The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team faced off against the Northeastern University Huskies, in a two-game Hockey East series at Alfond Arena. The Huskies took game one by a score of 5-2, but the Black Bears bounced back to win game two 4-2. These games were crucial for the WHEA standings, as Maine held off Northeastern to keep their third place rank.

Unanswered Goals Power Huskies

Game one was not short of scoring, as the final score would end up being 5-2 in favor of Northeastern. But Maine began the scoring late in the first period when third-year defenseman Kelsey MacSorley’s one timer from the point evaded traffic and beat Huskies goaltender Chloe Desjardins. Fourth-year forward Hailey Browne began the play by winning a battle on the boards and getting the puck to MacSorley who did the rest. Second-year forward Emilie Brigham was also awarded an assist on the play. For MacSorley, it was her fifth goal of the season.

Maine went into the second period with a 1-0 lead and at 8:10, the Black Bears would add to their lead. Once again, it would be the top line that would put the puck in the net. This time More would get the tally, her sixth of the season, cashing in on a rebound after a quick shot by Browne. Both Brigham and Browne were awarded assists on the play, as Maine went up 2-0.

Maine third-year goaltender Meghann Treacy was solid for the remainder of the second period, stopping 22 shots during the second frame. The Black Bears took their 2-0 lead into the second intermission, but after the start of the third, it was all Huskies.

The Huskies ended Treacy’s shutout bid seven minutes into the third period to begin their stretch of five unanswered goals. First-year forward Denisa Krizova put the puck past Treacy for her seventh goals of the season, cutting the Maine lead to one goal. Second-year forward Hayley Masters tied the game up halfway through the third after a scramble in front of the Maine net. Just 10 seconds later, Northeastern would get the game winner off a faceoff won by Masters to second-year forward Melissa Maganey, who beat Treacy high to give NU a 3-2 lead. They would not look back, Krizova getting her second of the game and Masters getting the empty netter for the fifth goal.

Both teams could not score on the power play, with Maine going 0 for 2 and NU going 0 for 4. Desjardins was stellar in net for the Huskies, stopping 40 of 42 shots on goal to earn her sixth win of the season. Treacy played well, stopping 37 of 42, but the third period was her undoing, allowing four goals on 14 shots.

Maine Bounces Back

Game two was a different story for the Black Bears. Maine got off to a quick start in the first when More scored her second goal of the series, her tenth of the season, after leaving the penalty box. More was called for tripping just 4:24 into the game, but Maine was able to kill the penalty. As More left the box, Browne cleared the puck out of the Maine zone and found More on the breakaway. After a few moves, she beat Desjardins on the backhand to give Maine a 1-0 lead.

“I raced out of the box and my lineman [Browne] passed it up and I got it on the breakaway,” More said on her first period goal. “From there, I just put it in the net.”

Both teams got their chances early in the second period. Maine would eventually add to their lead at 11:09 of the second. Maine brought the puck into the offensive zone, when Brigham threw the puck on net from the right dot. The puck made it through the crease and found MacSorley who was crashing the net. She put the puck past Desjardins, who was out of position, for her sixth goal of the season.

Maine would also score on the power play in the second period. Huskies forward Chelsiea Goll got called for tripping and the Black Bears made quick work of the Northeastern defense. After receiving the puck at the blue line, second-year defenseman Kristin Gilmour passed the puck to a waiting first-year forward Brooke Stacey in the right circle who fired a low wrist shot that beat Desjardins left side low.

NU would get one back with just three minutes remaining in the period, when a pass across the slot found Krizova in the crease, who tapped it passed Treacy to cut the Maine lead to two. Maine however, would the a 3-1 lead into the second intermission.

There was plenty of action late in the third. NU pulled Desjardins in favor of the extra attacker with three minutes to play, but the Black Bears were able to get the puck up to More who put the puck into the empty net to give Maine a 4-1 lead. The Huskies were not done, and scored just 24 seconds later on the power play to make the score 4-2, which proved to be the final.

“We controlled their emotions for today’s game, and that was big for the win,” Treacy said following Sunday’s game. “They could have easily taken the game from us if we got nervous… but we just drove and went at it.”

At the final horn, after facing a barrage of shots late in the game, Treacy stopped 40 of 42. Desjardins stopped 21 of 25 while taking the loss. Both teams scored one power play goal on three chances.

