The University of Maine men’s ice hockey team was home at the Alfond Sports Arena this past weekend against the Providence College Friars. The Black Bears won Friday night and lost in overtime on Saturday.

The starting lineup for the Black Bears Friday night was second-year Thomas Freel, fourth-year Lynden Breen, fourth-year Donavan Villeneuve-Houle, third-year David Breazeale, second-year Grayson Arnott, and the starting goalie for the Black Bears was first-year Albin Boija.

In the first period, the Black Bears had a slower start to the period but did not let the Friars take any leads. With about ten minutes left in the first period, first-year Liam Lesakowski was called for hooking. The Friars struggled to get any shots on the net. 

Third-year Harrison Scott had a huge opportunity for a goal. However, he met the glove of second-year Phillip Svedbäck. First-year Josh Nadeau had a great shot on the net. With under two minutes left in the first, third-year Guillaume Richard took a penalty for tripping. The period ended with 11 shots on the net for the Black Bears and seven for the Friars. 

In the second period, under a minute in, Arnott took a penalty for holding. The penalty was killed, and the Friars had no dice. Continuing, Jamie Engelbert was called for boarding, and Maine ended up challenging the call for a major, but the challenge was denied. A minute into the penalty kill, Josh Nadeau scored on the power play, assisted by Bradly Nadeau and fifth-year Ben Poisson.  

With 13 minutes left in the period, Arnott was back in the box for holding. During this penalty kill, the Friars had some shot opportunities but met Boija’s glove. 

Friars challenged a play for a potential face mask hit, but the challenge was denied.

With ten minutes left in the period, first-year Anthony Calafiore scored his first college goal, assisted by Arnott and Poisson. 

Two minutes later, the Friars finally got on the board, with a goal scored by fifth-year Luke Krys, assisted by fifth-year Craig Needham and second-year Liam Valente.  

The Friars ended up on a breakaway, Arnott lifted the Friars’ stick and Boija made a huge save, keeping the Friars from scoring. Boija had several vital saves throughout the game, keeping the Black Bears ahead.  

In the third period, the Black Bears came onto the ice charging. 

With huge opportunities from both teams, Boija and Svedbäck were ready for every shot on the net. 

With 13 minutes left in the game, Josh Nadeau drew a penalty for hooking and the penalty was killed again. With three minutes left in the game, Luke Krys drew a penalty for high sticking. 

The final score of the Friday night game was 2-1, with UMaine securing the win. 

On Saturday, Feb.10, the Friars and the Black Bears met again at the Alfond Arena.  

The starting line for the Black Bears was Poisson, first-year Sully Scholle, Breazeale, Arnott, and Boija were in the net once again. 

The first period started off rough, with both teams throwing big hits. Five minutes into the period, Brandon Holt drew a penalty for tripping. The penalty was killed off, with neither team scoring any goals. Villeneuve-Houle was significant in protecting the net and finding a few scoring opportunities but could not get past Svedbäck.

With eight minutes into the period, Providence forward Graham Gamache drew a tripping penalty but it was killed off. Neither team had any luck getting past the goalies.

11 minutes into the period, Black Bear forward Harrison Scott drew a penalty for slashing, but again, the penalty was killed off.

18 minutes into the period, Friars drew their first penalty of the game, Riley Duran, for interference. Black Bears used the power play to their advantage and Josh Nadeau scored, assisted by Bradly Nadeau and Poisson. The period ended 1-0 with Maine in the lead.

Going into the second period, third-year Nolan Renwick was in the box for high sticking, putting Maine at a disadvantage starting the period. 

Once the penalty was killed off, Clint Levens drew a penalty for kneeing. The Black Bears had several opportunities to score but could not get past Svedbäck. 

Five minutes into the second, Friar Jamie Engelbert tied up the game despite Boija’s multiple efforts.

 About 11 minutes into the game, Holt drew a penalty for holding. 

30 seconds later, Gamache drew a penalty for interference, making the game 4-on-4 and battling it out for a few seconds before Maine gained the advantage. 

At 18 minutes, Levens took a penalty for closing his hand around the puck. A minute into the power play, Poisson scored his fourth goal of the season, assisted by Josh and Bradly Nadeau, ending the period 2-1 Maine. 

