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For the second time this season, the University of Maine women’s hockey team conceded four goals on Friday night, only to turn around and win 3-2 on Saturday afternoon.
With the Black Bears’ win against the University of Connecticut on Saturday, the squad reclaimed sole possession of third place in Hockey East. Before Friday’s game against the Huskies, UMaine shared third place with Boston College. The Eagles took on competition outside of Hockey East.
Saturday’s game saw defender Kelly Law score the game-winner with 5:48 remaining in regulation.
With the victory, UMaine’s record improved moves to 12-7-3, with a 3-5-2 mark in Hockey East.
UMaine’s opening goal came when Tristan Desmet scored a power-play goal 13 minutes into the first period to give UMaine a 1-0 lead. Desmet knocked in the rebound off a Brigitte LaFlamme shot for the goal.
The Huskies were able to tie the game later in the period when Jacquelyn McGuire, notched her second goal of the weekend.
McGuire’s game-tying goal was short-lived. The Black Bears regained the lead just 36 seconds into the second period when Andrea Steranko scored for the second straight game. The Black Bears were able to hold the lead throughout the second period until the final minutes, when the Huskies tied the game again off an errant Black Bear pass. The play was deflected off UConn’s Katherine Van Deveire and past netminder Rachel Gettings.
The score remained tied at 2-2 until Law scored to put Maine up 3-2. Although UConn had seen success all night after giving up a goal, the Huskies could not mount a final comeback. During one stretch in the third period, the Huskies played the final 2:39 with an empty net on an attempt to tie the score yet again, and at one point even had a 6-on-4 opportunity with on a power play.
Although they conceded four goals on Friday, the Black Bears were on the attack, recording 30 shots on net compared to UConn’s 15 shots. The Huskies may not have been able to put up a high shot total like the Black Bears but it did not stop them from scoring early. McGuire gave her team a 1-0 lead just 30 seconds into the game. The goal came when McGuire redirected a slapshot by Liz Gallinaro to beat Gettings. UConn doubled its lead when Jennifer Houlden ripped a one-timer at 13:29 from the top of the circle past Gettings to end the first period with a 2-0 lead.
UMaine was able to get something going offensively five minutes into the second period when Steranko scored the lone UMaine goal. Steranko was set up by team-leading scorers Desmet and Cheryl White. Steranko’s goal was her sixth goal of the year, which places her in third on the team in points.
The Black Bears created four power play opportunities in the second period, but, they still couldn’t beat Huskies’ goalie Kaitlyn Shain or the UConn penalty killers. With a little over a minute left in second period, Tiffany Owens increased the Huskies’ lead to 3-1.
While on the penalty kill, Owens intercepted a pass at the red line and pushed the puck up the ice for a short-handed breakaway goal. The goal was just one of three UConn shots on net for the period. Through two periods, the Huskies scored three goals on just seven shots while holding UMaine to one goal on 22 shots.
The last UConn tally came when forward Leslie Hurlburt scored on a power-play goal at 10:55 in the third period.
Bangor Daily News