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Exactly one week after the men’s hockey team upset the No. 2 Boston College, the women got a shot of their own when they played host to the No. 5 Eagles. The Black Bears delivered in a very big way on last Sunday afternoon with a sensational 5-3 victory.
The win pushed the University of Maine to 3-9-0 overall and gives the team their first win in Hockey East (1-5-0), while BC fell to 7-2-2 and were handed their first loss in Hockey East (4-1-1).
Meanwhile, the loss caused the Eagles to drop in one national poll to No. 8.
The scoring began late in the first period, when junior Amy Stech received a beautiful pass from senior Vanessa Vani in front of the crease and Stech was able to sneak into the back of the net.
“When she comes out and plays her game, she’s one of the best on the ice,” said UMaine coach Dan Lichterman of Stech. “That was just a great shot from Amy.it was big to be able to score first.”
Vani would also make two great plays that do not show up on the stat sheet, clearing two pucks from the crease.
She picked up her 8th assist on the season, on her way toward becoming UMaine’s all-time leader in assists.
“Vani’s a big leader for this team,” Hoffmeyer said of the senior. “The way she plays the game is very contagious.”
Hoffmeyer would catch some of that “game” from Vani, and follow suit of her Captain later in the second period. With a 1-0 lead going into the second period, the Black Bears seemed determined to keep the pressure on the Eagles by winning key battles on the boards, getting to loose pucks, and fire even more pucks on the net.
At the 7:19 mark of the second period it was UMaine junior Jenna Ouellette tipping in a Lexie Hoffmeyer rip from near the blue line to put the Black Bears up 2-0.
Hoffmeyer, a junior forward, would pick up another assist nearly six minutes later when sophomore Jordan Colliton redirected a shot from Hoffmeyer on its way by BC’s goaltender.
Coach Lichterman had nothing but praise for Hoffmeyer, saying “this is the best game she has ever played for us.”
The Black Bears to a 3-1 lead into the second intermission and looked as if, with all momentum on their side, the team would easily cruise to victory. But the Eagles were not ranked No. 5 in the nation for a reason.
Sophomore Kaitlin Zeek and freshman Ashley Norum were sent to the penalty box, giving Boston College a 5-on-3 power play mid-way through the third period. Eagles junior Kelli Stack, one of the top scorers in the nation, took the game into her own hands with the 2-man advantage.
Stack would complete her hat trick for the game, scoring two power-play goals separated by only 10 seconds.
“We won this game because we played as a team throughout,” said Stech. “They started getting desperate and played as individuals towards the end of the game.”
It took a team effort to break the 3-3 tie late in the third. UMaine’s Jennie Gallo was fed a great pass as she flew from the penalty box behind the defense, creating a 2-on-1 breakaway for the Black Bears. Gallo put the shot on net and Stech cleaned up, charging the crease and scoring her second goal of the day which turned out to be the game-winner.
“Coach always says go hard to the net, so I did,” said Stech. “And when she got there the puck was just sitting in the crease behind the goalie. I looked down and asked myself ‘Is it really this easy?’”
UMaine would get some insurance later with a goal from junior Abby Barton off an immense feed from Gallo, again.
“This game shows the true character of this team,” Lichterman stated, after his team was able to bounce back after getting routed Friday by the University of New Hampshire.
“This was the first game where the team played a complete 60-minute game. We [the coaches] have been preaching to the team, ‘if we play a thorough game, the scoring will take care of itself’.this game is a steppingstone, a spring board, into the last half of the season.”
Stech, who was named the No. 1 star of the game, promises, “The team will work hard to make sure that this game is the turning point of the season.”
The Black Bears will host the University of Vermont, as they try to gain two more points in Hockey East. The game will take place at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Bangor Daily News