The University of Maine’s women’s hockey team picked up their third win this past Friday night when they defeated the Long Island University Sharks 4-3. The Black Bears took full control of the game by jumping out to a 3-0 lead at the end of the first period and added another five minutes into the second. Long Island cut the deficit in half by scoring back-to-back in the middle frame. The Sharks added a final goal with three and a half minutes left to make it a 4-3 game. UMaine was able to hold on and stay strong to close out the game.
For their first goal, UMaine was on a power play off an interference penalty by Long Island’s first-year forward Anya Weilandt. Fourth-year forward Ida Kuoppala took a pass from fifth-year defenseman Emma Lange on a two-on-one and slammed it in behind second-year goalie Tindra Holm with 11:01 left in the first. Third-year defenseman Elise Morphy had the secondary assist on the score.
A few minutes later, fifth-year forward Grace Heiting added her sixth goal of the season with first-year forward Ava Stevenson getting the primary assist and third-year defenseman Olivia King getting the second. Just 30 seconds later, UMaine’s captain fourth-year forward Morgan Trimper found first-year defenseman Cora Webber for a breakaway and she put it five-hole for her first career collegiate goal to make it a three-score game.
Five minutes into the second, Heiting scored her second of the game with Lange getting her second assist on the goal. With this goal, UMaine seemed to get comfortable with their lead and take their collective feet off the gas, letting LIU score two goals. Third-year forward Sarah Rourke and fourth-year forward Megan Bouvier both scored, each putting one behind Black Bear third-year goaltender Jorden Mattison only 63 seconds apart to make it 4-2.
UMaine called a time-out and regrouped. Once they got their heads back in the game, both teams remained in a stalemate for over 20 minutes before LIU’s second-year defenseman Bri Eid cut the lead to one with 3:24 to go. The Sharks could not capitalize when they pulled their goalie for an extra skater in the final 47 seconds.
Despite being on the losing side, the star of the game was LIU’s second-year goaltender Tindra Holm. She had a very busy day getting peppered with 47 shots and making 43 saves. The Sweden native and national team member was the reason that LIU was able to hang in the game as long as they did. After a tough first period, she settled in very nicely. In comparison, Mattison had a steady day, making 21 saves and allowing three goals.
Morgan Trimper was great on faceoffs, winning 10 of her 13 attempts. Overall, UMaine won 32 of the 59 in the game, good for 54% of them. King had a game-leading four blocked shots for the Black Bears.
UMaine will host the defending Hockey East Conference champion Northeastern Huskies next weekend in Orono at the Alfond.