Less than a minute into the third period, Scholle takes a tripping penalty. 

The Black Bears found more opportunities to score on the penalty kill than the Friars on the power play. 

About eight minutes into the period, Brandon Chabrier took a penalty for interference. Gamache used the power play and scored again, assisted by Hudson Malinokski, tying the game 2-2.

At 10:37, in the final period, Providence player Taige Harding took a penalty for high sticking, putting the Black Bears on the power play. Chabrier scored his sixth goal of the season, assisted by Scott and Bradly Nadeau. 

Fifteen minutes into the third period, Friars tied the game with a goal scored by Malinoski, assisted by Richard and Duran. Breen took a penalty for holding. 

The game went into overtime.

Richard scored quickly in overtime, securing the win for the Friars.  

The Black Bears will be on the road next weekend, taking on the 17th nationally ranked rival, the University of New Hampshire Wildcats.

The University of Maine Women’s Hockey team took on the Merrimack women’s hockey team on Friday, Feb. 3, at 6 p.m. The Black Bears fell short 3-2 in overtime against the Merrimack College Warriors. 

The starting lineup from the Black Bears was fourth-year Rahel Enzler, fifth-year Ann-Frederique Guay, fifth-year Ida Kuoppala, third-year Jamie Grinder, third-year Alyssa Wruble and fourth-year Jorden Mattison in the net.

In the first period, the Black Bears were on the attack against the Warriors, staying strong on the offensive. The Warriors scored first with about eleven minutes left in the first period. The goal was scored by second-year Sophie Mckiney, assisted by third-year Haley Chang. 

Shortly after the Warrior’s goal, a penalty was given to the Warriors. Fourth-year Natalie Nemes takes a major penalty for contact to the head. Nemes also got called for a misconduct on the play, leaving the game after the incident. The Black Bears used the power play to their advantage. Third-year Adriana Van De Leest scored her second goal of the season, assisted by Ida Kuoppala and Rahel Enzler. By the end of period 1-1, the Black Bears took control. 

In the second period, the Black Bears came out strong. Black Bears’ first-year Reagan Wurm was given a penalty for interference. The Warriors were unsuccessful in using the power play. The Black Bears’ penalty kills and saves from their goaltender, Jorden Mattison, kept the Black Bears in the game.  

With just under seven minutes left in the second period, Wurm scored her fourth goal. She was assisted by fourth-year Kennedy Little and second-year Ava Stevenson. The Black Bears ended the second period with a penalty to kill Ann-Frederique Guay with a hooking penalty. The Warriors’ power play unit was strong but fell short, ending periods 2-1.

The Warriors came out stronger than the Black Bears in the third period, Adrianna Van De Leest took a penalty for roughing. Warrior forward fifth-year Mary Edmonds took advantage of the power play and scored, tying the game. Fifth-year Celine Tedenby and Haley Chang assisted with the goal. Black Bear first-year Bria Holm was penalized for body checking; a second later, Warrior’s fifth-year Teghan Inglais got a penalty. 

Later in the period, the Black Bears got it together, putting shots on the Warrior’s net. Goaltender Jorden Mattison kept the Black Bears in the game, making saves throughout the third period and letting only one goal in. Since the Warriors tied the game, it went into overtime.

The Black Bears started the three-on-three play pretty strongly. However, Merrimack goal scorer Teghan Inglais got the game-winner past Mattison. Second-year Payten Evans assisted the goal. The Black Bears outshot the Warriors 34 to 24 but ultimately ended in a 3-2 loss for the UMaine

The Black Bears look to close out the weekend against Merrimack at home before heading to Boston University next Friday and Northeastern next Saturday. 

The University of Maine Men’s and Women’s swim and dive teams dove into their home pool on Jan. 27 against the Providence Friars.  

The event started with the women’s 200-yard medley relay. With four units from The Black Bears and three from the Friars. With a time of 1:49:49. The Black Bears unit, which consists of third-year Madison Edwards, fifth-year Kayla Loughman, second-year Isabelle Irani, and fifth-year Kennady Kilger took the win. 