“As a staff we were proud they were able to finish the game and played they way they did in the first two periods in the third period as well,” Reichenbach said.

After the weekend, Maine is 9-12-3 (8-4-1 WHEA) and holds onto the no. 3 rank in Hockey East. Northeastern will end the weekend 7-13-4 (6-8-1 WHEA) and currently sit in the no. 4 sport in the standings. The Black Bears will take to the ice next weekend to play a series with rival University of New Hampshire on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at the Whittemore Center. Puck drops for both games at 2 p.m.

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.

The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team defeated the Providence College Friars 2-0 Sunday in an official Hockey East conference game. With the win, the Black Bears gain valuable points in conference to help hold their current ranking in the standings.

Both teams battled to a scoreless first period, each team getting their chances early but both defenses and goaltenders held their ground. The Black Bears got nine shots on the Friars goaltender Allie Morse in the first. Oppositely, the Friars took seven shots on goal, but Maine goaltender Meghann Treacy kept the puck out of the net. The Friars defenseman Lexi Romanchuk did hit the post on the power play, but the rebound was cleared before any other damage was done. Providence did have a power play opportunity at 17:56 in the first, when Maine forward Brooke Stacey went to the box for tripping, but the Friars were unable to convert.

The scoring began in the second period, when Hailey Browne broke the deadlock at 8:34 of the second. After Maine broke the puck out of their defensive zone, Emilie Brigham passed the puck across the slot to Browne who poked the the puck into the open net. Brooklyn Langlois was also credited with an assist on the play. For Browne, it was her fifth goal of the season.

The third period was very much like the first, with scoring chances few and far between. Despite late offensive pressure by Providence, Maine was able to get the empty net goal with just 24 seconds remaining in the game. Kelsey MacSorley was able to steal the puck in the neutral zone, and had a clear shot on the open net to give the Black Bears a 2-0 lead.

Maine led by a narrow margin in shots on goal, outshooting Providence by one, 30-29. Special teams play proved to be a factor as well, Maine going 0 for 1, and the Friars went 0 or 3 with the man advantage. Maine’s penalty kill was key in the beginning of the third period when Victoria Hummel got called for tripping seven minutes into the period.

Goaltending also shined bright for Maine as Treacy made 30 saves en route to her seventh victory of the season. The shutout was also her second shutout of the season. Her counterpart, Morse, made 27 saves in the loss.

After the weekend, Maine got a much needed conference victory, improving their record to 8-11-3 (7-4-1 WHEA). Maine is currently four points ahead of Northeastern for the third spot in the Hockey East standings with 15 points. Providence falls to 5-15-4 (4-7-1 WHEA), and sit in fifth with nine points.

Maine will take to the ice again on Jan. 24 and 25 against Northeastern with a top three rank in the Hockey East standings on the line. Northeastern currently sits in the fourth position with 11 points. The last time these two teams met was on Nov. 1 at Matthews Arena in Boston, where the Black Bears won a close game 1-0. Puck drops at 4 p.m. for both games.

The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team battled to a split in their home series against the Providence College Friars. Maine won game one on Saturday 3-2 before losing the finale on Sunday 2-1 in overtime.

Special teams powers Maine’s win

The Black Bears wasted no time scoring in game one of their series with Providence, scoring just 48 seconds into the opening frame on the power play. Maine had a clean breakout and forwards Jillian Langtry and Audra Richards passed the puck through the neutral zone to Hailey Browne who took a shot from the right circle that beat Friars third year goaltender Allie Morse glove side to give the Black Bears a 1-0 lead.

Maine would score again 5 minutes into the second period, when fourth-year captain Jennifer More received tapped home a rebound in the crease. First-year forward Brooke Stacey and second-year forward Emilie Brigham worked a give and go behind the net to create the initial shot, and More swooped in from the slot to bury the rebound.

“The first half of the game we played really well,” More said on her team’s performance. “We got a lot of shots on goal. We had a little lapse in the second, but we came back strong in the 3rd and came away with the win.”

More also said that getting rebounds, like the one she scored on, was something they worked on during their two week break from play, in addition to the power play.

Maine would falter a bit in the second, allowing the Friars to get on the board. After a slap shot from Providence’s Victoria Virtue was stopped by Maine goaltender Meghann Treacy, the puck was eventually passed across the crease to a waiting Beth Hanrahan, whose shot beat Treacy to cut Maine’s lead in half with 5 minutes remaining in the second.

