Hockey is a team centric sport and relies on the whole roster to win games. One player carrying a team through a season is a rarity, but every team has at least one player they look to at important moments. For the UNH women’s hockey team this season, that player was junior forward Taylor Wenczkowski.

 Wenczkowski lead the team in goals (20) and points (26). She led the team in shots on goal with 168, was second in shooting percentage and first among players with minimum 20 shots on goal. Wenczkowski led the team in game winning goals and powerplay goals with five in both categories and was in the four-way tie for team lead in game tying goals with one. Those goals alone contributed for 11 of the 23 points the team ended the season with for the conference. It was only one ahead of the UCONN Huskies for the ‘Cats to end sixth in the conference. She also recorded 14 blocked shots on the season.

    Of her 20 goals, the biggest ones came on February 16 against Boston University when she scored her first career hat trick. The game ended in a 3-3 tie and the Wildcats picked up the one point they needed to clinch a spot in the playoffs. All three goals she scored were equalizing, as the teams went goal for goal. Her final conversion came with just 22 seconds left in the game to force overtime where both goalies would shut the door.  

In addition to clutch goals there have also been highlight reel goals like her 20th and final goal of the regular season. Wenczkowski took a pass and raced up the wing speeding past two of Boston College’s defenders, made a quick move in tight on the net and buried the shot to give the Wildcats a 3-2 lead in that game. She showed great speed and great hands to pull off the deke. The play started while the Wildcats were shorthanded, but the penalty expired by the time the puck was in the net. 

This was a career season for Wenczkowski who set a new career high in goals and points. Her previous career highs in these two categories were the 2017-18 season when she scored nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points in 36 games. The 11 assists is still her career high as so is the 26 blocked shots she recorded that season.