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Women’s Hockey: Bears record shootout victory over PC

Posted on Nov. 09, 2009, at 2:13 a.m.

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 the Black Bears being outshot 42-24, UMaine senior center Jenna Ouellette’s second period goal answered a 2-1 Providence lead and sent the game to overtime, where the extra point was eventually awarded 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. Providence left Orono at 3-4-4 (2-1-2-1 HE) and 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 low percentage areas though, and Ott was able to control the rebounds without much difficulty.

“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 spanning 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 force 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 in the game. 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 faceoff 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.

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.

On Sunday, the University of Connecticut Huskies scored three straight shorthanded goals in the final two periods and pulled away from the Black Bears for a 7-2 win.

UMaine senior defenseman Lexie Hoffmeyer’s shorthanded breakaway goal in the third period came too late for the Black Bears, who led 1-0 into the first intermission on a power play goal by sophomore defenseman Melissa Gagnon.

UConn’s first three goals came in a two-minute span midway through the second period, and then the flood gates opened. Junior center Jennifer Chaisson scored the third shorthanded goal and added one on the power play, while five different teammates accounted for the rest of the scoring.

UMaine finished the weekend at 2-8-2 (0-4-2-1 Hockey East), while UConn picked up their first conference win to improve to 5-4-2, (1-2-2 HE).

Garcia stopped 29 shots to pick up her third win of the season. Ott made 33 saves and fell to 1-4-1.

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