Maine would take the 2-1 lead into the second intermission, but would expand the lead once again on the power play. After Friars defenseman Kendra Goodrich was called for hooking at 7:54 of the third, Lexi Romanchuk was called for tripping just over a minute later. This gave the Black Bears a five-on-three advantage, and More would cash in for her second goal of the game. After a shot by Richards was saved by Morse, More was able to corral the rebound and beat Morse stick side low to give Maine the 3-1 lead.

“Our power play worked really well. We’ve struggled with our power play heading into this game but we practiced it, and I think we really used that to our advantage,” More said on Maine’s special teams effort.

Down by two, Providence pulled Morse for the extra attacker for just under a minute, and broke through on a shot from the slot by Haley Frade that evaded a few bodies in front of the net and beat Treacy five hole. But that was all the Friars would get as Maine hung on to win 3-2.

Maine outshot the Friars 38-31 in the game, and both goaltenders played well to keep their teams in the game. The real difference was the power play. Providence came into this game with the second highest penalty minutes per game, and after the weekend, leads Hockey East with the most penalty minutes per game with 9.6. Maine went 2-8 on the power play, while the Providence went 0-2. Maine Coach Richard Reichenbach worked with the team on the power play during the break and noticed the offensive improvement.

“The way we’re going to create offense is exactly what we did today, getting pucks to the net and getting rebounds. […] It’s a really a grind-it-out and find the back of the net style. It was displayed and it worked for us today,” Reichenbach said.

Friars steal a win in overtime

Game two was a much lower scoring affair, with each team getting their chances early and both Morse and Treacy kept the puck out of the net. After a stalemate first period, Providence began to dominate play. Despite being outshot by Maine 25-17 in the game,  it would be the Friars who would score first at 12:33 of the third.

After a pass from the point from Romanchuk went down low behind the net, the puck was collected by Friars forward Brooke Simpson and passed quickly to Hanrahan who deflected the puck past the stick of Treacy to give Providence the late 1-0 lead.

This did not deter the Black Bears, who battled back and answered with a goal of their own with only 4:23 to play in regulation. After a shot by defenseman Kelsey MacSorley was stopped by Morse, the puck slid towards the left post Maine forward Jillian Langtry poked the puck through the crease past the diving Morse. Morgan Sakundiak received the pass and scored on the open net to tie the score 1-1. The game would get a bit physical towards the end of the game, but the score remained tied.

The first 3 minutes of overtime were graced with end to end action and scoring chances for both teams, until Goodrich was called for interference with 1:25 left on the clock. Maine would get a few chances on the power play, but the Providence defense held up. After a clear by the Friars, the puck was turned over behind the Maine net, and Providence forward Allison Micheletti passed the puck to a wide open Hanrahan in the slot who beat Treacy high for the game winner with 17 seconds left. For Hanrahan, it was her second goal of the game.

“We played a solid 120 minutes [of hockey],” said Providence head coach Bob Deraney. “We withstood a lot of pressure by Maine and we played with a lot of composure and the one thing is we weren’t afraid of the adversity, and we weren’t afraid to step up.”

The Friars defiantly stepped up, working hard for their second win of the season, only taking four penalties in the process. Despite the loss, Maine still felt good about their performance.

“Overall, we played really well as a team,” Sakundiak said after the game. “We played strong defensively and when we got offensive chances we took them. […] We’ve got a big weekend at [Vermont] next weekend, so we just need to build off of how we played this weekend.”

“I thought we played strong, and we had a sold weekend,” Treacy said on the series. “Obviously I’m not happy about the two goals today, but I think I played solid through the weekend.”

Coach Reichenbach also commented on the disappointing finish for Maine.

“Our effort was there, we held them to under 20 shots so defensively we were up to par this weekend. […] I think offensively our execution wasn’t where it needed to be. […] It’s just looking for that 120 minutes of consistent play with and without the puck.”

After the weekend, Maine sits at 5-8-2 (4-2-1 WHEA) and hold the fourth place rank in the conference, just one point behind Boston University and Northeastern, who are tied for second. Providence is now 2-11-3 (2-4-1 WHEA) and is in fifth place. Maine will travel to Vermont for a Hockey East conference series over Thanksgiving weekend and then will come home to the Alfond to face Boston College on Dec. 5.

