On Tuesday, March 17, third-year men’s ice hockey goalie Jeremy Swayman officially signed with the Boston Bruins, just one day after he was named the 68th recipient of the Walter Brown Award. The award is presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England. The last Maine player to win this award was forward Mike McHugh in 1988. McHugh scored 29 goals while collecting 37 assists in 44 games during his career. 

Swayman was selected 111th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 2017 NHL draft after playing a season for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL before he began his college career with the Black Bears. In his first year at Maine, Swayman averaged 2.72 goals against, while saving 92% of shots, boasting a record of 15-13-3. Red Gendron, the team’s head coach, was still in the process of building up his team’s chemistry and refining their play, looking to get Maine back to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2012 in the coming seasons. 

In his second season, Swayman saw a slight drop in his goals-against average, dipping to 2.78, but maintained his same save percentage of 92% while boasting a record of 15-17-4 in the net, starting every game for Maine. The Black Bears finished sixth in the conference, performing well against teams in their division but falling eventually to a strong Northeastern University team in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs. 

This season, Swayman’s last with the Black Bears, he took a major step forward in his play, recording a strong goals-against average of 2.07, saving 94% of shots taken on him, all while locking down Maine’s back end en route to an 18-11-4 record. His improved level of play saw him receiving recognition throughout the NCAA, as Swayman was ranked in the top 15 for his goals-against average out of 71 goalies around the league. Swayman was ranked second in the Hockey East for goals-against average after facing a total of 1099 shots on goal, only 71 of which he let by. Swayman was a huge part of Maine’s success this season, giving them an opportunity to play in the Hockey East quarterfinals against Connecticut before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak pandemic. 

Maine will return next season without several key players who are graduating this year, including Swayman and six other fourth-year players, forwards Ryan Smith, Mitchell Fossier, Samuel Rennaker, Tim Doherty and Patrick Shea, as well as goalie Stephen Mundinger. Shea was selected 192nd overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2015 NHL draft, and will likely sign with the Panthers’ minor league affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, based out of Massachusetts. Shea looks to join 2019 graduate Brady Keeper, who signed with the Thunderbirds after going undrafted upon finishing his collegiate career. 

After having one of the best seasons in the past decade, the Black Bears will look to pull in some top recruits this spring. Maine currently has third-year defenseman J.D. Greenway, selected 72nd overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016, anchoring the team, in addition to first-year goaltender Matthew Thiessen. Thiessen looks to fill the massive skates left by Swayman’s departure, though there’s no question about his potential as he’s already been drafted in the 2018 draft by the Vancouver Canucks. Though Maine is seeing a plethora of talent depart, they are retaining their staff and will aim to continue developing younger players to similar heights.

On Friday, March 6, the No. 15 University of Maine men’s ice hockey team hosted the Providence College Friars for senior night in front of a sold-out Alfond Arena. Before the game, Maine honored the six seniors that have been with the program for four years: goalie Stephen Mundinger, forward Patrick Shea, forward Tim Doherty, forward Samuel Rennaker, forward and captain Mitchell Fossier, and forward Ryan Smith.

From the first puck drop, the entire arena could feel the intensity between the two Hockey East opponents on the ice, and they duked it out throughout the first period of action. The Friars took 18 shots on third-year goalie Jeremy Swayman in the opening period of the game, and like a true stalwart, he stopped every single one. Maine took seven shots in the opening period but could not find the back of the net against Providence’s fifth-year goaltender Michael Lackey. 

The contest, though scoreless through the first 20 minutes of action, was heated and filled with fast action from both teams. The Black Bears’ penalty kill was perfect throughout the first two periods, killing both penalties called against them. Though they were given opportunities of their own against a short-handed Friars squad, they were unable to generate any cheap goals against Lackey. 

In the third period, Maine turned up the pressure, feeding off the growing energy of the home crowd. Doherty, heading deep into the Friars’ zone with third-year defenseman JD Greenway and Fossier, cranked a wrist shot at Lackey that was blocked, but the rebound was scooped up and fed out to Doherty, who found Fossier for the open look on a sliding Lackey. Burying the puck from the opposite slot on an easy shot, Fossier scored the contest’s lone goal. 

Swayman had another legendary night, making 48 saves and collecting his third shutout of the season, while Maine only took 24 shots on goal against Lackey. Though the Black Bears’ offense wasn’t firing on all cylinders the entire night, Swayman’s excellence kept them in a position to win throughout the contest. The Black Bears finished the regular season with an overall record of 18-11-5 and a record of 12-9-3 in Hockey East matchups.

The Black Bears winning this game, combined with the University of Connecticut losing to both UMass Amherst and UMass Lowell, Maine has moved into the fourth seed within the Hockey East and secured home ice to host UConn for a first-round home playoff series. 

Maine will take on UConn next Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 13-15, in a best of three series. Maine is 1-2-0 against the Huskies this season, beating them 1-0 in overtime then losing to them 3-2 in each of the other two games. Boston College will be the No. 1 seed in the tournament followed by UMass Amherst in second and UMass Lowell in third. The University of New Hampshire finished in the ninth spot and will be watching the playoffs from home.