Shortly after the Lady Black Bears won, the Men’s 200 Yardley relay was next. The men’s unit of third-year Cameron Watelet, first-year Nick Partridge, second-year Calvin Comeau, and third-year Finn Devers was close in second with a time of 1:34:32, just four seconds behind the Friars.  

The Friars dominated event number three, the 1000-yard freestyle, with fourth-year Rebecca Thompson coming in fourth for the black bears. Followed by the men, Kaden Kilger came in second with a time of 10:00.40. Friars once again dominated the 200-yard freestyle for both men and women. 

Edwards secured the win with a time of 1:00.56 in the 100-yard backstroke. Third-year Marlee Canale had a second-place win for the Black Bears, with a time of 1:01.56. Fourth-year Liam Hood secured a second in the 100-yard backstroke for the Black Bears. 

Loughman came on top for the 100-yard Breaststroke at 1:05.88. fourth-year Aubrey St.Pierre secures the third-place spot for the Black Bears. For the men’s 100-yard Breastroke, Partridge won for the Black Bears with a time of 58.51. Second-year Nate Teerlink and fourth-year Matt Kwan with points for the Black Bears. 

The lady Black Bears dominated the 200 Butterfly, with Mia Poirer coming in first with a time of 2:11.99 and Irani coming in second with a time of 2:13.02. The friars took the top three spots; Comeau took fourth for the event with a time of 2:01.11 for the men.

In the women’s 50-yard freestyle, Kennady Kilger secured first with a time of 24.85, and teammate Hannah Deighan took third with 25.07. Watelet came in 2nd for the Black Bears in the men’s 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.18.

Kennady Kilger and Hannah Deighan secured second and third for the Black Bears in the women’s 100-yard freestyle. For the men, Devers and second-year Julian Lapietra took second and third. 

Canale and Edwards came in second and third in the 200 backstroke, while Hood took second for the men. 

Loughman and first-year Eva Welsh take first and second for the Black Bears in the 200 Breaststroke. Partridge takes third for the men with a time of 2:12.27. 

Fourth-year Ainslie Boswell and second-year Carmen Braden take second and third for the women’s 500 freestyle. In the Men’s 500 Freestyle, Kaden Kilger came in first at 4:46.20.

In the 100-yard butterfly, Irani took third at 1:00.41, earning points for the Black Bears; Watelet came in first for the men at 51:18.

In the first event for diving, Black Bears Ashley LeClaire, Haylie Calver, Maddie Ruppert, and Lauren Deighan took the top four for women’s one-meter diving. In Men’s, fifth-year Riley Clark and second-year DJ Mulligan secured first and second place for the Black Bears, respectively.

In the three-meter diving, LeClaire, Ruppert, Calver and first-year Katherine Dwyer took the top four spots. Clark and Mulligan took first and second in the men’s. 

In the 200-yard IM, Welsh and fourth-year Lindsey Mathews took second and third, and Ian Mallari took second for the men. 

The Black Bears had four units, while the Friars had two for the Women’s 200-yard Freestyle. The Unit with Loughman, Kennedy Kilger, Mia Porier and Hannah Deighan won with a time of 1:38.11

For the final event, the men’s 200 freestyle, the Black Bears had five units, and the Friars had two. The Friars dominated the event. Maine had a unit come in second, Watelet, Devers, fourth-year Max Ginsburg and Kaden Kilger, with a time of 1:24.51.

The women’s team had a strong showing, with a final score of 166 to 133, securing the win. Meanwhile, the men fell 164 to 124. 

Both teams will travel to Lexington, Virginia, for the America East championships on Feb.14 

The University of Maine Men’s and Women’s swim and dive teams dove into their home pool on Jan. 27 against the Providence Friars.  

The event started with the women’s 200-yard medley relay. With four units from The Black Bears and three from the Friars. With a time of 1:49:49. The Black Bears unit, which consists of third-year Madison Edwards, fifth-year Kayla Loughman, second-year Isabelle Irani, and fifth-year Kennady Kilger took the win. 

