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During a two-week break from conference action, one thing they have realized is this: the road to a Hockey East title still goes through Providence.
Although their last conference road trip did not go as planned, the University of Maine women’s hockey team will look to pick up four points in a two-game set against the two-time conference champion Friars on Saturday and Sunday.
“We had last weekend off because it is at that point of the season where everyone is going hard and we may get physically and emotionally tired,” said forward Kate Sunstrum. “It allowed some of us to go home and get our mind off things and I know all the girls are really excited for this weekend.”
The last time the Black Bears were on the road was in October when they were swept by New Hampshire and Boston College. Since then, the Black Bears have compiled a 3-0-1 record while capturing four points in games against Connecticut and Northeastern.
“It’s probably the biggest weekend we are going to have before Christmas,” Sunstrum said.
Before the two-week timeout, UMaine thrashed Sacred Heart 20-2 over a two-game span which saw multiple contributions from first-year players, including goaltender Genevieve Turgeon and forward Vanessa Vani.
“Confidence is a big thing coming in as a new player,” said UMaine captain Cheryl White. “When our younger players know they are going to contribute, it brings up the atmosphere and we know that we do not have to rely on certain people.”
Although their first encounter against Sacred Heart set a record for most goals in a game, the team is looking to keep the same defensive style of play they had against UConn and Northeastern. The games against their Hockey East foes went into overtime, where UMaine’s first conference win came against Connecticut as Kelly Law netted the game-winner with two minutes left in the extra session.
According to assistant coach Kate Blair, the team used their first week off to get some players rested. This week has been anything but a vacation as Tuesday’s practice saw a “hard-skating” practice as one player put it. Outside of the physicality, the team went back to focusing on their system.
“The next couple of days we are going to work on fine-tuning our system and try to carry that over against Providence,” Blair said. “I think every time we go on the road we treat our kids pretty good so they should have nothing else to think about but the game.
“We really try to take the guess work out of the game so they can go in and we want to go into it knowing that we have done as much as we can.”
As for the defending Hockey East champion Friars, this season has been a streaky one, as they have lost their last two after starting with a three-game winning streak.
Before their two-game skid, the Friars were ranked No. 8 in country. Consecutive losses to Colgate and the top-ranked St. Lawrence Saints saw Providence fall out of the rankings. Two of the Friars victories came against conference foe Northeastern, giving the Friars four points, just one more than the Black Bears.
Last season UMaine dropped all four games against the Friars. The first game saw the Black Bears come back to tie the game at 2-2 until a late Friar goal dashed any chances of picking up a conference point. The second game of the series saw Providence win 4-2.
The last time the Black Bears took on the Friars at Providence, they were in the midst of a playoff chase, looking to capture the final spot in the Hockey East tournament. The set against the Friars saw UMaine lose the series and was the beginning of a four-game losing streak.
“Providence has played a big role in how we prepared and having the time off makes us eager to get back at it,” White said. “Last year we outplayed them a lot and the outcomes did not go our way and this year we have the team to get the job done.”
Bangor Daily News