On Friday, Feb. 8, the University of Maine women’s ice hockey team skated to a 2-2 tie with the Providence College Friars. 

The first period started off quickly, with both teams making drives into the opposing zone with little success. Both teams took a combined 25 shots in the first period before one finally found its mark. The Black Bears went into the Friars’ zone on a three-on-two rush, with the puck ending up on second-year forward Liga Miljone’s stick and she did the rest from there, besting second-year goaltender Sandra Abstreiter for the tally, her ninth of the season. 

The Friars came soaring back into the Black Bears’ zone following the score, ripping off three shots and forcing two faceoffs in Maine’s zone, both of which they won. With less than two minutes left to play, fourth-year defender Avery Fransoo collected a deflected shot on goal from Miljone, taking off down the ice with the advantage to set up first-year forward Isabelle Hardy for the tying goal over fourth-year goaltender Carly Jackson’s stick-side shoulder. 

With under 30 seconds left in the first period, Friars fourth-year forward Neve Van Pelt scored her sixth goal of the season and gave the Friars a 2-1 lead going into the first intermission. Maine leveled the game at 2-2 with just under four minutes left in the opening frame. Second-year forward Celine Tedenby scored her tenth goal of the season on a backhanded shot from the front of the goal, while Miljone and first-year defender Ella MacLean picked up the assists on the play. Maine had 18 shots on goal through the first two periods of play. 

In the third period, neither team could find the back of the net, forcing an extra period, where intense defensive play and stellar performances from both goaltenders led to a tie. The Friars outshot the Black Bears in the overtime frame, 3-1. Jackson put on a clinic in the goal with a 33-save performance in the tie. 

In the second game of the weekend series, the Black Bears picked up a 2-1 win.

The first period was tightly fought, as Maine scored one goal and held the lead into the first intermission. Third-year defender Taylor Leech scored the goal, as she collected the rebound off of a shot by fourth-year forward Tereza Vanisova, putting Maine up just six minutes into the game. Neither side could find the back of the cage in the second period, though Providence had two power-play opportunities to score on compared to Maine’s zero. 

With seven minutes left in the second period, Leech was called for tripping against Fransoo, giving Fransoo a one-on-one opportunity against Jackson for the penalty goal. Maine’s stalwart stayed calm and stood her ground, blocking the shot and preserving the Black Bears’ slim lead.

In the third period, the Black Bears added an insurance goal just seven minutes in, as second-year forward Ali Beltz sniped a shot into the bottom left corner of the net from the right faceoff circle. The Friars finally found their first goal of the game late in the third period. 

As the period went on, the Black Bears held their lead and won 2-1 over the Friars. Jackson finished with 43 saves on 44 shots while Maine only took 20 shots on goal. Maine’s record is now 12-12-7 and 8-10-6 in Hockey East play. 

Maine will return home for their final regular-season match at Alfond Arena to take on the Boston College Eagles on Friday, Feb. 14 and Saturday, Feb. 15. Both games will begin at 2 p.m.

The University of Maine men’s ice hockey team has been on a dominant run over the past two weeks, sweeping the then No. 4 Boston College Eagles and the Merrimack College Warriors in separate back-to-back weekend series. The Black Bears kept that streak going in their lone contest against the No. 12 Northeastern Huskies, defeating their divisional foe 4-2. 

The Black Bears took to the ice for the first period with hot sticks, cranking out 10 shots in just as many minutes against Huskies’ fifth-year southpaw goaltender Craig Pantano. However, the Huskies tender held his own long enough for Maine to accrue a penalty. First-year Adrien Bisson, picking up a streaking Northeastern forward, went for a stab at the puck, but ended up tripping up his opponent, sending him to the sin bin for a two-minute minor. With the power play on their side, and the Black Bears not overwhelming their defensive zone, the Huskies went on the attack and a deflected shot off of third-year goaltender Jeremy Swayman’s pads was tapped in by third-year forward Zach Solow, giving Northeastern the early advantage.

With both teams back at full strength on the ice following the score, Maine held the puck in the Northeastern zone for a few minutes, cranking out a multitude of shots once more, but impressive play from Pantano kept the Black Bears scoreless heading into the first intermission. 

Tearing back onto the ice for the middle frame, both teams played some very undisciplined hockey, with Northeastern accruing two staggered interference penalties and Maine’s second-year defenseman Simon Butala getting two minutes for a holding penalty. After Butala finished his time in the box, Maine found themselves on a power-play of their own and did not waste time leveling the score. Fourth-year forward Patrick Shea found the puck in front of the net from a feed off the stick of first-year defenceman Levi Kleiboer and beat Pantano glove side on the sliding tally. 

With the additional score, the Black Bears continued to lay on the offensive pressure, forcing 14 shots on goal to just four shots on goal for Northeastern. As pristine as Pantano had been, eventually the constant offensive assault got one past him when

second-year forward Jacob Schmidt-Svjestrup tore past the Northeastern blue line and found a streaking second-year forward Adam Dawe uncovered on the opposite side for the easy clapper. 