Shortly after the Lady Black Bears won, the Men’s 200 Yardley relay was next. The men’s unit of third-year Cameron Watelet, first-year Nick Partridge, second-year Calvin Comeau, and third-year Finn Devers was close in second with a time of 1:34:32, just four seconds behind the Friars.  

The Friars dominated event number three, the 1000-yard freestyle, with fourth-year Rebecca Thompson coming in fourth for the black bears. Followed by the men, Kaden Kilger came in second with a time of 10:00.40. Friars once again dominated the 200-yard freestyle for both men and women. 

Edwards secured the win with a time of 1:00.56 in the 100-yard backstroke. Third-year Marlee Canale had a second-place win for the Black Bears, with a time of 1:01.56. Fourth-year Liam Hood secured a second in the 100-yard backstroke for the Black Bears. 

Loughman came on top for the 100-yard Breaststroke at 1:05.88. fourth-year Aubrey St.Pierre secures the third-place spot for the Black Bears. For the men’s 100-yard Breastroke, Partridge won for the Black Bears with a time of 58.51. Second-year Nate Teerlink and fourth-year Matt Kwan with points for the Black Bears. 

The lady Black Bears dominated the 200 Butterfly, with Mia Poirer coming in first with a time of 2:11.99 and Irani coming in second with a time of 2:13.02. The friars took the top three spots; Comeau took fourth for the event with a time of 2:01.11 for the men.

In the women’s 50-yard freestyle, Kennady Kilger secured first with a time of 24.85, and teammate Hannah Deighan took third with 25.07. Watelet came in 2nd for the Black Bears in the men’s 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.18.

Kennady Kilger and Hannah Deighan secured second and third for the Black Bears in the women’s 100-yard freestyle. For the men, Devers and second-year Julian Lapietra took second and third. 

Canale and Edwards came in second and third in the 200 backstroke, while Hood took second for the men. 

Loughman and first-year Eva Welsh take first and second for the Black Bears in the 200 Breaststroke. Partridge takes third for the men with a time of 2:12.27. 

Fourth-year Ainslie Boswell and second-year Carmen Braden take second and third for the women’s 500 freestyle. In the Men’s 500 Freestyle, Kaden Kilger came in first at 4:46.20.

In the 100-yard butterfly, Irani took third at 1:00.41, earning points for the Black Bears; Watelet came in first for the men at 51:18.

In the first event for diving, Black Bears Ashley LeClaire, Haylie Calver, Maddie Ruppert, and Lauren Deighan took the top four for women’s one-meter diving. In Men’s, fifth-year Riley Clark and second-year DJ Mulligan secured first and second place for the Black Bears, respectively.

In the three-meter diving, LeClaire, Ruppert, Calver and first-year Katherine Dwyer took the top four spots. Clark and Mulligan took first and second in the men’s. 

In the 200-yard IM, Welsh and fourth-year Lindsey Mathews took second and third, and Ian Mallari took second for the men. 

The Black Bears had four units, while the Friars had two for the Women’s 200-yard Freestyle. The Unit with Loughman, Kennedy Kilger, Mia Porier and Hannah Deighan won with a time of 1:38.11

For the final event, the men’s 200 freestyle, the Black Bears had five units, and the Friars had two. The Friars dominated the event. Maine had a unit come in second, Watelet, Devers, fourth-year Max Ginsburg and Kaden Kilger, with a time of 1:24.51.

The women’s team had a strong showing, with a final score of 166 to 133, securing the win. Meanwhile, the men fell 164 to 124. 

Both teams will travel to Lexington, Virginia, for the America East championships on Feb.14 

On Friday, Nov.10, and Saturday, Nov.11, the no. 13 University of Maine Men’s Ice hockey team hosted the no. 1 nationally ranked team, the Boston College Eagles. Despite Boston College’s ranking, they won 4-2 on night one but fell short in a 3-2 shootout loss on Saturday night.

On Friday, Nov.10, The starting lineup for the Black Bears night one was second-year Thomas Freel, Scott, fourth-year Donavan Villeneuve-Houle, third-year David Breazeale, second-year Luke Antonacci with fourth-year Victor Ostman in the net.

