Following up a game-tying goal in the closing seconds of regulation with the game-winning goal against your biggest rival just minutes later would be enough to inflate the head of any college athlete. But for sophomore forward Audra Richards, the success of the team comes first and foremost.
Richard’s uptick in production for the University of Maine women’s ice hockey team is a result of improved team chemistry and morale, and the rest of the Black Bears squad is responding. Last week they won back-to-back games for the first time since taking two from the University of New Hampshire in Alfond Arena in February of 2012, again sweeping border rival UNH by scores of 3-2 and 3-1 before falling in a one-game set to the University of Vermont this past Saturday.
“Team chemistry is very healthy,” Richards said. “We always have fun on and off the ice together and continue to compete against each other during practice which is creating a lot of success for everyone on the ice. The past few games have really shown what we can do as a team.”
The mantra of coaches Sara and Richard Reichenbach has been drilled into their players’ heads as well, and Richards believe it’s something that’s helped her team in the middle of rough season record-wise.
“‘Respect everyone, fear no one,’” Richards repeated of her coaches. “I believe that is how our team is starting to play, which will help us finish off our season and lead us into playoffs on the right note.”
In the game against UNH, UMaine took an early 1-0 lead and held it for most of the game. The Wildcats responded with two goals of their own to begin the third period.
Relinquishing the lead in the final period has happened several times to the Black Bears this season. With a younger, inexperienced roster, the Black Bears have struggled coming back in these situations. However, this culture has changed, and Richards’ stellar play, as well as the strong efforts by her teammates, exemplifies this change.
“The team has really come together as a whole since winter break. I believe we have built a new kind of confidence in our ability to win,” Richards said. “Once we got our first win under our belt, the team as a whole started gaining the confidence we needed, and need for the remainder of the season.”
Richards tallied another goal in the second game of the weekend against UNH, marking her third in the weekend series. Performing at a high level isn’t uncommon for her, leading the Black Bears in goals on the season with 12. She’s also tallied a pair of assists along the way.
Success didn’t come easy for Richards. Coming from the Minnesota Thoroughbreds junior hockey team, it took her a while to adjust to the speed of Division 1 play.
“The biggest thing for me last year was getting used to the speed of the game,” Richards said. “Hockey has always been fast, but at the Division 1 level everyone is just as fast as you or faster. Now that I am completely used to the speed I feel I am more of a threat on the ice and creating a lot more offense than I have in the past with the Black Bears.”
Richards has developed a love for the sport instilled in her by her father, someone she has always looked up to.
“My dad is a huge influence and inspiration to everything I do, on and off the ice,” she said. “He keeps me on my toes every day making sure I finish my career with no regrets and tons of success.”
Another inspiration for Richards over the years has been friend Stephanie Anderson, who plays for Bemidji State University in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Richards based her play on Anderson’s, and used her as a mentor to reach her own successes.
“She took me under her wing when we were both younger and I did everything she did on and off the ice because I wanted to play and be just like her,” Richards said. “Not only did I benefit from doing everything she did, but she was always on me to perform my very best — nothing less than that, because she knew what I wanted to accomplish with my hockey career. She continues to inspire me every day with her personal success in the WCHA.”
Richards takes this inspiration into the last leg of the season, and into the future, where she expects success to come for her and her teammates.
“The team will only get better,” she said. “We have a very young program with eight freshmen, eight sophomores, five juniors and four seniors. I believe this program will take huge steps in the upcoming years, especially after watching the progress of just one season.”