Coach of the Year, All-Star Honors Cap off Fantastic Women's Hockey Season
3/14/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
The University of Maine women's hockey team wrapped up a
fantastic season after being honored at the annual WHEA
Championship Awards Banquet. Head coach Maria Lewis earned Hockey
East Co-Coach of the Year honors. Brittany Dougherty (Chesterfield,
Mich.) was named to the WHEA Second Team All-Stars while Brittany
Ott (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) and Danielle Ward (Lansing, Mich.)
were named WHEA Honorable Mention All-Stars. Coach Lewis is also a
finalist for the American Hockey Coaches Association Division I
Women's Ice Hockey Coach of the Year.
The Black Bears had a record setting year, earning the most wins in
conference play in program history (11) and tying the overall mark
set six years ago with 17. With an overall record of 17-11-6 and
Hockey East record of 11-8-2, the squad finished with a record over
.500 for the first time since the 2005-06 season. Those wins
include victories over #4 Boston College and a weekend sweep of
eventual conference champion Boston University, all on the road.
Maine completed a season sweep of the University of New Hampshire
Wildcats for the first time in program history. The Black Bears
also advanced to the WHEA Playoffs for the second consecutive
year.
Maine finished the season with a 12-goal advantage over their
opponents, outscoring them 95-83. Four of those goals came in
overtime, giving them the most overtime wins in program history.
The team also set a program record for shorthanded goals in a
season with eight; beating the previous mark of five set back in
2003-04.
Brittany Dougherty and Danielle Ward each surpassed 30 points on
the season; Dougherty with 33 and Ward with 31. This marks the
first 30-plus point season since 2005-06 and Dougherty's 33
points are the most in a season since 2001-02. Dougherty was
recently named to the Pre-World Championships Camp roster, which
begins March 25. She is amongst 17 Olympians and 19 World
Champions, and 12 other NCAA Division I players. There will be two
games prior to the finalization of the Women's World
Championship / National Team Roster on April 1, including an
exhibition game against Team Canada.
The squad will see six seniors graduate this May; Danielle Ward,
Assistant Captain Ashley Norum (Fairbanks, Alaska), Myriam
Croussette (Baie-Comeau, Quebec), Melissa Gagnon (St. Gilles,
Quebec), Dominique Goutsis (Coquitlam, British Columbia) and
Captain Dawn Sullivan (Enfield, Nova Scotia). These six seniors
were recognized for their devotion and commitment to the program on
Senior Day that featured a thrilling 2-1 victory over New
Hampshire. Gagnon tallied the game-winning goal, which was the
first game winner of her career.
Between the pipes, goalies Brittany Ott and Kylie Smith (Apple
Valley, Minn.) played phenomenally for Maine. Ott played in 30
games on the season, making 717 saves on the 780 shots she faced
giving her a save percentage of .919. She also tallied a goals
against average of 2.34, a record of 13-10-3, and three shutouts;
all career bests for her. Ott eclipsed the 2,000 save mark and now
has a career total of 2,122. Ott made a season high 46 saves in a
heartbreaking 1-0 loss against #4 Boston College and made 44 on two
additional occasions. Smith played in a career high eight games
this season. She made 139 saves on the 155 shots she faced for a
saver percentage of .897. She secured a record of 3-1-3, a goals
against average of 2.30, and a shutout. The shutout was the first
of her career and came in a grueling 65:00, 0-0 tie against Brown
where she made 23 saves. She recorded a career high 33 saves in a
2-2 tie against Union College in December.
For up-to-date news about women's ice hockey, be sure to
visit www.goblackbears.com.
-U-M-