Butala got himself into the penalty box once more for Maine, getting called for interference a minute before the second intermission, putting the Black Bears a man down to start the third period. However, they held strong until the manpower was leveled. Maine’s offensive chemistry, passing and shooting continued to be on display, as they rattled off another eight shots at Pantano compared to the Huskies’ four. An underrated statistic for Maine on the night was their faceoff wins, where they won the puck 29 times out of 49 attempts. 

With another faceoff win at the hands of first-year forward AJ Drobot, Maine tore back down the ice to attack the Huskies’ net. Drobot tore down the blue line on the boards and dished the puck off to fourth-year forward Ryan Smith. Smith played the puck over to a cruising third-year forward Eduards Tralmaks, who took advantage of the odd-man rush and fed the puck back to an open Smith for the easy tally. Shortly following the goal, Northeastern accrued a major penalty, as fourth-year forward Biagio Lerario was tossed in the box for cross-checking, giving Maine a comfortable advantage to skate out the period on, or so they thought. 

Less than a minute later, Schmidt-Svjestrup was called for slashing, leveling the man advantage and giving each team four attackers. First-year forward Matt Demelis corralled a pass from fourth-year defenseman Ryan Shea, and went scorching down the ice, past the Black Bears defense. With the matchup against Swayman in front, Demelis deked out Maine’s tender for the tally, making the score 3-2. 

On the ensuing faceoff, fourth-year forward Mitchell Fossier didn’t win, and his fight for the puck gave Tralmaks enough time to get behind the Huskies defense. Once Fossier fought the puck away from Solow, he hit a streaking Tralmaks to give him the one-on-one opportunity against Pantano. Tralmaks, an experienced shooter, wound up from the slot and sent a wrister over Pantano’s stick-side shoulder. The final tally of the game was the icing on the cake for Maine, and, though the 4-2 box score doesn’t show it, the Black Bears held the true advantage throughout the contest.

Swayman finished with 20 saves on 22 shots, while Maine took 36 shots on goal. The Black Bears snapped their eight-game losing streak to the Huskies, and are now tied for third place in the Hockey East standings with Boston College. Their record is 15-9-4 overall and 9-7-2 in Hockey East play. Maine will return to the ice next Friday, Feb. 14, when they will host the University of Connecticut Huskies. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

On Tuesday, Feb. 4, the Boston Bruins shutout the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 as goalie Tuukka Rask made 25 saves and picked up his third shutout of the season.
Defenseman Charlie McAvoy cranked a slapshot through traffic that was deflected by goaltender Jacob Markstrom, but forward Charlie Coyle picked up the rebound and quickly buried the puck over the recovering goaltender. Markstrom had Bruins in his face all night, as Boston had several one-on-one attempts against Vancouver’s goaltender. However, he held strong and made miraculous saves throughout the night. Forward Brad Marchand got his 23rd goal of the season in the second period of the match thanks to an easy tip-in off a deflected shot from McAvoy. 

The Bruins won their fifth straight game on Wednesday, Feb. 5 in an overtime thriller, 2-1 against the Chicago Blackhawks. McAvoy scored just over a minute into overtime, when he went to the net hard and tipped in Jake DeBrusk’s pass from the left faceoff circle. Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak made 21 saves in his third straight win as Boston continues to roll. 

On Saturday, Feb. 8, center Patrice Bergeron had three points and Coyle scored two goals to lift the Bruins past the Coyotes, 4-2. Rask made 29 saves for the Bruins and picked up his 20th win of the season and his seventh win in eight starts. The Bruins have won six straight games and have gone 7-2-1 in their last ten games. They face off next against the Montreal Canadians on Wednesday, Feb. 12, home at TD Garden 

The Bruins are looking good heading into the playoff picture. The Boston Bruins are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 33-10-12 through 55 games. They’ve gone 7-2-1 in their last ten games, winning six straight games. The Bruins have a five-point lead over Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division and a one-point lead over the Capitals in the conference.  

All around, the playoff race is heating up with some clear contenders pulling ahead and some teams on the bubble as well. There are between 28 and 30 games left in the season for teams to make a run for a playoff spot in either conference.

The Washington Capitals once again are one of the top teams among the Eastern Conference, as they are currently in second place with a record of 36-13-5, and have gone 6-4-0 in their last ten games. Washington looks to be a lock for the playoffs for their sixth consecutive season behind forwards T.J. Oshie and Alexander Ovechkin. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets moved their way into the third-place spot in the Metropolitan Division going 9-0-1 in their last ten games. Their record is currently 30-16-9. They are two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second-place spot and are only one point ahead of the New York Islanders.

The Florida Panthers are on the outside looking in for a spot in the race for the Stanley Cup. They are currently only one point away from Wildcard spot and two points out from third place in the Atlantic Division. In their last ten games, they have gone 7-2-1 pushing their record to 29-18-6 on the season. 

On the Western Conference side, the St. Louis Blues are currently sitting in first place with a six-point lead over the Colorado Avalanche in the Central Division with 27 games remaining in the season. In their last ten games, they went 4-5-1 as their conference lead has started to slip away. 

The Vancouver Canucks lead the Pacific Division with a record of 30-20-5 and 65 points. They have gone 6-3-1 in the last ten games to preserve the division lead. They are currently two points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights and three points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers. 