The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team has had their share of ups and downs this season, but the one constant has been their brilliant netminder, Meghann Treacy. Treacy, a redshirt third-year goaltender from Lake Peekskill, New York, has led the Black Bears to a 4-7-2 (3-1-1 WHEA) record this season. While that might not seem impressive, the team’s record does not tell the whole story.

Treacy began playing hockey throughout New England and New York since theage of six and made the decision to play goalie after she scored her first goal of her young hockey career.

“When I scored my first goal while I was playing [defense] I told [my mom] everything that the goalie did wrong. I guess it came naturally to me,” Treacy said

After that, she became a talented goalie and two-year captain at Williston Northampton School in Massachusetts and was named the New England Prep School All-Star in hockey. After committing to UMaine, she slowly began to enter play and earned a starting role in the 2013-14 season appearing in 27 games.

This season, Treacy has been very impressive. She has posted a record of 3-6-1 in 10 games. She has a 2.88 goals against average with a .931 save percentage. Despite the losing record, she has played in some very close games. There have been seven one-goal games, including two ties. Treacy says she does not care about the stats, only stopping pucks.

“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.

This Black Bear team has not only been strong against Hockey East opponents, going 3-1-1 versus conference opponents (Treacy is 2-1-1 in WHEA games), but the team is very close this year due to that success.

“We all do our thing outside of hockey, but once we’re [at the Alfond], once we’re lifting, once we’re in the locker room we all talk to each other, and try to help each other out,” Treacy said on the team dynamic, “we’re really close this year, and I think that has a lot to do with the success we’ve been having this year.”

That success has brought confidence, and Treacy said that the team has confidence in their playing abilities as well as their ability to win games against rivals and tough opponents. Maine beat rival New Hampshire in their season opener, as well as beating Boston University at home and Northeastern University on the road. Treacy and the Black Bears also take pride in playing close games with some of the best teams in women’s hockey. Maine has played tough teams like Quinnipiac, Mercyhurst and Robert Morris University well over the course of the season.

Maine carried this winning mentality over from the end of the 2013-14 season, where they finished the season winning four of their last seven games and then playing a gritty playoff game in Vermont, that ended in triple overtime.

“I think the way we ended [last season] showed us that we could play with any team in the conference,” Treacy said.

Looking ahead to the rest of Maine’s schedule, 14 of their remaining 17 games will be in conference. That does not change the Black Bear’s game plan according to Treacy.

“We’re looking for that consistency,” Treacy said on the team’s end goals for the season. “Obviously at the end of the season we want a home ice playoff game. We’re looking to give all that we have and won every game, but we’re looking for the consistency no matter what the outcome.”

Maine will travel to Vermont to face the Catamounts in Gutterson Field House on Nov. 29 and 30, before returning home to face Boston College on Dec. 5.

The University of Maine men’s ice hockey team dropped their only game of the weekend at home to the No. 3 Boston University Terriers 3-1. After an emotional pre-game ceremony honoring the 1999 National Championship team, the Black Bears were unable to get the victory.

Before the puck even touched the ice, 13 players and two coaches were honored on the ice in front of a packed Alfond Arena. Grant Standbrook was honored along with the late Shawn Walsh. These men helped shape the ’99 team that “refused to lose.” The current players all shook the hands of the championship team that were present after the ceremony.

As for the game, Maine would get on board first, just 1:13 into the first period. After a defensive stand, Maine looked to break out. Third-year defenseman Ben Hutton passed the puck to Steven Swavely, who was a part of a three-on-one rush. Swavely dished the puck to fourth-year forward Connor Leen, who took a shot on Terriers goaltender Matt O’Connor. O’Connor made the initial save, but Leen collected the rebound and backhanded it top shelf to give the Black Bears an early 1-0 lead.

BU would hit the crossbar on a shot in the first, but it was not until 8:48 of the second period when a power-play goal by third-year forward Ahti Oksanen tied the game at one. After a tripping penalty to Malcolm Hayes gave BU a man advantage, the Terriers worked quickly on the power play. Fourth-year forward Evan Rodrigues received a pass from third-year forward Danny O’Regan from behind the net and faked a shot that got Maine goaltender Sean Romeo to commit to the shot. O’Regan then passed the puck across the slot to a wide open Oksanen who put the puck into the open net.

