Over three quarters of the hockey season has passed, and the University of Maine women’s ice hockey team is sitting pretty in the standings. After playing 25 games out of the 32 game regular season, the Black Bears have battled to a 9-12-3 record (8-4-1 WHEA). Maine has only seven games remaining, all of which are in conference, making them crucial for the end of the season tournament.
To put this in perspective, at this point in time last year, the Black Bears were 3-18-5 (1-11-3 WHEA), and did not win a game in the 2013-14 season until Dec. 6 versus Brown. But the good news for Maine was that they finished strong, winning four of their last seven games in conference.
This season, Maine currently sits in third place in the WHEA standings, only behind Hockey East powerhouses Boston University and Boston College. The Black Bears have been helped by stellar goaltending and defense they have played up to this point in the season.
Currently, Maine sits in second in Hockey East in terms of goals allowed, only allowing 2.48 goals per game. Maine has also allowed the second fewest goals in WHEA, only letting 57 shots hit the back of the net. Much of this success is owed to redshirt third-year goaltender Meghann Treacy. Treacy, who won WHEA Goaltender for the Month earlier this season, has logged over 1,200 minutes in goal this season. But Treacy is not concerned with awards or stats, just keeping the puck out of the back of the net.
“I never think about [goaltending] like I’m the last man back, I just think about someone coming down and thinking about the shot… I’m never really thinking, “If I mess up, we’re down a goal… but when I do come up with that big save, it’s great to come through for my team,” Treacy said on her mentality while between the pipes.
“She is able to play a very good game with the way our team plays in front of [Treacy],” Coach Richard Reichenbach said on the team’s defensive play, “The last two games, except for the third period yesterday, our team did a great job of playing team defense in front of her.”
Maine has also played a very disciplined brand of hockey, only taking 6.6 minutes of penalties per game on average. That is the best in the WHEA. While Maine is defensively minded and has been successful in their own end, their offense has struggles to put the puck in the net. Maine ranks tied for last in goals scored with 38, scoring only about 1.65 goals per game. Even though they might not score a lot, the goals they do score make a difference. Maine has played in 11 one goal games, posting a 5-3-3 record.
“I feel like we are a team that can beat anyone and I feel like we’re a team that can lose to anyone if we do not play our game,” Reichenbach said, reflecting on the season. “I try not to have too many expectations on where we will be in that standings because there are too many variables with the other teams.”
Despite the records and the statistics, this team has focused on being a cohesive unit on and off the ice, and many players credit their togetherness as the reason they have been so successful this season.
“I think we’ve put ourselves in a really good spot,” fourth-year captain Jennifer More said, “I think we are improving every day, and we’re taking one step forward and that’s huge for us. Not only a step forward in our play but in our team. Everything is coming together now.”
As for the remainder of the season, Reichenbach is confident that the Black Bears can compete with any team that they will face, whether in the regular season, or in the playoffs.
“I think we can play very well in Hockey East and if we play together, we’ve shown that we can play with anyone,” Reichenback said.
Maine will look to continue their success on the road against rival New Hampshire next weekend, with more conference points on the line. This will be the first game between these two teams since they met for the first game of the season in September, when Maine got a 2-1 win at the Alfond. These games will be played at the Whittemore Center on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. Puck Drop will be at 2 p.m. for both games.