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Maine Falls To #8 Ranked Wildcats 5-2
Feb. 12, 2005
Orono, Maine - Prior to the hockey east conference game between the Maine Black Bears and the visiting #8 ranked Wildcats of the University of New Hampshire, 19 women's ice hockey student-athletes were honored for their academic successes. Maine drops to 12-10-3 (3-8-2 HE) on the year after falling to the #8 ranked UNH (18-5-4, 10-1-2 HE) 5-2 at Alfond Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats used a three goal first period to defeat Maine. Maine battled back with goals from sophomore forward Sonia Corriveau (Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec) and junior forward Andrea Steranko (Regina, Saskatchewan) to close within two goals 4-2, but could not get past goaltender Melissa Bourdon. Senior captain Tristan Desmet (Strathmore, Alberta) earned assists on both goals. Maine outshot UNH 36 to 18. The first five minutes of the game belonged to the Black Bears as they dominated play in the Wildcat end registering three chances on goal. At the 11:53 mark of the first period, senior defenseman Laura Maddin was sent to the penalty box for holding. 20 seconds later, Stephanie Jones scored a power play goal to put the Wildcats up 1-0. Nicole Hekle assisted on the goal. UNH doubled their lead at the 9:41 mark when Hekle ripped a left-handed shot off the post from just inside the blue line. Defenseman Andi Hanley assisted on the goal. With 52 seconds to play in the first period, UNH made it 3-0 when Leah Craig found Jones who netted her second of the game and 20th goal on the season. At the end of the first period of play, sophomore goaltender Rachel Gettings (Watervliet, New York) made six saves on nine shots while her counterpart Bourdon made seven saves on seven shots. Maine was 0-0 on power play opportunities while UNH was 1 for 2 on the man advantage.
Maine came out flying in the second period registering the first seven shots on net and scoring the first goal of the period. Corriveau scored a power play goal off a pass from senior forward Tristan Desmet (Strathmore, Alberta) 58 seconds into the period to put Maine within two 3-1. Corriveau's seventh goal of the season was a great individual effort. UNH answered at the 12:30 mark with a goal by Craig assisted by Lindsay Hansen that put the Wildcats up 4-1. The Black Bears would not go away and scored a goal at the 13:38 mark to cut the New Hampshire lead in half, 4-2. Steranko tallied her ninth goal of the year with Desmet earning her team leading fourteenth assist on the year. The period would end 4-2 with Maine outshooting the Wildcats 17 to 6. Maine was 1 for 4 on the power play with UNH going 1 for 2. The #8 ranked Wildcats added a goal at the 6:24 mark of the third period when Becky Peters and Hansen found Taylor Palazeti who put the puck past Gettings. With the score 5-2, UNH received two consecutive penalties to put Maine on the 5-on-3 advantage. The Black Bears tallied shot after shot but Bourdon was up to the task and saved everything she faced to keep the three goal cushion. Gettings finished with 14 saves while UNH counterpart Bourdon finished with 34 stops for the win. The Black Bears return to action tomorrow, Sunday, February 13 for a 1p.m. face-off at Alfond Arena for the second game of the home-home series with UNH. For more information go to www.GoBlackBears.com. |
