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Friday’s women’s hockey game between the University of Maine and Providence College at Alfond Arena proved that sometimes the score does not reflect how many shots a team takes, but where the shots are taken from.
Despite being outshot 42-24 in regulation, UMaine answered a 2-1 Providence lead in the second period which sent the game to overtime, and the contest was eventually settled in shootout, won by UMaine, 2-1.
“Whenever you put up 43 shots, you expect to score more than two goals,” said Providence coach Bob Deraney. “We didn’t take advantage of our opportunities.”
UMaine’s fourth shooter in the shootout, sophomore right wing Myriam Croussette, beat Providence goalie Genevieve Lacasse with a glove-side backhander, and Black Bear freshman goalie Brittany Ott stopped Providence junior center Alyse Ruff’s responding attempt. UMaine senior defenseman Lexie Hoffmeyer led off the shootout with a goal, and Providence freshman Jessica Cohen converted as the Friars’ third shooter.
“That’s the move that I use pretty much when my confidence is low,” Croussette said. “That’s the move that I pretty much score on all the time so I just use it.”
It was Providence’s second straight game decided by a shootout. They came out on top in last Sunday’s shootout on the road against the University of Connecticut.
The Black Bears moved to 2-7-2 (0-3-2-1 Hockey East), but have not won since their season opening sweep against Sacred Heart University. Providence stands at 3-4-4 (2-1-2-1 HE) and is winless in their last five games.
“We just came out knowing that we had to do a lot more work to be successful,” UMaine senior captain Amy Stech said. “We were just confident and kept our feet moving and it paid off.”
Ott made 41 saves, while Lacasse stopped 26. The majority of Providence’s 43 total shots came from outside the dots though, and Ott was able to control the rebounds without much difficulty. Ott made her sixth appearance of the season and is 1-3-1. Lacasse has started all 11 of Providence’s games.
“They were shooting a lot from the point, and I didn’t have much traffic in front of me on all of them, so I could see them pretty clear,” Ott said.
The Friars’ lone loss all-time to UMaine came on Nov. 23, 2003, for an unbeaten streak which spans 35 games. They also had not allowed a first period goal in their last six games entering the weekend, so they did not expect to outshoot the Black Bears 9-5 in the opening period but have to come up with an answering goal before the first intermission.
Stech scored her second goal of the season with 3:19 remaining in the first period. She caught Lacasse off guard with a wrister from the right point that jumped up off the ice and sailed over the goalie’s left shoulder. The shot was set up by a battle along the boards in the Providence zone won by UMaine freshman right wing Brittany Dougherty.
“There were about four Providence girls in my way, and I was surprised that it even went in,” Stech said.
The Friars answered Stech’s goal with 13.8 seconds left in the first period, moments after their first power play expired. Sophomore center Ashley Cottrell came from behind the goal and attempted to sneak the puck between Ott’s pads at the near post, but the shot rebounded out onto Ruff’s stick to flick it in.
Providence scored a shorthanded goal to take the 2-1 advantage 5:14 into the second period, but went 0-for-7 on the power play. The Friars took just three penalties, resulting in two UMaine power plays.
“Penalty killing has been good for us, but we just have to find a way to score on the power play,” Deraney said. “We’ve got to take advantage of them. We’re not right now.”
Providence freshman right wing Nicole Anderson scored the shorthanded goal in the slot after the face-off caused by teammate Arianna Rigano being sent to the penalty box.
“I called for it out front, and I just smacked it in between the five-hole,” Anderson said.
UMaine senior center Jenna Ouellette teamed up with Croussette for the even-strength equalizer with 3:50 left in the second period. Croussette returned Ouellette’s pass to the slot where Ouellette fired a wrist shot just below the crossbar.
UMaine and Providence both return to action on Sunday, hosting afternoon games against UConn and Northeastern University, respectively.