The Arizona Coyotes are currently in the first Wildcard position in the Western Conference as the race for a playoff spot is tight. There is only a three-point gap between six teams fighting for the two Wildcard spots. The Coyotes have been cold lately though, going 2-5-3 in their last ten games bringing their record to 27-22-7 on the season. 

The Nashville Predators are currently one point behind the Calgary Flames for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Predators have won their last two games and have gone 6-4-0 in the last ten games. They are on the outside looking in, but only being one point behind a playoff spot, there is plenty of time left in the regular season for them to push into the playoffs.

2 Maine – 3 Boston University

The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team fell in overtime to the No. 8 Boston University Terriers in game one of a weekend series on Friday, Jan. 4. The Terriers started fast out of the gate, getting the first goal of the game just five minutes into the period. The Terriers extended the lead to 2-0 with just under two minutes to play in the first period as they skated into intermission with all the momentum. In the second period, fourth-year goalie Carly Jackson kept the Black Bears in the game, making 17 saves and keeping the Terriers off the scoreboard. Third-year forward Michelle Weis scored her second goal of the season to cut Maine’s deficit to 2-1. With less than seven minutes remaining in the game, second-year forward Celine Tedenby blocked a shot in her own end and took it coast-to-coast to tie the game at two. The game was forced to go to overtime where the Terriers took advantage of the extra time and scored with less than three minutes left in the frame. Jackson made 36 saves on 39 shots while Maine had 29 shots on goal. 

3 Maine – 3 Boston University (OT)

The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team tied the Terriers 3-3 in the second game of the weekend. The first period had the Black Bears scoring three times and the Terriers scoring once. Unlike Friday night’s game, Maine’s offense got going in a hurry. Second-year forward Liga Miljone started off the scoring by getting her sixth goal of the season, putting Maine up 1-0. Second-year defender Ida Press fired a slap shot from the blue line to make it 2-0 favoring Maine early in the first period. Under a minute later, the Black Bears would increase their lead to 3-0 as Weis scored her third goal of the season. The Terriers answered back with one of their own at the end of the first period to cut the lead to 3-1. BU found the back of the net in the sixth minute of the third period as Maine’s lead was cut to 3-2. On the powerplay, the Terriers found the equalizer to tie the game at three with 10 minutes left in the game. The game would require overtime for the second time on the weekend, this time with it ending in a 3-3 tie. Jackson finished with 32 saves with Maine only attempting 17 shots on goal.

4 Maine – 2 Holy Cross

On Friday, Jan. 10, the Black Bears skated away with a 4-2 over the Holy Cross Crusaders in the first game of the weekend series. The first period was a defensive battle. Maine took 19 shots in the first period but could not get one past the Crusaders’ goalie. For Maine, Jackson stopped all 10 shots she was faced with. Maine broke the game wide open by scoring three times in the second period. Weis continues to light the lamp for the Black Bears, finding the back of the net first for Maine followed by Miljone scoring her seventh of the season and doubling Maine’s lead shortly thereafter. The third goal of the period was scored by fourth-year forward Brittany Colton which was her fourth goal of the season. In the third period, the Crusaders cut the lead from 3-0 to 3-2 with two goals to help bring them back in the game. Maine would finish off the Crusaders when second-year forward Ali Beltz scored an empty-net goal with 24 seconds left in the game to help Maine pick up the 4-2 win.

0 Maine – 0 Holy Cross 

On Saturday, Jan. 11, Maine tied Holy Cross 0-0 in the second game of the weekend series. Neither team could get the puck past the opposing team’s goalie in the scoreless Hockey East match. Jackson made 21 saves and picked up her third shutout of the season. Maine took 40 shots on goal but could not find the back of the net.

1 Maine – 1 Merrimack (OT)

Maine tied the Merrimack Warriors 1-1 on Friday, Jan. 17. The first period had the Warriors striking first as they got a takeaway and went coast-to-coast to score. Early in the second period, Maine tied it up when Tedenby went coast-to-coast and buried it behind the Warriors’ goalkeeper. In overtime, both teams had opportunities to win the game but neither could find the back of the net as game one of the weekend series ended in a 1-1 tie.

2 Maine – 1 Merrimack

The second game of the two-game series started out the same as the first game, as the Warriors collected the first goal of the game and the lone tally in the first period. The second period was a back and forth battle between the two teams as the Warriors carried their 1-0 lead into the second intermission. Maine would tie the game up as first-year forward Ida Kuoppala picked up her ninth goal of the season for the Black Bears. Kuoppala wasn’t done there as she continued on to score the game-winning goal with eight minutes remaining in the period. Her 10th goal of the season came on a short-handed situation where she corralled in the loose puck in front of the net. Jackson would pick up the win, her seventh of the season and 40th of her career, finishing with 25 saves while Maine took 47 shots on goal.

