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ORONO – Scoring a big goal in a big moment – it is what every player dreams of, and it is why Guy Perron recruited Patricia Gagnon.
The first-year player netted her third goal in four games with 1:16 left in the third period as the University of Maine women’s hockey team skated to a 2-2 tie against the No. 9 Providence Friars in Hockey East play on Sunday at Alfond Arena.
“We had a really good test against UNH last weekend and then we went to Vermont and won a hard game,” said head coach Guy Perron, whose team has played three opponents ranked in the top 10 this season. “If you want to be a top 10 team in the country, then you are going to have to play against top 10 teams.”
Along with the tie, the Black Bears were victorious on Saturday , defeating another Hockey East team in the Vermont Catamounts 2-0. The weekend saw UMaine improve their overall record to 11-5-6 and their conference record to 3-5-4. With the three points, the Black Bears are now one point out of the final playoff spot.
Before garnering their third point of the weekend, the Black Bears held a 1-0 lead going into the third period. A few minutes into the period, Providence’s Ashley Payton put a shot on net that deflected off UMaine netminder Genevieve Turgeon. Once the puck rebounded off Turgeon, it went into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.
Then, with less than nine minutes left, the Friars were on the power play as Kristin Gigilotti ripped a shot from the blue line to beat Turgeon for a 2-1 lead. However, the lead was short-lived when UMaine was able to force a power play which saw Gagnon tie the game.
“We were tired considering we had just played Vermont the night before,” Gagnon said. “We did not want to give them the game, and for five minutes, we just kept working hard and that has been something we have been doing all week long.”
Just 50 seconds into overtime, the Black Bears created their first scoring opportunity as a two-on-one break led by Vanessa Vani was stopped by a save from Jana Budgen.
Although both teams were able to put a shot on net, the last major scoring opportunity came with seven seconds left when last season’s Hockey East Co-Player of the Year, Karen Thatcher, almost scored on a breakaway. Before Thatcher’s breakaway, both teams had players leave the ice as a brawl ensued between Giglotti and Kelly Law. The two had to be separated, resulting in Law getting pinned down on the ice.
The first period saw UMaine take an early 1-0 a little more than five minutes into the frame. With a host of players shielding Budgen, forward Amy Quirion found the puck and scored for the 1-0 lead. Even though UMaine lost the lead by surrendering two goals in the third, the Black Bears managed many offensive chances which included three 5-on-3 power play opportunities.
As for Saturday’s game against the Catamounts, the Black Bears were deadlocked in a 0-0 tie in the middle of the third until Brigitte LaFlamme scored her team-high 10th goal of the season on a breakaway. The goal tied Cheryl White for the team lead in goals. The second goal was an empty-net goal from Law, who also had an assist on the LaFlamme tally.
“We just stress defense like we do every week,” said defenseman and co-captain Morgan Janusc. “It’s not just the defense that allowed us to play well this weekend, it’s everyone from defense, forwards and the goalie that allowed us to be successful.”
