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If you could summarize in one word the weekend for the University of Maine women’s hockey team (2-4-0 overall, 0-4-0 in Hockey East) it would be “nightmare.” The eighth-ranked Providence College Friars shutout the Black Bears by scores of 3-0 and 5-0 Saturday and Sunday.
“We just feel right now that the world is against us,” UMaine head coach Rick Filighera said. “It’s a hard thing to overcome. Even last week we lose 1-0 [against New Hampshire] in a game we were better in. We just feel like we can’t catch a break.”
Sunday the Black Bears got off to an impressive start despite a scoreless period by both teams. UMaine controlled the flow of the period and outshot the Friars 12-4.
That flow soon changed in Providence’s favor as the Friars scored on a power play at 2:30 of the second period. Senior forward Danielle Culgin got the goal with assists from senior forward Jenn Butsch and junior defenseman Kelli Halcisak.
Two minutes later the Friars got on the scoreboard again when junior forward Darlene Stephenson took advantage of a loose puck and snuck it by UMaine junior goaltender Lara Smart.
In the third period Butsch got in on the scoring act with a power play goal at the 13:58 mark of the third period. Halicisak and Roth assisted on the goal.
Providence scored two goals in the last two minutes of the game, with Culgin and Stephenson both notching their second goals of the game.
Providence freshman goaltender Jana Bugden made 28 saves in the game while Smart made 26.
“I thought we played a real good first period and then we come out in the second period and we lose our focus,” Filighera said. “We’re down 2-0 and we call a timeout and then we play a really good finish to the second and we don’t capitalize on our scoring chances. Right now that team [Providence] is a better hockey club than us. We threw everything at them and we can’t put the puck in the net right now.”
Saturday’s game was a tough, physical hockey game marred by numerous penalties. The Black Bears were charged with 16 penalties for 43 minutes, while the Friars made 12 penalties for 24 minutes.
Sophomore forward Ashley Payton found the back of the net scoring the first goal of the game at 11:49 of the first period.
The rest of the goals came in the second period as Butsch scored at the 6:59 mark. Sophomore defensive player Danielle Bourgette assisted on the scoring play. Less than two minutes later the Friars got their final goal of the game as Zimmerman scored her third of the season off an assist from Payton.
Budgen stopped all 11 shots fired at her while Smart stopped 34 out of 37.
“Lara Smart played great,” Filighera said. “She really kept us in the game because it could have been worse.”
After this weekend’s games UMaine will be on the road for the rest of the year. The Black Bears hope to get back on the right track as they travel to Hamden, Conn. to play Quinnipac College next weekend.
“It’s just a lot of things going on that was bad and it was just an awful weekend and hopefully we can just get rid of it,” Filighera said. “We were up against two of the top seven teams in the country. If you don’t show up and be ready to play every period you don’t have a chance.
