UVM’s women’s ice hockey team opened the season ranked No. 12 in the nation. In October, they opened Hockey East play with four consecutive wins, two of which came against the University of New Hampshire Wildcats.
At the time, Vermont seemed poised not only to meet, but exceed their preseason expectations. But on Saturday, the Wildcats ended the Catamount’s season with a 3-0 defeat.
After their early season success, the Catamounts struggled out of the gate in the new year, at one point losing seven consecutive games. The Cats recovered in late January and won crucial matchups in the last two weeks of February, propelling Vermont past Boston University as the No. 6 ranked team in the Hockey East with an 11-12-4 record.
The strong finish to their regular season schedule allowed them to skip the wildcard round and go straight to the quarterfinals. Vermont was to face off against the same Wildcats team they defeated in Gutterson Fieldhouse way back in October.
On Saturday, the defense did everything possible to keep Vermont in the game while the offense couldn’t connect at the right times—a theme that followed them throughout their stretch of losses.
Senior goalie Jessie McPherson shined, saving ten shots in the first frame alone. The contest remained scoreless until the seven minute mark of second-period play, when forward Chavonne Truter scored for the Wildcats, pushing the puck through McPherson’s legs and into the net for a 1-0 UNH advantage.
The Wildcats struck again in the third period when forward Tamara Theirus knocked the puck free of the Vermont defense. With little space to work with, Theirus unleashed a shot that found the back of the Catamount’s net.
With just under three minutes remaining in the final period, Wildcats forward Annie Berry scored to put up the final score of 3-0.
Despite three separate shots on goal from Vermont’s senior forward Natálie Mlýnková and sophomore forward Lara Beecher, the offense ultimately came up empty. Vermont will have to look forward to next season to try and claim the championship.
