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ORONO – If captains lead by example, then Cheryl White put on a clinic.
The senior scored four goals over the weekend as the University of Maine women’s hockey team swept the University of Vermont at the Alfond Arena in Hockey East play. Saturday’s game saw UMaine defeat the Catamounts 7-0 as they followed up on Sunday with a 3-0 victory.
“Consistency has been our biggest problem the entire year,” White said. “We have to keep our focus and we are really good at home but our next game is on the road and so are the playoffs.
“We have to take the same focus we approach the game with at home on the road as well.”
UMaine’s successful weekend brings their record to 15-6-6 and 7-6-4 in conference. As for the Catamounts, they fall to 3-24-2 and 1-14-1 in Hockey East. Besides improving their record, the Black Bears are tied with the University of Connecticut for the final spot in the playoffs.
Similar to Saturday’s game, the Black Bears used early offensive opportunities to set the tone. A little more than 12 minutes into the game, freshman forward Vanessa Vani was skating towards the net when she left a backhanded pass for White to give UMaine the 1-0 lead.
Before closing the period, Brigitte Laflamme followed Vani’s lead setting up goals around the net. The reigning conference player of the week played a pass from behind the net to Sonia Corriveau who scored to give UMaine the 2-0 lead.
“We are in the playoffs as of now so we want to keep going,” Vani said. “We have to win at BC and at BU, so there are no worries.”
In the final period, the Black Bears outshot the Catamounts 15-4, but there was no shot more important than White’s goal. The goal came when Vani, who had five assists on the weekend, played the puck to White. From there a streaking White made her way around a Vermont defender and shifted her body to put a shot on net and give UMaine a 3-0 lead.
Saturday’s matinee witnessed a Black Bear offensive barrage that started a little more than three minutes into the first period as a shot by Julie Poulin beat Catamount goalie Jenilee Roy for a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later, White followed up her housemates’ goal with one of her own to extend the lead to 2-0.
Less than a minute later, the Black Bears were threatening in the Vermont zone when they created another scoring chance. With Brigitte LaFlamme behind the net, the forward fed the pass to freshman Patricia Gagnon for the 3-0 lead.
After both teams were finished swapping special team situations, the Black Bears broke a 16-minute scoring deadlock in the period. UMaine was making its way up the ice as Vani, who had three assists, was deep in the Catamount zone. Vani fed a pass to White, who scored her second goal of the game.
The final goal of the period came with less than two minutes left.
With a face off to the left of Roy, UMaine’s Amy Quirion won the draw as the puck made its way to Kim Meagher. Meagher, who transferred from Boston College this year, threw a shot on net that hit the inside of the post to increase the lead to 5-0.
“I thought we were first on the puck and we kind of played with the score,” Perron said. “The puck went in for us and the next thing you know, you are up three goals.”
UMaine struck again in the third period off the power play. As Vani had possession, she sent the puck to Kelly Law, who hesitated with her shot and then put the puck on net to beat replacement goalie Katie Nichols for the 6-0 lead with less than 10 minutes in the frame.
The Black Bears scored one more time as Quirion made her fourth goal of the season with 90 seconds left.
The Black Bears hope to continue their winning ways next weekend in a two-game set against Boston University. UMaine handled the Terriers 7-0 earlier this season.
