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The No. 4-ranked University of New Hampshire women’s hockey team beat the University of Maine Black Bears 3-1 Saturday at Alfond Arena to sweep the weekend set and the season series. The win followed a 5-2 victory Friday night.
The Wildcats are unbeaten in the last 27 meetings with the Black Bears and Saturday’s triumph marked their 14th straight win in the all-time series.
“It was hard fought,” UNH coach Brian McCloskey said. “When Maine got down, there was no quit in them.”
Eight different Wildcats scored on the weekend, as UNH snapped a three-game winless streak and improved to 15-4-5 overall, and 9-3-2 in Hockey East play. UMaine fell to 6-15-5 (3-10-3-1 Hockey East) and have dropped five straight.
“We had to get these two points to get back in the hunt for playoffs,” said UNH freshman right wing Kristina Lavoie after Saturday’s game. “It takes a lot of confidence to come back from two losses. It feels really good.”
UNH sophomore goaltender Lindsey Minton faced just 20 shots Saturday in earning her seventh win of the season. Minton had not started a game since the first period in UNH’s Jan. 8 meeting at Fenway Park with Northeastern University. Despite the limited offensive output of the Black Bears, four of the first six shots Minton faced came on breakaways.
“She had a lot of phenomenal saves and really kept us in the game,” said UNH freshman left wing Kristine Horn.
“It could have been 4-3 after one [period], but the goaltending was excellent,” McCloskey said. “Maine wasn’t generating a lot in the first two periods, but in the third they did.”
The Black Bears didn’t reach double digits in shots until the third period. Their 13 shots in the final frame nearly doubled their combined total for the first two periods.
“It’s always kind of hard when you don’t get much in the beginning, but you really have to keep your head in the game,” Minton said. “The third period was a lot more fun for me.”
UNH’s penalty kill, which is ranked third in the nation, allowed just one UMaine power play goal in 12 chances between the two games. The lone power play goal by UMaine junior left wing Jennie Gallo spoiled the shutout in the final minute Saturday. UNH went 4-for-12 on the power play for the weekend.
“That was the difference for us,” McCloskey said. “I felt very comfortable when we were shorthanded. I knew we were going to threaten when we were a man up, it was just a question of whether we would convert.”
Lavoie was the first to solve UMaine freshman goaltender Brittany Ott, 5:29 into the opening period Saturday, as she skated uncontested through the left face off circle and wrapped a backhand around to Ott’s glove side.
“I had an option, if I wanted to pass or to shoot,” Lavoie said. “I had [center Sarah] Cuthbert in the slot, so I decided to go in backhand and put it in the low corner.”
The Wildcats went up 2-0 on their second power play, 3.8 seconds before the first period horn. Horn one-timed a backhand shot in the slot set up by junior defenseman Courtney Sheary at the right point.
“Sheary put a great shot on net, and I was lucky and got a stick on it,” Horn said.
The Black Bears managed just two shots against Minton in the first period. Both came in the first five minutes on breakaways by UMaine senior right wing Amy Stech.
“Had Maine converted there, it would have really given them a lift,” McCloskey said.
UNH senior center Kelly Paton added an insurance goal midway through the third period, when fancy stick work set up a backhand shot from the top of the crease that slid just across the goal line at the left post.
Gallo tipped Lexie Hoffmeyer’s shot from the mid-point just below the crossbar with 45 seconds remaining in the game, as the Black Bears elected to pull Ott for a 6-on-4 advantage.
“I didn’t see it at all,” Minton said. “Nothing you can do about those.”
Ott finished with 36 saves Saturday after a 35-save effort Friday night, but fell to 4-9-3 with the pair of losses.
“She’s a great goalie, and I give a lot of credit to her, too,” Horn said.
In Friday’s game, Stech struck with the game’s first goal just 10 seconds after the opening faceoff, but UNH rallied with three power play goals and pulled away for the 5-2 win.
UNH right wing Kelly Cahill’s power play goal 9:28 into the first period answered Stech’s goal, and forwards Micaela Long, Brittany Scudder and Julie Allen all scored in the second before UMaine freshman Brittany Dougherty’s third goal of the season came 1:19 before the second intermission.
Scudder added a pair of assists to go along with her goal.
Stech and Dougherty each notched a goal and an assist for the Black Bears, who were shut out on six power plays. UNH went 3-for-7 with the extra skater.
The Wildcats out shot UMaine 40-21, and junior goalie Kayley Herman made 19 saves to improve to 8-2-3.