In the first period, The Black Bears took control of the puck — the Eagles not far behind. Eagles goalie first-year Jacob Fowler made considerable saves to keep the Black Bears from scoring. Victor Ostman also had a huge save, keeping the Black Bears in the game. The Eagles had more possession of the puck this period, but the Black Bears kept the Eagles from taking the lead. The period ended scoreless.

In the second period, the Black Bears were at full strength. Three-year Captain Lynden Breen scored four minutes into the period, assisted by first-year Bradley Nadeau and first-year Josh Nadeau, giving the Black Bears a lead. A minute later, Fifth-year Jack Malone scored, assisted by first-year Gabe Perrault and second-year Cutter Gauthier, to put the Eagles on the board, making the game tied. 

In the third period, Villeneuve-Houle scored one minute into the period, assisted by fifth-year Ben Poisson and third-year Harrison Scott. A minute later, Bradley Nadeau scored, assisted by Breen and Josh Nadeau, giving the Black Bears a 3-1 lead.  

11 minutes into the period, first-year Ryan Leonard scored, assisted by Gabe Perrault and first-year Will Smith. The Eagles stayed on the defensive. The effort was not enough for the Eagles. Two minutes left in the game, second-year Grayson Arnott scored an empty netter, securing the win 4-2 and the upset night one of the weekend series.

On Saturday, Nov.11, the Black Bears took on the Eagles once more, wrapping up the regular season series. The Boston College Eagles won 3-2 in a shootout against the Black Bears.

The starting lineup for the Black Bears was Bradly Nadeau, Breen, Josh Nadeau, second-year Brandon Holt, second-year Brandon Chabrier and Victor Ostman in the net.

In the first period, the Black Bears and Eagles were aggressive and kept each other on the edge. Eagles player first-year Aram Minnetian took a penalty for roughing.  With 1 minute remaining, second-year Felix Trudeau scores, assisted by second-year Reid Pabich and second-year Nicholas Niemo, putting Maine up 1-0. 

At the start of the second period, the Eagles take a penalty for interference, leaving the Black Bears on a power play. Eagles player Gabe Perrault, assisted by Ryan Leonard, scored with 17 minutes left to play. Both teams were strong for most of the period. 

Josh Nadeau took a penalty for high sticking. A few seconds later, Luke Antonacci took a penalty for Hooking, making the game a 5 on 3. The Eagles did not score when they had the advantage. Ostman continued making huge saves, keeping the Eagles from scoring. Maine went on the powerplay with 6 minutes left in the period. With 1 minute left in the period, Maine took another penalty. The period ended with the game tied at 1. 

Heading into the third period, both teams were on the offensive. Eagles player second-year Oskar Jellvik took a penalty for tripping with 15 minutes left. With 7 minutes remaining in the game, Josh Nadeau scored, assisted by Thomas Freel and Lynden Breen, to get the game 2-1. Three minutes later, Eagles player Ryan Leonard, assisted by Will Smith and Gabe Perrault, tied and forced the game into overtime.

In overtime, Black Bears took a penalty for too many men on the ice, giving the Eagles an advantage for 2 minutes. The Black Bears were pushing the Eagles, with a few opportunities for a goal. The first overtime resulted in no team scoring, having the game go into a shootout.

For Maine, the shooters were Josh Nadeau, Bradly Nadeau, Breen, Niemo, Villeneuve-Houle, Poisson, first-year forward Sully Scholle and Trudeau.

For Boston, the shooters were Oskar Jellvik, fourth-year Eamon Powell, Cutter Gauthier, Gabe Perrault, Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, second-year Andre Gasseau and second-year Lukas Gustafsson. 

Josh Nadeau and  Niemo got past the Eagles goalie. Jellvik and Perrault got past Ostman.  Gustafsson scored the last goal to secure the overtime win for the Eagles.

The Black Bears will be on the road to take on the Boston University Terriers next Friday and Saturday. They will return to the Alfond on Dec.1 against rivals, the University of New Hampshire Wildcats.

On Thursday, Nov. 2, the University of Maine women’s soccer team took on the University of Vermont Catamounts in the semi-finals of the America East Championship. The Black Bears won 2-1, moving on to the finals. For the first time since 2010 and the sixth time in program history, the Black Bears are heading to the finals. 