The Terriers would strike again in the second period, this time for a short-handed goal on the penalty kill. First-year sensation Jack Eichel stole the puck and put a move on the defender to open up a lane. Eichel then carried the puck into the Maine zone, and made a quick pass to O’Regan who had joined the rush. O’Regan’s shot hit the sliding Romeo, but the puck hopped over Romeo’s body and into the net, giving BU a 2-1 lead with only 24 seconds remaining in the second period.

“I didn’t want to cheat and give Eichel a shot,” Romeo said on the O’Regan goal, “I knew he was going to pass … so I read [the play] and got over there, but it hit me and went over me.”

“Special teams were the difference tonight,” Terriers head coach David Quinn said. “This is not an easy place to play in, so to come up here and get two points. We’re really proud of our guys.”

Quinn also commented on the playmaking ability of Eichel, who had a goal and an assist in the game.

“Jack has that ability. He can change speeds and he has a lot of deception in his game,” Quinn said.

The third period was dominated by Maine. Maine launched 11 shots on goal to BU’s four, including a Blaine Byron shot that hit the crossbar from deep in the slot. Many of the shots were taken at point blank range, and O’Connor came up big for the Terriers. The Black Bears even had two power plays in the third and were able to generate three good scoring chances, but the Terriers’ defense kept them off the board. Maine would finish the game 0-3 on the power play, while BU went 1-4.

Maine would eventually pull Romeo in favor of the extra attacker, but Eichel would cash in on the empty net goal to put the game out of reach at 19:23 of the third period. Both teams had 28 shots on goal, but solid goaltending gave BU the edge.

“[O’Connor] made some key saves,” Quinn said on his goalie’s performance, “We all know to have a successful hockey team you need to have a good goalie. He made some timely saves.”

Despite the solid performance by O’Connor, Maine head coach Red Gendron was not pleased with the outcome of the game. When asked if he was happy with Maine’s performance in the first, a disgruntled Gendron replied, “No because we didn’t win.”

Despite scoring the only Maine goal, Leen knew that his team needed to be better before they can compete with top tier teams like BU.

“I feel like we got a little deflated and we started letting the game come to us, instead of attacking it,” Leen said on the second period, “We’ve got to compete harder. They brought the game to us, and we were on our heels a lot.”

But Gendron assured that Maine would not let this loss impede their progress as a team.

“Tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. we will practice. And we will endeavor to make ourselves better, and we’ll practice again on Sunday to make ourselves better. We will continue to march forward.”

After the game, Maine falls to 3-7-1 (2-3-0 Hockey East), while BU improves to 7-1-1 (4-1-0 Hockey East). Maine will hit the road for one of the tougher stretches of the season, lacing up against BU on Nov. 21 and then against Boston College on Nov. 22. Maine return to the Alfond on Nov. 28 and 29 for a series against the University of Vermont.

The University of Maine women’s hockey team traveled to Brown University over the weekend, where they were swept by the Brown Bears. Maine dropped a 5-2 decision on the Friday night game before falling in Saturday’s contest 5-3.

Game One might look like a blowout game, but the contest was much closer than the score might indicate. Brown began the scoring just 16 seconds into the first period, when fourth-year forward Sarah Robinson found fellow fourth-year Kaitlyn Keon in the neutral zone. Keon skated the puck around the defense and beat Black Bear goalkeeper Meghann Treacy on the stick side to give Brown a 1-0 lead.

The Brown Bears would make the lead 2-0 when they scored a power play goal halfway through the first period. After a hooking call against third-year defenseman Brooklyn Langlois, the Brown Bears established an offensive presence and cashed in on the man advantage. After feeding the puck to the point from behind the net, the puck was passed to fourth-year defenseman Laura Vella, whose shot from the point was wide of the net, but then was deflected past Treacy off of a skate in front of the net.

Maine would respond off of a rebound in front of the Brown net. Fourth-year defenseman Brittney Huneke took a shot from the point that was stopped by Brown Bears goalie Monica Elvin in traffic. But Elvin could not corral the rebound, which was passed across the crease by third-year forward Audra Richards. The pass found third-year forward Abby Cook who buried the puck in the practically open net to cut the lead to 2-1.

