PROVIDENCE, R.I. – After shutting down UNH, 3-0, last weekend, the Maine Black Bears earned back their No. 9 national ranking in the USCHO Division I Women's Ice Hockey Poll. The Maine women also switched places with Providence College in the Hockey East standings as the Black Bears lifted above the Friars by one point for second place.
 
Maine women's ice hockey will be traveling on their final road trip of the regular season to Providence for a two-game series. The first puck will drop at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Schneider Arena.

Providence and Maine met up in November for a single game at the Alfond Arena. Thanks to a pair of power play goals by freshman Michelle Weis, the game was settled at a 2-2 overtime draw. Sophomore Tereza Vanisova added on a pair of helpers while four different Friars passed out assists. Evening up the score for Providence was top-scorer freshman Maureen Murphy with both goals.

Providence BY THE NUMBERS
2.81 : Goals per game
33.2 : Shots per game
2.35 : Goals against average
14.17% : Power play percentage
3.87 : Power plays per game
86.05% : Penalty kill percentage
4.3 : Penalties per game
 
The Friars (14-11-6, 10-7-4 WHEA) had a busy two days last weekend starting off on their home ice on Friday as they hosted Merrimack College and taking a tough 4-1 loss. The next day, the women ventured down to Storrs, Conn. to take on the University of Connecticut, battling the Huskies into overtime with a game-tying goal by sophomore Kathleen McHugh midway through the final frame for her second goal of the season. Unfortunately, the Huskies broke the tie with 2:33 remaining in overtime to defeat Providence, 3-2.
 
Registering the Friars first goal in the draw with UConn was junior Christina Putigna, opening up scoring in the first period with a power play goa then followed up with a pair of assists to close out the weekend. Leading scorer for the Friars, senior Brooke Boquist notched two assists in the tie last weekend to add on to her total of 26 points so far this season. Tucking in the lone goal for Providence on Saturday, junior Kate Freisen found her fourth of the season late in the third period.
 
Junior goaltender Madison Myers tallied a total of 39 saves between the two games. Starting goalie for the Friars, she has an overall record this season of 13-10-6 with two shutout wins. Her save percentage is .918 and goals against average notches in at 2.19.
 

MAINE BY THE NUMBERS
2.63 : Goals per game
28.9 : Shots per game
2.03 : Goals against average
10.78% : Power play percentage
3.40 : Power plays per game
85.71% : Penalty kill percentage
4.4 : Penalties per game
 
With the 3-0 shutout against UNH, the Maine women's hockey team not only tied the program's single-season record for wins (17), but net minder Carly Jackson recorded her own single-season program record for wins by a goaltender with 15. Maine currently has an overall record of 17-9-4 (11-6-3 WHEA) after drawing, 2-2, with UNH last weekend while also recording a 3-0 shutout.
 
With her 28 saves, Jackson earned her third shutout of the season while holding strong in the number one ranking in save percentage (.930) and goals against average (1.80) in the Hockey East.
 
Battling to a 2-2 tie with the Wildcats, the Black Bears closed out the first period on Friday by responding to UNH's early power play goal with back-to-back goals in under 60 seconds to advance into the middle frame with a 2-1 lead. Rookie Josefine Engmann presented Maine's first scoring opportunity ripping a shot towards goal, but the puck was stopped short as it deflected off Fedeski. Senior Brooke Stacey got a piece of it just before sophomore Ebba Strandberg tucked it away for her second power play goal of the season. Stacey and Engmann were awarded assists on the play.
 
In that same minute, with 17:56 on the clock, junior Alyson Matteau skated the puck down the entire length of the ice, weaving and bobbing through players to give the Black Bears their first lead of the afternoon with an unassisted goal. Maine held onto that lead well into the final period until the Wildcats found themselves in a 5-on-3 man advantage, tying up the score with their second power play goal. UNH is the only team to have recorded two power play goals against Maine in a single game throughout the entire 2017-18 season. The Black Bears currently rank 15^th in the nation and second in the WHEA in penalty kill (85.7%).
 
On Saturday, sophomore Lydia Murray potted a goal and two assists on UNH, leading the Black Bears to victory. Senior Catherine Tufts and Engmann both tallied two helpers last weekend while Matteau added on two goals between the two days.


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-UMaine-