The Black Bears have had a fantastic season and have only lost one game. The last time Maine had a season this successful was in 2005. The Black Bears had a first-round pass after finishing second in the conference. The only game the Black Bears lost was against the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The Black Bears will be taking on the Riverhawks in the championship game. 

The starting line for the Black Bears was made up of second-year Rebecca Grisdale, fifth-year Dorieann Fahey, third-year Emma Schinder, first-year Luise Reinwald, third-year Kristina Kelly, third-year Lara Kirkby, fourth-year Kayla Kraemer, third-year Abby Kraemer, second-year Julie Lossius, third-year Maya Schinder and in net for the Black Bears was fifth-year Kira Kutzinski. 

The Black Bears had a strong showing and had possession of the ball for the majority of the first half. The Black Bears struck the first goal, scored by Kraemer, who Kirkby and Kelly assisted in the 10th minute of the first half. The Black Bears knew how to control the game playing on the offense, and the defense was ready for when the play came towards them. The Black Bears remained on top for the rest of the first half, leaving the Catamounts scoreless. 

The Black Bears kept together, and with 37 minutes left in the second half, Catamount player second-year Lauren DeGroot unassisted to tie the game. The Catamounts were more aggressive this half, but the Black Bears know how to keep up with the game. The Catamounts had more control for most of the second half. The game was about to go into overtime, but with 22 seconds left, Kraemer scored her second goal of the playoffs.

Kraemer led the Black Bears the whole season and was named the America East Striker of the Year. She scored her 13th goal in the season, setting the most goals scored in a season since 2018 in America East. Kraemer led the conference in points, points per game, goals, shots, and shots on goal. She’s also on a career-high with six game-winning goals of the year. She has also set career bests in goals, assists and points.

Catamount goalie fifth-year Erin Murphy had five saves, while Black Bear goalie Kutzinski had four saves. Vermont ended the game with six shots on net while the Black Bears had seven. Each team finished with one offside. The Catamounts had nine fouls, and the Black Bears had eight fouls. 

The Black Bears will face UMass Lowell this Sunday, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m. for the championship at the Mahaney Diamond at UMaine.

The University of Maine Women’s Hockey team took on the Boston University women’s hockey team on Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. The Black Bears fell short to the Terriers 4-3, but they fought to the end. 

It was the Black Bears’ second home game of the season. The starting lineup for the Black Bears’ was fifth-year Ida Kuoppala, fourth-year Rahel Enzler, fifth-year Anne-Frederique Guay, first-year Sophia Johnson, fourth-year Elise Morphy and first-year Julia Bachetti in the net. 

In the first period, UMaine looked strong. The Black Bears held possession of the puck for the first part of the period. The Terriers scored, making the game 1-0 heading into the second period. The goal was scored with four minutes left in the period thanks to fourth-year Andi Caldone, assisted by Lacey Martin. Julia Bachetti made some big saves throughout the period. The period ended with The Terriers having 14 shots on net and no penalties, while the Black Bears had four shots on net and two penalties. 

In the second period, the Terriers had a power play to start the period. For most of the period, the amount of possession was balanced. Maine scored with 12 minutes left in the period. The goal was scored by second-year forward Alyssa Wruble, unassisted.

The Terriers responded with a goal with 8 minutes left in the period. The goal was by fourth-year Lacey Martin, assisted by third-year Maggie Hanzel. A minute later, the Terriers scored another goal, a goal scored by Terriers second-year Sydney Hailey, assisted by fourth-year Catherine Foulem. 

A minute later, the Black Bears’ leading goal scorer, Kuoppala, was on a breakaway and scored, making the score 3-2. The goal was assisted by Anne-Frederique Guay. The period ended with the Terriers having 31 shots on net while the Black Bears had 11. Maine had the only two penalties in the period. It was a stronger period for the Black Bears, and they had the most possession. 