The Black Bears got the equalizer on the penalty kill, when second-year forward Emilie Brigham received a stretch pass from fourth-year defenseman Jessica Hall. Brigham took a few strides before firing a wrist shot over the stick-side shoulder of Elvin to tie the game at two.

Brown would get the go ahead goal at 14:45 of the second period, when Robinson found second-year forward Erin Conway in the offensive zone who took a shot from the right dot that beat Treacy glove side. Brown would add another just 3:39 into the third to put the game out of reach, when a shot by third-year defenseman Hunter Davis was stopped by Treacy, but a loose rebound was tucked into the net by Keon for her second goal of the game. The Brown Bears would also add an empty net goal in the final minute.

While the Black Bears outshot the Brown Bears 32-27, Elvin played a solid game to keep Maine off the scoreboard. Elvin made 30 saves while Treacy stopped 22 of the 26 shots she faced. Treacy was recently named the Hockey east goaltender of the month for October. Maine went 0-4 on the power play while Brown went 1-2.

The Black Bears played well early Saturday, though a late rally from Brown felled UMaine.

UMaine had a blazing start as they opened up the scoring at the 25-second mark when third year forward Audra Richards buried the puck into the back of the net, beating first-year goalkeeper Julianne Landry.

The Black Bears scored again less than 2 minutes later when second-year forward Emilie Brigham scored off of an assist from second-year forward Morgan Sakundiak, giving the Black Bears a 2-0 lead. Sakundiak recorded a goal of her own at the 6:59 mark off of a power play, propelling UMaine to a 3-0 lead. The first period scoring ended with a goal from fourth-year forward Sarah Robson, drawing to Brown within two.

The second period belonged to Brown, scoring two goals to UMaine’s zero. Fourth-year forward Kaitlyn Keon began the scoring at the 5:10 mark, beating second-year goalkeeper Mariah Fujimagari, making it a 3-2 game. Just 4 minutes later, Keon netted her second goal of the period to give Brown a 2-0 lead.

Brown pulled away from the Black Bears in the third period, which was started at the 1:28 mark when first year forward Sam Donovan put the puck in the net, giving Brown their first lead of the game at 4-3. With just nine seconds left in the game, the Black Bears pulled Fujimagari to try and tie the game, however Sarah Robson had other plans. Robson sealed the deal with an empty net goal at the 19:51 mark to give Brown the 5-3 win.

With the second win against the Black Bears on the weekend, Brown improved to 3-4-0 on the season, while the loss dropped UMaine to 4-7-2.

The University of Maine Black Bears next hit the ice on Nov. 22 as they host Providence for a two-game series, the second taking place on Nov. 23.

The University of Maine women’s hockey team was able to split their weekend series with the No. six Boston University Terriers. Maine dropped the series opener of Friday afternoon, getting shutout 3-0, but was able to win the Saturday game by the score of 4-2.

Black Bears shut out by Terriers

Game one may have seemed one sided on the scoreboard, but the game was much closer than it would appear. The two teams battled through a scoreless first period, despite 19 combined shots on goal.

The Terriers got on the board first just 28 seconds into the second period, when a shot by third-year forward Sarah Lefort was stopped by Maine goaltender Meghann Treacy, but the rebound went right to fourth-year forward and two-time Canadian Olympian Marie-Philip Poulin who put the puck in the net. For Poulin, it was her fifth goal of the season.

BU would score again at 12:54 of the second period when a shot by third-year defenseman Lillian Ribeirinha-Braga was tipped past Treacy by first-year forward Victoria Bach to give the Terriers a 2-0 lead.

These types of goals are scored when a team shoots the puck often, and the Terriers did, getting some nice rebound opportunities throughout the game.

“We got a couple of lucky bounces,” BU head coach Brian Durocher said, “we had a little misfire and [Poulin] was able to get the puck and scored and we had the other one go in off a stomach or something. That was timely for us.”

Maine put the pressure on the Terriers in the third, dominating play, but BU was able to score the lone goal of the period to put the game on ice. Lefort was able to carry the puck into the offensive zone and fire a wrist shot over the glove side shoulder of Treacy to make the game 3-0 Terriers.

“What happened today, we just have to put that in the back of our minds and focus on the positives,” Treacy said. “We dominated the third period… we had good puck decisions and we worked hard.”