1 Maine – 2 University of Connecticut

Maine fell to the University of Connecticut Huskies 2-1. Third-year forward Savannah Bouzide put Connecticut on the board first after lighting the lamp in the ninth minute. The Huskies’ defensive pressure led to a Maine turnover. The puck was scooped up by fourth-year defender Tristyn Svetek before she dished it off to second-year forward Danielle Fox. Fox sent a quick pass ahead to Bouzide, and she slotted one into the bottom right corner to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead. Connecticut took the lead into the first intermission. Maine broke through and tied the game at the 14-minute mark of the second period, as Kuoppala was able to snipe a high-arching shot into the top left corner. Maine continued to be aggressive in the third period as they held an 11-5 shot advantage, but the Huskies were the ones to break the 1-1 tie. Fox snuck a backhand past Jackson to take the lead with 10 minutes left in the game. The Huskies held on to beat the Black Bears in game one of the weekend series. Jackson had 21 saves on 23 shots while Maine racked up 27 shots on goal.

2 Maine – 5 University of Connecticut

In the second match-up against Connecticut on Saturday evening, Maine fell to the Huskies 5-2. The Huskies found the back of the net first, as second-year forward Viki Harkness scored her fifth goal of the season to get the early advantage. Just 18 seconds later, Maine answered as Tedenby netted her seventh goal of the season to tie the game at one. Third-year defender Taylor Wabick for the Huskies scored as she deflected the puck into the back of the net. The second period was very similar to the first period as Connecticut came out and netted the first two goals of the period and extended their lead to 4-1. Fourth-year forward Catherine Crawley scored twice for the Huskies in the second period, collecting her ninth and 10th goals of the season. Maine closed the gap to 4-2 when Kuoppala netted her 12th goal of the season on the powerplay. In the third period, Connecticut put the game out of reach by scoring their fifth goal of the night. Jackson made 16 saves on 21 shots and Maine tallied 16 shots on goal. Maine falls to 10-12-5 on the season and 6-10-4 in Hockey East play. 

The Black Bears will return to their home ice where they will take on the University of New Hampshire Wildcats on Friday, Jan. 31 and Saturday, Feb. 1. Both games are scheduled to begin at 2 pm.

The University of Maine men’s ice hockey team defeated the St. Lawrence University Saints, 5-2, on Friday, Nov. 29. The two squads skated through a scoreless first period. Both goaltenders turned away eight shots, while Maine had two power-play chances to St. Lawrence’s one. 

On a five-minute penalty kill in the second period, fourth-year forward Samuel Rennaker played the puck ahead to a streaking fourth-year forward Ryan Smith. Smith juked out the St. Lawrence defender on him, leaving nothing but open ice and the opposing goaltender in front of him. After burying the puck glove-side on St. Lawrence’s second-year goaltender Emil Zetterquist, Maine snagged the 1-0 lead late in the second period. 

The Saints, not ready to head into the intermission with a goose egg on the board, were afforded a golden opportunity as Maine’s third-year forward Eduard Tralmaks sat in the sin bin for a major kneeing penalty. With five minutes of advantage, the Saints’ lines went to work. With less than a minute left on the power play chance, the Saints’ second-year forward Zach Risteau took the feed from first-year forward Jordan Steinmetz, burying the puck stick-side on Maine’s third-year goaltender Jeremy Swayman. 

Skating back on after the intermission, Maine roared out of the gate with intensity. With both teams having a member riding the pine, a four-on-four started the final period of action. Lighting the lamp first for Maine, second-year forward Jakub Sirota corraled a deflected shot from second-year forward Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrupput and dished it off to first-year forward Ben Poisson. Poisson one-timed the shot and buried it behind a recovering Zetterquist from the right point. 

From there, the Saints began a scramble on offense, but their frantic play cost them heavily on the back end. With a streaking Tralmaks taking the puck up the ice, second-year forward Adam Dawe slyly skated to goaltender Zetterquist’s weak side. Tralmaks, who could have easily fired a wrister at Zetterquist, made the savvy veteran play and dumped the puck off to Dawe, who buried the easy goal, putting Maine up 3-1. 

St. Lawrence couldn’t buy a goal in the Black Bears’ zone for much of the period, and their turnovers proved to be costly. UMaine’s fourth-year forward Mitchell Fossier gathered the loose puck on a Saints’ rebound and streaked down the ice with Tralmaks ahead. Fossier sent a shot ahead, which Tralmaks tipped with his stick, sliding just underneath Zetterquist’s left thigh pad. The Saints did manage to rally for another score as third-year defenseman Bo Hanson cut the deficit to 4-2 with three minutes left in regulation. Hanson snuck deep into the zone on the weak side, and, after collecting a pass from Risteau, beat Swayman just inside the post with a wrister from the circle. To ice away the victory for Maine, Smith picked up his second goal of the game with 20 seconds left, firing a snipe on the Saints’ empty goal and ending the game with a final score of 5-2. Swayman ended with 28 saves for the Black Bears, and Maine had 34 shots on goal. 

On Saturday, Nov. 30 the University of Maine men’s ice hockey team tied the St. Lawrence Saints, 1-1, moving Maine to 8-5-3 on the season. 