In the third period, the Black Bears looked to tie the game up. The Black Bears scored a power-play goal. The goal scored by Kuoppala tying the game. Kuoppala has nine goals on the season. The goal was scored with 16 minutes left in the game. Maine fought most of the period until the Terriers got a power play with eight minutes left. The Terriers’ goal was scored by second-year Clara Yuhn, assisted by fifth-year Nadia Mattivi and fifth-year Tamara Giaquinto. This was Yuhn’s first goal of the season. 

The Terriers ended with one penalty for interference, while the Black Bears had two penalties, one for too many skaters and the other for slashing. Overall, the period was dominated by the Black Bears, with many shots on the net, but they could not get past the Terriers’ goaltender.

The Black Bears hit the road for the next few games to continue conference play. The Black Bears will head to Boston to take on the Boston College Eagles next weekend. The puck will drop at 2 p.m. next Friday in Boston.

The University of Maine Women’s Ice Hockey team took on the University of New Hampshire on Oct. 13. The Black Bears fell short 3-2 against their rival Wildcats. This was Maine’s first game of the Hockey East Conference this season.

It was the home opener for the Women’s team at the Alfond Arena, with a strong showing from the Black Bears. The starting line for the Black Bears was fourth-year forward Rahel Enzler, fifth-year forward Ann-Frederique Guay and fifth-year forward Ida Kuoppala. On defense, first-year Sophia Johnson, fourth-year Elise Morphy and fourth-year Jorden Mattison were in the net. 

The Black Bears were strong on offense and defense in the first period against the Wildcats. The Black Bears put pressure on the Wildcat offense and defense throughout the period. With 10 minutes left in the first period, Wildcat forward fourth-year Chavonne Tutter scored, giving New Hampshire the lead. Goal assisted by graduate student Tamara Thierus and fourth-year Brianna Legros. 

The Black Bears matched the strength and speed of the Wildcats. With five minutes remaining in the first period, Danika Botterill scored for the Wildcats on a power play. Third-year Shea Verrier assisted the goal. Giving the Wildcats a two-goal lead. The period consisted of three power plays for the Wildcats and one for the Black Bears. Maine recorded 15 shots on net, while New Hampshire had eight shots on net for the period. 

Heading into the second period, the Black Bears tried to keep strength and put pressure on the Wildcats goalie with more shots on the net, but none got in. The Wildcats made the game a three-goal lead with three minutes left in the second period. The goal was scored by fifth-year defenseman Rae Breton, assisted by fifth-year Mikah Baptiste. 

The period was very physical for both teams, with the Wildcats trying to keep the lead while the Black Bears were pushing for a goal. Maine had three power plays in the period, while the Wildcats had one power play. Once again, Maine outshot the Wildcats in the period, putting 13 shots on the net, while the Wildcats had seven shots on the net. 

During the third period, the Black Bears rallied, and Kuoppala scored her 50th career goal, assisted by Enzler. Kuoppala has already scored five goals this season and leads the Black Bears so far this season. Mattison saved 19 of the 22 shots on net. Wildcat first-year goalie Blair Sedona saved 36 shots on the net. 

Giving the Black Bears a 3-1 game, with 18 seconds left, first-year forward Haley Ryan made it a one-goal game. This was Ryan’s second goal of the season; first-year defenseman Ashley Kokavec and Kuoppala assisted the goal. This was not enough to defeat UNH, though, as they lost 3-2. 

Both teams had one power play. UMaine had 10 shots on net this period, while the Wildcats had 7 seven. The majority of the penalties were roughing for both teams. 

The Black Bears will be back in action on Friday, Oct. 20, and Saturday, Oct. 21, in Providence against the Providence College Friars. The next game at the Alfond for the Women’s team is Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. against Boston University. 

The Boston Bruins kicked off the preseason this past Saturday, Sept. 23. After making a run for the cup and exiting in the first round, the Bruins look to be in a place that means the postseason might not be possible. There is some hope with the return of Bruins legend Milan Lucic and new faces to the team that might contribute to this year’s lineup. 

Lucic spent eight seasons with the Bruins and was a part of the 2011 Stanley Cup championship team. He remains one of three players on the team still active in the NHL. In 2015, the team traded Lucic to the Kings. From the Kings, Lucic went to the Oilers after one season with the Kings. From there, Lucic went on to play for the Flames. Lucic has always considered Boston home, and he is more than welcome back to the Bruins.

