heather Reinke, Defense, 1996 ECAC All-Tournament Team
• Dina Solimini, Goaltender, 1996 ECAC All-Tournament Team
• Dina Solimini, 1996 ECAC Honor Roll
• Erin Whitten, USA Hockey Women’s Player of the Year (1994)
• Erin Whitten, UNH Department of Women’s Athletics Athlete of the Year (1993)
• Erin Whitten, ECAC Goaltender of the Year (1992)
• Erin Whitten, ECAC First Team (1992 and 1993)
• Erin Whitten, ECAC All-Star Selection (equivalent to First Team status) in 1990 and 1991^[28]
• Carisa Zaban, 1996 ECAC Honor Roll^[29]
• Carisa Zaban, 1999 American Women's College Hockey Alliance All-Americans, Second Team
• Carisa Zaban, 1999-2000 New England Hockey Writers Association Women's Division I All-Star Team
• Carisa Zaban, 1999-2000 All-America selection
• Carisa Zaban, 2000 Patty Kazmaier Award finalist

See also

• New Hampshire Wildcats men's ice hockey
• New Hampshire Wildcats
• List of college women's ice hockey coaches with 250 wins (Russ McCurdy ranks tenth in wins, first in winning percentage on all-time list)

References

1. "UNHWildcats.com -- University of New Hampshire Official Athletics Website:Women's Ice Hockey". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
2. "Statistics  :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online". USCHO.com. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
3. "2009-2010 Schedule". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
4. "2010-2011 Schedule". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
5. "2011-2012 Schedule". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
6. "About GirlsWomens' Hockey". Alaska State Hockey. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
7. http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/w_icehockey_rb/2011/DI.pdf
8. http://gonu.com/whockey/090820-huskies_to_play_at_fenway_jan_8_2010.shtml
9. "UNHWildcats.com -- University of New Hampshire Official Athletics Website:WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY TO PLAY AT FENWAY PARK ON JAN. 8". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
10. "HockeyEastOnline.com - Hockey East Press Releases". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
11. "Cornell University Athletics - Women's Hockey Trio Garners All-American Honors". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
12. "Women’s Division I NCAA tournament  :: USCHO.com :: NCAA :: U.S. College Hockey Online". USCHO.com :: NCAA. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
13. "Women's Ice Hockey". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
14. "Women's Ice Hockey". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
15. http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/030507aac.html
16. http://www.hockeyeastonline.com/pdf/women/03_04.pdf
17. "UNHWildcats.com -- University of New Hampshire Official Athletics Website:Official Site of UNH Athletics - Women's Ice Hockey". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
18. "Karen Thatcher wins prestigious Sarah Devens Award" (PDF). Hockey East. April 11, 2006. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
19. "Hockey East Online". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
20. "Hockey East Online". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
21. "American Hockey Coaches Association". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
22. http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/article.asp?intID=1583
23. "HockeyEastOnline.com - Monthly Honors". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
24. "Hockey East Online". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
25. "HockeyEastOnline.com - Hockey East Press Releases". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
26. http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/031010aaa.html
27. "Cornell University Athletics - Women's Hockey Trio Garners All-American Honors". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
28. "UNHWildcats.com -- University of New Hampshire Official Athletics Website:Women's Ice Hockey". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
29. "Women's Ice Hockey". Retrieved 10 September 2014.