In the first period, Hanson made a play for the Saints at the blue line to keep the puck in the offensive zone and sent second-year forward Carson Dimoff and third-year forward Jacob Nielsen into a 2-on-2. Dimoff then hit Nielsen with a cross-crease backhand pass for a one-time finish, giving St. Lawrence a 1-0 lead. Both goaltenders played like true stalwarts throughout the second period as the score did not change in the middle frame. Maine got a bounce deep in the slot after Fossier’s shot hit traffic in front, but the Saints were all focused on the puck, leaving fourth-year defenseman Tim Doherty wide open on the right circle for a quick pass and finish to tie the game up at one with five minutes remaining in regulation. Both teams could not find the back of the net late in the third or the overtime period. Swayman finished with 21 saves while the Black Bears recorded 37 shots on goal. 

The University of Maine men’s ice hockey team was defeated, 5-1, by the  No. 11 University of Massachusetts Amherst Minutemen Friday night at the Mullins Center. 

Amherst wasted little time getting things going as third-year forward Oliver Chau sniped his second goal of the season over Swayman to put the Minutemen up 1-0 five minutes into the contest. Chau fired the shot off of an outlet feed from fourth-year defensemen Jake McLaughlin. Second-year forward Bobby Trivigno doubled the lead just one minute later, tapping home a cross-ice pass from third-year forward John Leonard on a 2-on-1. 

Second-year defensemen Marc del Gaizo scored the third goal for the Minutemen in the first period during a 6-on-4 man opportunity. Third-year forward Mitchell Chaffee and second-year forward Anthony Del Gaizo were credited with the assists on the goal. Coming out of the intermission, Amherst picked right up where it left off with second-year defensemen Ty Farmer finding the back of the net just 16 seconds into the frame off assists from McLaughlin and Chau. 

Maine found the back of the net with two minutes left in the second, bringing the score 4-1.

Schmidt-Svejstrup scored off of an offensive zone faceoff win as the Black Bears were beginning a 5-on-3 power-play opportunity. Dawe and Tralmaks both picked up an assist. Third-year forward John Leanord scored the final goal of the night for the Minutemen with about three minutes left in the Hockey East contest. Swayman finished with 37 saves while the Black Bears only had 21 shots on goal. 

On Saturday, Dec. 7, the University of Maine men’s ice hockey team fell again to UMass Amherst 4-1. 

The first period started out scoreless, with Swayman stopping 12 of 12 shots against him, while Maine’s offense could only generate five shots on goal. Amherst broke the 0-0 tie halfway through the second period with Chaffee scoring on the weak side of Maine’s net. Amherst extended the lead to two on the powerplay in the second period when fourth-year forward John Leonard slapped one home. 

Just 18 seconds after the power-play goal, fourth-year forward Niko Hildenbrand scored his team’s third goal of the period. Third-year forward Jake Gaudet drew the attention of the Black Bears, which left Hildenbrand alone next to Swayman. Through two periods, Amherst had mounted a 3-0 advantage.

In the third period, Maine looked to start a comeback, as Dawe knocked home the lone tally of the night for the Black Bears four minutes into the third. First-year defensemen Levi Kleiboer and fourth-year forward Mitchell Fossier were credited with the assists on the goal, with Kleiboer giving Dawe a clean feed to the net. Amherst would get one more goal on an empty-net, putting their 4-1 lead too far out of reach for Maine as the final minutes of the fourth period ticked away. Swayman ended with 30 saves while Maine tallied only 24 shots. 

The Black Bears will return to action Tuesday, Dec. 10 against Yale, with the puck drop scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team defeated the Providence College Friars 5-4 in overtime to pick up their first win at home this season.

The action started off quickly, with both teams tearing up the ice on offensive exchanges through the first period. Less than two minutes into the contest, Maine was given a power play as the Friars’ second-year forward Sara Hjalmarsson was called for a tripping penalty and sent to the sin bin. Taking advantage of their numbers, Maine’s offense went to work. 

Second-year forward Liga Miljone took to the net, then dished a pass across the crease to fourth-year forward Brittany Colton, who stopped the puck with her skate, then proceeded to bury the puck behind the Friars’ second-year goaltender Sandra Abstreiter.

The Black Bears kept their foot on the gas and increased their lead to 2-0 six minutes into the opening frame. Fourth-year forward Vendula Pribylova brought the puck across the blue line into the Friars zone, then dished a pass to the right post of the Providence goal where fourth-year forward Tereza Vanisova was waiting. Vanisova corralled the pass and tapped it in behind a sliding Abstreiter.

On the ensuing faceoff, Hjalmarsson redeemed herself for her earlier penalty, taking the puck drop on a breakaway down the ice. Hjalmarsson sent a wrist shot top shelf over Maine’s fourth-year goaltender Carly Jackson to bring the score within one point.

Providence, given a power-play opportunity with five minutes left in the first period, tied the game at 2-2. Fourth-year forward Neve Van Pelt delivered the puck to fourth-year forward Meaghan Rickard from behind the net and finished with a one-timer in front of the crease. 

Midway through the second period, first-year defender Nicole Pateman scored her first collegiate goal, as she clapped a slapshot from the blue line that sailed in over Abstreiter’s glove-side shoulder. Providence answered back with under two minutes to go in the second. Rickard passed the puck up to fourth-year forward Whitney Dove, who made a difficult wrist shot in traffic that sailed in under Jackson’s arm.