In free agency, the Bruins signed Morgan Geekie, a 25-year-old from Canada. Geekie comes to Boston after two seasons with the Seattle Kraken. With 142 points, 16 goals, and 34 assists with the Kraken, Geekie will add to the Bruins’s defensive forwards and is expected to do well in Boston. Geekie made his NHL debut with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2019. 

 For now, the goalie tandem continues. Former Black Bear Jeremy Swayman re-signed with the Bruins this past summer after going through arbitration. Swayman is signed on a one-year contract to stay with the Bruins. The goalie hugs will continue for at least the 2023-2024 season. After this season, the Bruins could be in a very different place. 

Sticking with the goaltending, Brandon Bussi had a great showing in the first preseason game this past Saturday. Bussi is an upcoming goalie and has spent the past three seasons with the Providence Bruins. Prior to playing in Providence, Bussi played college hockey at Western Michigan for three seasons.  After Bussi’s showing at the first preseason game, Bussi could potentially make the roster in Boston. 

After 19 seasons with the Boston Bruins, Captain Patrice Bergeron retired. Bergeron passed the torch to Brad Marchand, making him the 27th captain of the Bruins. Charlie McCavoy and David Pasternak will be the assistant captains for the upcoming season. David Krecji retired this past summer from the NHL. Krecji was one of the last 2011 Stanley Cup champions remaining in the NHL. He heads back to play in the Czech Republic. 

As it’s only preseason, the Bruins have a lot to work on and a lot of fresh talent. During last night’s game, the Bruins lost 4-3 against the Flyers in a shootout. David Pastrnak scored two goals and Danton Heinen scored the third goal. 

Heinen returns to Boston after playing for the Penguins the past two seasons. Heinen had 142 game points, 26 goals and 29 assists with the Penguins. The Bruins signed Heinen from free agency this past summer. 

 More preseason action continues on Monday, Oct. 2, in Philadelphia at 7 p.m.

The Professional Women’s Hockey League officially kicked off Jan. 2024 for its inaugural season. This is the first PWHL to unite Women’s Hockey.  The Inaugural draft took place on Sept. 18, 2023. 90 players were drafted into six different teams in 15 rounds. The season will be a 24 regular game season. The teams have not been named yet, past their locations. The original six for the new league include Minnesota, Toronto, Boston, Montreal, New York and Ottawa.

Before the draft, the league had free agency for 10 days, and each team could pick three players. Sarah Nurse will play for Toronto, Hilary Knight is signed with Boston, and Marie-Phillip Poulin will play for Montreal. These three were the most watched in free agency and arguably are the most known Women’s Professional players. 

The draft’s first pick was Taylor Heise, only 23 years old and having just left the University of Minnesota. Coming off of 30 goals this past season, Heise had 172 points, 96 goals, and 129 assists throughout her time with the Gophers. Heise will be staying in her home state and playing for PWHL Minnesota. Heise was anticipating to be the first-round pick when the draft was announced, and everyone else announced in the draft would go down in history as the first draft of the PWHL. 

Among the 90 players in round seven, pick number 42, Tereza Vanišová was drafted. Vanišová played here at the University of Maine, and in her four seasons at Maine, Vanišová had 157 points, scored 63 goals, and 66 assists. Leaving UMaine, Vanišová headed to the Boston Pride for two seasons in the Professional Hockey Federation (PHF) and a third season with the Toronto Six. She was signed for a second season with the Toronto Six when the PHF was bought to build the PWHL. Vanišová will be playing for Montreal this upcoming season. 

The process of the league coming together has been a bit messy, as the players were notified that the PHF was being bought when the media found out. People and players alike have been upset, but at the end of the day, the goal of this new league is to expand the game and unite professional women’s hockey in North America. Players like Nurse, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and many others are very excited about the league. They also wonder why it took years to make a move toward a new league. After the draft, teams will be signing 28 players to trim their team down to 23 by the season’s start.  Training camps will be held in No. There are currently 168 spots still open for the league. There’s always new information about the league coming out almost every day.  It’s truly a time to tune into Women’s Hockey.