ORONO, Maine – Despite an early third period goal by Brittany Kucera, the No. 10 Maine Black Bears struggled to make a full comeback, falling behind the No. 3 Boston College Eagles, 3-1, on Senior Day in the final game of the regular season at the Alfond Arena.
 
Starting in net for Maine (17-12-5, 11-9-4 WHEA), Loryn Porter saw her fourth start after playing the final period yesterday against Boston College (28-3-3, 19-2-3 WHEA). Holding the Eagles to just one goal each period, she stopped 26 shots throughout the match while Katie Burt turned down 30 shots for the win.
 
Opening up scoring, Erin Connolly found her fourth goal of the season on a sneaky backhander sliding across the front of the net into the back left corner. Picking up assists were linemates Delaney Belinskas and Ryan Little to help lift Boston College 1-0, just 4:36 into the first period.
 
The Black Bears held off the Eagles well into the second period controlling the neutral zone and out-shooting the Eagles on frame, 11-9. By the seventh minute into the second frame, Boston College doubled their score, 2-0, off a goal by Caitrin Lonergan tucking in the puck behind Porter off a pass from Daryl Watts and Molly Slowe.
 
Cutting their deficit in half, Kucera stole the puck in the Eagles defensive zone, skating into open ice she whipped around and ripped a shot hitting the top shelf for an unassisted Black Bear goal. With 14:19 left to play in the third period, Maine grabbed their first goal of the weekend.
 
Just three minutes later, Connolly nailed a shot off the pipe which bounced off behind the goal where Belinskas recovered the puck, brought it around the net and took her own shot. Porter deflected the puck off to the left where Little was patiently awaiting the rebound to tap the puck into the far little corner, boosting their score, 3-1, to close out the match.
 
After their winning season, the Black Bears clinched home ice for the Hockey East Quarterfinals which kick off next weekend on Friday, February 23 with puck drop set for 2 p.m. Their opponent will be decided following the outcomes of the games this weekend.
 
 
-UMaine-
 
 
This February, the University of Maine community comes together with the support of the Maine Sports Commission to celebrate the achievements of women and girls in sports. We believe that participation in sports at all ages builds courage, strength, and character and provides women with the confidence and tools to become the leaders of tomorrow. Please join us at our games and celebration events throughout the month. 
To support UMaine Women's Athletics, please visit: our.umaine.edu/fillthesteins