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By Matthew Hritz
Staff Reporter
The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team opened the season with a pair of wins last weekend, but left this weekend with a pair of losses at home against No. 8 New Hampshire, losing 4-1 on Saturday and 3-1 on Friday.
The last seven minutes of the second period in Saturday’s game made the difference between winning and losing, according to UMaine head coach Rick Filighera.
“That’s where they won the game,” Filighera said after the game. “We tied the first [period]. We tied the third [period] and if it wasn’t [for] a bad seven minutes [when New Hampshire scored three goals] they [would not have] walked out of here with two victories.”
UMaine was given a golden opportunity to break open Saturday’s tied game when at 9:50 of the second period, the Black Bears went on a 5-3 power play. But it was a squandered opportunity because as the power play concluded defenseman Allison Edgar got out of the penalty box and scored the first goal for the Wildcats at 7:42.
New Hampshire finished up the second period with goals by forwards Steph Jones and Kira Misikowetz to take a 3-0 lead.
Filighera thought the team did everything it was supposed to do on the power play but New Hampshire goalie Jen Huggon made saves and was the difference in the game.
“[With] 28 seconds left in the power play I told my defensemen we got to be alert for them coming out of the box,” Filighera said. “Then they got a fluky, little mishandled puck that ends up being a two-on-zero and they scored. Our kids lost their composure. After that we stopped competing and felt bad for ourselves.”
Black Bear sophomore forward Karen Droog ended the Wildcats’ shutout bid when she scored her third goal of season with 5:50 left in the third period.
New Hampshire added another goal at 2:19 in the third period when Edgar netted her second, putting the Wildcats up 4-1.
UMaine goalie Amanda Cronin made 32 saves and Huggon made 26 for the victory.
In Friday’s home opener, New Hampshire scored one goal per period in a 3-1 win.
Edgar broke the scoreless tie at 4:37 in the first period.
“I felt that again we are still finding ourselves,” Filighera said. “I thought we played really good in the first period Friday.”
The Wildcats scored again on an unassisted goal by defenseman Kristen Thomas at 1:45 into the second period.
UMaine got on the board when senior LeeAnne Irwin scored with 2:38 left in the second period with assists credited to sophomore Meagan Aarts and Naomi Smethurst.
The Wildcats’ Randi MacMaster added the final goal of the game at 11:31 of the third period.
UMaine goalie Dawn Froats made 39 saves and Huggon recorded 17 saves.
Coach Filighera, despite being outshot by 22, did not feel his team played sluggish but acknowledged that Huggon was probably the difference in New Hampshire’s victory on Friday.
“Jen Huggon made two saves in the first 10 minutes and really probably hurt us,” Filighera said. “We’re struggling after we have been scored on and we lost our confidence.”
UMaine (2-2-0 overall and 0-2-0 in conference play) will be on the road for its next nine games beginning with next weekend’s series at Providence College.
The Black Bears do not return to Alfond Arena until the team hosts Wayne State on Friday, Dec. 7.
Bangor Daily News