The Friars would score again as fourth-year forward Kathleen McHugh took off from the faceoff in a one-on-one breakaway, and sent a perfect wrist shot over Jackson’s stick-side shoulder, going top shelf to take the lead. Second-year forward Caroline Peterson and Dove picked up assists on the play.

The Black Bears continued to fight and first-year forward Ida Kuoppala scored her fourth goal of the season, firing a slap shot from just inside the blue line, which flew past Abstreiter to tie the game. Colton and third-year forward Maddie Giordano picked up assists on the play.

In overtime, both teams exchanged heated offensive series, with Jackson and Abstreiter being stalwarts through four minutes. The Black Bears scored the game-winner with just over one minute remaining in the overtime period, as Colton put a puck on the edge of the crease that Vanisova punched home.

Maine improves to 5-4-2 on the season, and 3-3-1 in Hockey East play. Maine will face off against Northeastern University on Saturday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 24 at Matthews Arena in Boston, Massachusetts.

The University of Maine Black Bears’ men’s hockey team ran over the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Friday, Oct. 11 to the tune of a 7-1 win at Alfond Arena. 

The home opener started out with third-year defenseman JD Greenway scoring just one minute into the first period and collecting his first career goal as a Black Bear. Just three minutes later, fourth-year forward Tim Doherty found the back of the net from the faceoff dot, which brought Maine to a 2-0 lead early in the first. The Seawolves cut the lead in half midway through the first when first-year forward Alex Frye’s shot ricocheted off a Maine defender, changing direction before sneaking past third-year goaltender Jeremy Swayman. 

Early in the second period, Maine regained their two-goal lead when third-year forward Eduards Tralmaks redirected a deflected shot from third-year defenseman Cameron Spicer, marking Tralmaks’ 20th tally in his college career. Halfway through the second period, second-year forward Ryan Smith took off down the ice with the puck for Maine in a three on two breakaway. With the defense committing to him, Smith spun the puck behind his back, for a beautiful no-look pass to second-year forward Simon Butala right in front of the goal. Butala buried the puck to extend Maine’s lead to 4-1. 

With under two minutes to play in the second period, the Black Bears won the draw in the Seawolves zone before fourth-year forward Mitchell Fossier snuck a shot from below the faceoff dot. Tralmaks, set up on the short side post, was able to tip the puck around the goaltender for Maine’s third goal of the period. Maine coasted through the third period, maintaining their lead and adding in a few garbage time goals. They picked up a pair of powerplay goals, with one from second-year forward Adam Dawe and one from fourth-year forward Tim Doherty. Maine outshot the Seawolves 38-21 in the game, with Swayman stopping an impressive 37 shots.

In game two of their weekend series on Saturday, Oct 12, Maine completed the sweep against the University of Alaska Anchorage in a significantly closer contest, with a final score of 2-1. Following a hot start on Friday night, Maine’s offense seemed oddly lost on the ice through the first period Saturday night, but their defense held tough and prevented the Seawolves from gaining an early advantage. Just over the halfway mark in the second period, Doherty corralled the puck and took off into the neutral zone. He then dished it off to fourth-year forward Samuel Rennaker, who dangled the puck through the defense and past the goaltender to make it 1-0 in favor of Maine. 

Not wanting to go into the intermission with a goose egg on the board, the Seawolves rallied on a powerplay. Using the man advantage and good spacing, the Seawolves worked the puck around the Black Bears’ defense before first-year forward Nick Wicks fired a slap shot past Swayman. With both teams back at full strength on the ice, neither could seem to rally past the other, with both squads playing impressive defense. 

Heading out of the locker room, both teams immediately regained their defensive footing from the first period, with neither allowing a goal through the final 20 minutes of regulation. 

Three minutes into the overtime period, Maine recovered the puck and began their charge on offense, led by Fossier. Fossier fired a pass down the rink, running on the glass, which bounced right into the stick of Tralmaks. The forward poked the puck past the Seawolves’ goaltender, giving Maine the 2-1 victory. 

Following their impressive series against Alaska, the men’s hockey team moved on to take on nationally-ranked Quinnipiac University in a weekend series from Oct. 18-19. In their first contest, Maine stunned the Bobcats in an upset victory, 4-2. 

Tralmaks and Fossier hit the ice seemingly determined to upset the Bobcats in their own barn, with the duo being involved in every score for Maine on the night. Tralmaks began Maine’s run, scoring halfway through the first, off an assist from Fossier. 

Opening up the second period, Greenway broke away from the Bobcats, taking the first shot that third-year goaltender Keith Petruzzelli saved. Tralmaks dove from behind the net to poke in the loose puck, extending his squad’s lead to 2-0 early in the second period. 

The Bobcats quickly responded to Maine, cutting the lead to 2-1 just over a minute later on a shot from third-year forward Joe O’Connor assisted by second-year forward Michael Lombardi. 

Second-year Bobcats’ forward Wyatt Bongiovanni, added his second of the season with a power-play tally as the Bobcats attempted a comeback. The Black Bears took advantage of a three-on-two break. After the goaltender saved Fossiers’ shot, Doherty corralled the loose puck and put it away for Maine, giving them a 3-2 lead in the third period. Dawe provided late insurance for Maine when he scored on a power play with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game. He corralled on the loose puck in front of the net and put the Black Bears up 4-2. Maine picked up their third straight win after dropping their first game to improve to 3-1-0 on the season. 

