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.[2] From 2007 to 2009, UNH hosted NCAA Tournament Regional home games.
Season-by-season results
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
2022-23
Hilary Witt
12
21
3
Hockey East
9
15
3
8th HE
Won First Round vs. Holy Cross (6-3) Lost Quarterfinals vs. Vermont (1-2 OT)
Did not qualify
2021-22
Hilary Witt
11
21
2
Hockey East
9
16
1
8th HE
Lost First Round vs. Merrimack (1-4)
Did not qualify
2020-21
Hilary Witt
7
14
1
Hockey East
6
13
1
8th HE
Lost Quarterfinals vs. Northeastern (0-7)
Did not qualify
2019-20
Hilary Witt
18
15
4
Hockey East
12
12
3
6th HE
Won Quarterfinals vs. Providence (4-2, 1-0)
Lost Semifinals vs. UConn (0-4)
Did not qualify
2018-19
Hilary Witt
13
17
6
Hockey East
10
14
3
6th HE
Lost Quarterfinals vs. Boston University (1-5, 1-3)
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.[7] 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. 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.[8]
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
The Northeastern University women's hockey team faced off against New Hampshire at Fenway Park on Jan. 8, 2010, in the first outdoor women's college hockey game ever played. The Wildcats came from behind to win the game by a score of 5-3, with a four goal rally in the third period.[10] The 4 p.m. game played between the Huskies and Wildcats was the first game of a Hockey East Doubleheader. The men's teams at Boston College and Boston University played at 7:30 p.m. It was the 110th all-time matchup between the Huskies and the Wildcats.[11] In the prior 109 matches, New Hampshire had a 73-28-7 record vs. the Huskies.
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.[12]
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
National Awards and Honors
Courtney Birchard, 2010 Women's RBK Hockey Division I All-America Second Team [13]
Erin Whitten, USA Hockey Women's Player of the Year (1994
Ava Boutilier, New Hampshire, Women's Hockey Commissioners Association Goaltender of the Month February 2020[14]