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ORONO – While her team makes a run at a conference title, Vanessa Vani may be poised to make a run for Hockey East’s most impressive rookie.
The freshman scored two goals and an assist en route to the University of Maine’s 7-0 win over the Boston University Terriers on Saturday at Alfond Arena in Hockey East play. Because of a victory by the University of Connecticut, the Black Bears are still two points out of the final playoff spot.
“We did the little things right, we pressured them and stuck to our game,” Vani said. “A lot of people underestimated us and we hope this is something we can just keep going.”
UMaine, who improved their record to 12-5-6 and 4-5-4 in conference play, opened up the game with a goal just 27 seconds into the first frame. Freshman forward Patricia Gagnon took possession of the puck and beat BU goalie Allyse Wilcox for a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later the Terriers saw the deficit increase as a goal by Kate Sunstrum brought the lead to 2-0. The goal was assisted by Vani.
After the second goal, not only did the Terriers bring in Karilyn Pilch to replace Wilcox, but BU coach Brian Durocher was forced to call a time-out.
About four minutes later, the Black Bears added their third goal of the period after taking advantage of a Terrier defensive miscue. As the Terriers were looking to create on the power play, the BU defense misplayed the puck which allowed Brigitte LaFlamme to recover it. Once she had possession, the forward blazed down the wing and beat Pilch to give UMaine a 3-0 lead.
In the second period, LaFlamme picked up right where she left off when she scored her second goal of the day. With UMaine on the attack in the Terrier zone, Gagnon fed a pass to LaFlamme who increased the lead to 4-0.
“We are just trying to apply all the systems we have learned and stick with them,” said LaFlamme, who leads the Black Bears in points. “We just have to work hard, and hopefully we can continue to play like that against other teams.”
Six minutes later, the Black Bears offense struck again. Senior co-captain Cheryl White was able to take the puck and create a backhanded shot as she skated along the edge of the crease. Although her shot hit the post, it was recovered by Vani, who scored off the rebound.
The offensive surge still did not stop both teams from being physical as they combined for 38 penalty minutes. More than a minute after the Vani goal, tempers flared from both sides and there was some pushing, and shoving after the whistle. The scrum involved BU’s Laurel Koller and Sophie Thornton along with UMaine’s Amy Quirion and Danielle Tangredi.
Besides holding the advantage in goals, UMaine also held a 25-16 advantage in shots, which helped Rachel Gettings garner her second shutout on the season. The shutout was Gettings’ second of the season, which ties her first on the team with Genevieve Turgeon.
“I think the defense played great in front of me, and they kept the shutout going. It was an all-around great effort from everyone,” Gettings said. “At the end of the first, it was 3-0, and we knew they were going to come back strong, and whether you take ten shots or 30, you have to stay focused.”
The final frame of the game saw UMaine add two more goals. Their first goal came when Sheri Wauters got the puck beyond Pilch for a 6-0 lead. The second goal came when Vani scored on a 5-on-3 advantage.
UMaine’s seven-goal performance is the most goals they have ever scored in a conference game since joining Hockey East. As for BU, it is their worst loss in their short history. The next time the two will meet is when the Black Bears travel to Boston for its last road trip of the regular season.
Meanwhile, the Black Bears head to Connecticut for a crucial two-game set against the Huskies next weekend.