In their second game of the series, Maine fell to Quinnipiac 4-3 in a tight contest that came down to the wire. Black Bears’ second-year forward Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup tallied his first of two goals Saturday night early in the game for the Black Bears as Greenway dumped off a pass for Schmidt-Svejstrup in the neutral zone and he fired a shot from the left circle past Petruzzelli. The Bobcats’ Lombardi scored his first goal of the game under a minute later, leveling the score at one. 

Quinnipiac took the lead just two minutes later as first-year forward Ethan Leyn snuck one past Swayman. The Bobcats, intending to ice away the victory, continued their offensive push. Second-year forward Ethan de Jong tallied his first goal of the season following the ensuing faceoff, as third-year forward Odeen Tufto backhanded the puck to de Jong in the Black Bears’ zone, and de Jong buried the puck in Maine’s net, extending their lead to 3-1 in the first period. The Black Bears got a goal back as Schmidt-Svejstrup scored his second of the game with a one-timer from just above the left faceoff circle to cut the Bobcats’ lead to 3-2 halfway through the second period. Bongiovanni netted his third goal of the season with a one-timer off a faceoff win from Tufto to extend the Bobcat’s lead to 4-2. Maine struck back when Tralmaks pulled the Black Bears back within a goal as he redirected a centering feed from Doherty to beat Petruzzelli with just over eight minutes remaining in the period. Maine was unable to get the game-tying goal, falling 4-3 and moving to 3-2-0, 0-1-0 in the young season. 

The Black Bears will travel to take on Hockey East rival, the University of Vermont Catamounts, on Friday, Oct. 25. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:05 p.m.

Connecticut Suns up 2-0 

The Connecticut Suns opened up the WNBA semifinals with a victory 84-75 over the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Small forward Alyssa Thomas led the Suns, putting up 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to lead a balanced Connecticut attack. Guard Jasmine Thomas didn’t let Alyssa Thomas carry the team alone, contributing 19 points of her own. Forward Jonquel Jones and guard Courtney Williams rounded out the offensive stat sheet for the Suns, putting up 16 and 15 points, respectfully. Leading the defeated Sparks squad forwards Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike combined for 44 points and 20 rebounds, but their efforts weren’t enough alone, as the remainder of the squad couldn’t muster a strong offensive effort. The Suns forced the Sparks into 17 turnovers and Los Angeles’ starting backcourt duo of guards Riquna Williams and Chelsea Gray combined to only hit three of their 17 shots. Connecticut trailed by three points at halftime but scored the first nine points of the third quarter. A layup by Williams just before the third quarter’s buzzer sent the Suns into the final 10 minutes up 59-58. Connecticut never trailed in the fourth, and a key shot from beyond the arc by Jones gave the Suns a seven-point lead with four minutes remaining.

In their Thursday night rematch, the Connecticut Suns took care of business once more, taking a 2-0 series lead against the Sparks in a 94-68 victory. Center Brionna Jones scored 27 points and Courtney Williams added 25 of her own to help the Sun rout the Sparks. Los Angeles stormed out to an early lead and didn’t surrender it until under a minute left in the first half. Connecticut led 41-40 at the half, with Jones having 15 points for Connecticut while Ogwumike made all six of her shots and had 12 for Los Angeles. The Suns led by one at the half before Williams helped blow the game open early in the third quarter, scoring 13 points. Sparks’ guard Riquna Williams added 14 for Los Angeles, who will now have to win three straight to make it back to the WNBA Finals for their third time in five years.

Washington Mystics up 2-0

The Washington Mystics took on the Las Vegas Aces for the first time of the WNBA semifinals on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Mystics’ forward Elena Delle Donne scored 24 points and hit a crucial turnaround jumper late, while center Emma Meesseman added a career postseason high 27 points and 10 rebounds, allowing the Mystics to pull out the 97-95 victory over the Aces. Forward A’ja Wilson scored 23 points for Las Vegas, including a run that nearly closed the deficit late in the fourth quarter. Center Liz Cambage had 19 points and 12 rebounds, while guard Kayla McBride added 19 points. After Mystics’ guard Kristi Toliver drained a three-pointer, making it 92-79 in the fourth quarter, the Aces scored nine straight points to close the deficit to four, while twice locking down the Mystics on offense and forcing turnovers. It was Washington’s first win all year by a single possession, one in which the Aces missed a game-tying runner at the buzzer.

Meesseman tied a career-high with 30 points in her second consecutive exceptional performance, and the Washington Mystics beat the Las Vegas Aces 103-91 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in their WNBA semifinal series. Guard Natasha Cloud added 18 points and 11 assists for Washington, while Delle Donne scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on the day. Delle Donne also happened to snag her second league MVP the same night, and the Mystics continued to roll on. Aces’ guard Kelsey Plum added 19 points and 10 assists for Las Vegas, which fought back from an 11-point second-quarter deficit to take a brief lead in the third, only to fade late. Washington took control with a 10-0 run in the third quarter and never looked back.