Both goalies worked hard for both teams, as Treacy collected 27 saves for the Black Bears and BU second-year goaltender Victoria Hanson finished the game with 20 saves. Both teams were 0-3 on the power play, and the Black Bears had the final three power play opportunities, including one in the third period.

“This was one of those games where I don’t think the coaches were in control,” Durocher said on Friday’s game, “Both teams were playing hard.”

Both teams did play hard, and Maine Coach Richard Reichenbach was impressed by his team’s play.

“Despite the loss, I think we took a huge step forward because we really made smart decisions with the puck,” Reichenbach said on the strong performance Friday, “We battled and we competed and we pushed two of the final frozen four teams from the last three years right to the brink.”

Black Bears bounce back

Maine picked up right where they left off on Saturday’s game, battling to a 4-2 victory. Once again, BU started the scoring when first-year forward Rebecca Leslie found third-year forward Rebecca Russo who beat Treacy to give the Terriers a 1-0 advantage.

Maine would answer in the second period on the power play, and after cycling in the offensive zone, second-year forward Morgan Sakundiak found third-year defenseman Kelsey MacSorley at the point who fired a slap shot through traffic and beat BU’s first-year netminder Erin O’Neil to tie the game at one. Maine has been 0-25 on the power play before MacSorley’s goal. The Black Bears went 1-2 on the power play in game two, and the Terriers went 0-3.

“We set it up on the power play, and it was a nice pass from Morgan Sakundiak to the point and I saw a lane to the net. I took the shot and it went top corner,” MacSorley said on her goal.

There would be no scoring until a little over halfway through the third period, but the goals came easily for the Black Bears, who scored three goals in seven minutes. The first of these three goals was the go-ahead goal by second-year forward Emilie Brigham. Brigham and Sakundiak were on an odd man rush, and Brigham elected to shoot, and beat O’Neil up high to give Maine the lead.

Third-year forward Audra Richards then followed up with what proved to be the game-winner at 13:17 of the third, dragging the puck around the crease after a scramble in front of the net and burying it for the goal. Fourth-years Brittney Huneke and Hailey Browne assisted on the goal.

“The puck got shot and it got stuck in between my legs so I toe-pulled it and did my normal move to to the backhand and got it over the goalie’s pad,” Richards said on her goal.

Richards would score again on an empty netter with less than a minute to play to make the game 4-1 in favor of Maine. BU would add another goal however, when fourth-year forward Sarah Bayersdorfer put the puck past Treacy off a faceoff with two seconds to play in the game.

BU outshot Maine 43-30 in a very offensively charged game, and each goalie was tested once again. Treacy made 41 saves for the Black Bears and O’Neil was able to stop 26 shots.

“I was going off my teammates and built my confidence…everything was working for our team,” Treacy said.

“We know we can compete with these top-level teams…now that we know we can do it let’s actually win and push for that victory instead of playing to survive. There was definitely a mentality switch halfway through the second period,” Reichenbach said on the significance of beating a top ten ranked opponent.

After the weekend, Maine is 3-5-1 (2-1-0 WHEA) and currently leads the Hockey East conference play by two points. BU sits at 4-2-0 (1-1-0 WHEA) and is currently tied for second in Hockey East after Maine hands them their first conference loss of the season.

Maine will hit the road for two conference games on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 against the University of Connecticut and Northeastern University, respectively. The Black Bears will then head to Brown University for a two game series before heading back home to the Alfond for a series with Providence College on Nov. 22 and 23.

The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team took to the ice for its first game of the 2014-2015 season, beating rival University of New Hampshire 2-1 at home. UMaine improves to 1-0-0 (1-0-0 Hockey East), while UNH falls to 0-1-0 (0-1-0 Hockey East) on the young season.

UNH got off to a quick start, dominating the first 5 minutes of play. Maine eventually was able to slow the momentum with their speed and aggressive forechecking, beating defenders to the puck and winning battles along the boards.

Despite this effort by Maine, UNH scored first at 3:39 in the first period. Third-year forward Haley Breedlove took a shot from the left circle that was stopped by Maine goalie Meghann Treacy, but Treacy was unable to control the rebound, and the puck was chipped into net by third-year forward Margo Lund for the 1-0 lead.

Maine was able to counter less than 10 minutes later when first-year forward Brooke Stacey carried the puck into the offensive zone and dropped it off for fourth-year forward Hailey Browne. Browne skated to the top of the left circle before uncorking a wrist shot the beat UNH goalie Vilma Vaattovaara top shelf to tie the score at 1-1.

“My linemate, Brooke Stacey, she was taking it in along the boards, and she dropped it back to me,” Browne said on her first goal of the season. “I shot through the defenseman and the screen and it went top corner.” For Stacey, the assist was her first collegiate point.

Maine continued to be aggressive offensively, putting pressure on the UNH defense. The Black Bears would take the lead in the second period, when third-year defenseman Kelsey MacSorley skated the puck into the offensive zone from center ice, went to the backhand, and beat Vaattovaara five-hole to give the Black Bears the 2-1 lead.

“I got the puck at center ice and I took it wide, beat the [defense] and put the puck on net,”MacSorley said on her game winning goal. “We’ve been practicing putting the puck on net and that’s what I did.”

Maine almost scored late in the third period, when a shot by second-year defenseman Kristin Gilmour was tipped in front of the net by first-year forward Victoria Hummel, who was screening the goalie. The shot trickled towards the far post, but was cleared by the UNH defense.

Both teams were not afraid to put the puck on net, Maine taking 37 shots and UNH taking 26. Both goaltenders played well, Meghann Treacy was the foundation for Maine’s offense, making 25 saves.

“I just went shot by shot, and just took things one shot at a time,” said Treacy on her performance on Saturday.

“I was thinking about the team, about their attitude, how positive they were,” Treacy said. “I was really jacked up about the team. I felt like we had the game in our hands.”

Maine did have the game in their hands, and Treacy’s performance was a large part of that. She made 12 saves in the second period alone, as well as five big stops in the first period during a UNH power play. Maine was able to kill off both penalties during the game. Treacy also commented on the penalty kill for Maine, and the adjustments that were made.

“Early on there were a few glitches,” Treacy said. “There was a screen and I talked to my [defense], and they cleared it for me and I got to see every puck. Everyone was calm.”

Despite being the losing goaltender, Vilma Vaattovaara made 35 saves in a solid performance for UNH.

Maine played a strong and fast game, highlighted by a solid forecheck and impressive play by the younger members of the squad. Maine used its speed to beat opponents to the puck, as well as some creative passing plays to develop scoring opportunities. If this game is a sign of things to come for the Black Bears women’s hockey team, this could be a very promising season.

The Black Bears will return to the Alfond on Oct. 3 and 4 for a weekend series against Robert Morris University.

The University of Maine women’s soccer team tied the Binghamton Bearcats 0-0 after two overtimes in the third game of their four-game road trip. Maine is now 4-6-2 (0-0-1 America East) and Binghamton is 4-6-1 (0-0-1 America East) after the conference opener.

The Black Bears played a tough game against Binghamton Sunday, a game in which scoring chances did not come easily. Maine had just four shots overall, and only two of them were on net. The Bearcats took a total of 16 shots on Maine keeper Claudia Dube-Trempe, only four were on target. Dube-Trempe was able to keep those four out of the net, recording four saves.

Dube-Trempe improves to 2-2-2 on the season for Maine, and has recorded three shutouts. Binghamton used two keepers during the course of the match: fourth-year goalkeeper Gaby Gold played the first half for the Bearcats, and first-year keeper Katie Hatziyianis played the final half and both overtime periods. She will be the goalkeeper of record, and she is now 3-2-1 on the season.

Maine struggled with fouls, collecting six on the day including one yellow card in the second half to third-year back Joanie L’Abbe. Maine also played a significant portion of the game in their own end, and conceded nine corners to Binghamton. Luckily for the Black Bears, the Bearcats were not able to figure out Maine’s back line, going offsides 11 times during the game. Despite a barrage of shots and lack of possession, the Black Bear defense was able to hold on.

The veteran players led the way offensively for Maine, as fourth-year forward Jordan Pellerin and fourth-year midfielder Camille Varin-Tremblay each recorded a shot on goal for the Black Bears.

Maine will be on the field again on Oct. 2 for another America East conference matchup against Stony Brook to complete their road trip. That game could be similar to the game against Binghamton, as the Seawolves are struggling lately nursing a 3-6-0 record. But, Stony Brook was the 2013 America East regular season champions, and have not lost at home yet this year.

The Black Bears will return home to Alumni Field on Oct. 5th for a matchup against New Hampshire upon completion of their road swing.