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Black Bears Take on Second Place New Hampshire This Weekend
Feb. 8, 2005 Maine will host the University of New Hampshire for a two-game conference series this weekend at Alfond Arena Saturday and Sunday afternoon. The fourth place Black Bears (12-9-3, 3-7-2 HE) will play the second place Wildcats (17-5-4, 9-1-2 HE) on Saturday afternoon at 1pm and again on Sunday at 1pm. Maine is currently tied for the final playoff spot with Boston College and sits four points behind third place Connecticut. Providence College is in first place with a 10-1-1 conference record. Boston College plays Boston University tonight then hosts Northeastern on Saturday. Recent Games: Maine lost back to back games with Providence College 2-1 OT and 4-1. Abby Krause (South Moorhead, Minnesota) scored her first collegiate goal in the 2-1 overtime loss. Andrea Steranko (Regina, Saskatchewan) score the lone goal in Sunday's 4-1 loss. The Black Bears will look to rebound against the Wildcats and secure some valuable conference points. UNH defeated Northeastern 2-1 on Friday, Feb. 4, and defeated Providence 2-1 on January 30. Offensive Fire Power: Senior captain Tristan Desmet (Strathmore, Alberta) continues to lead the Black Bears in points this season with 24 (12 goals, 12 assists), followed closely by her linemates, junior forward Cheryl White (Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) and junior forward Andrea Steranko (Regina, Saskatchewan). White (12 goals, 7 assists) and Steranko (8 goals, 11 assists) have tallied 19 points apiece. UNH brings two of the top five point leaders into this weekend's match-up. Nicole Hekle has 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) and Stephanie Jones has added 32 points (18 goals, 14 assists). Head to Head: On January 14, UNH edged Maine 1-0 and the Black Bears were able to earn a conference point on January 15 when the two teams skated to a 3-3 tie. Maine was up 3-2 off a power play goal by sophomore forward Kate Sunstrum (London, Ontario) but UNH pulled the goalie and Hekle scored with 26 seconds left to send the game into overtime. Maine comes into the weekend series scoring an average of 2.62 goals per game. In the first 24 games, the Black Bears have netted 63 goals and allowed 50 for a 2.08 goals against average. The Wildcats have given up an average of 1.77 goals per game (46 GA in 26 games) and scored 85 goals on the year for a 3.27 goals per game average. Power Play: In all games played, Maine's power play has scored 15 goals in 149 attempts (.101) to the Wildcats 30 goals scored in 177 attempts (.169). In conference play, the Black Bears are seven for 74 (.095) with UNH 12 for 78 (.154). Penalty Kill: The Black Bears average just over seven penalty minutes per game and have given up 18 goals in 142 chances (.873). The Wildcats average just under seven penalty minutes per game and have given up 13 power play goals in 168 chances (.923). Goaltender Match-Up: Sophomore goaltender Rachel Gettings (Watervliet, New York) leads the Black Bears in net with an 12-9-2 record and is ranked second in all league games played. In 23 games, Gettings has a 2.03 GAA, a .896 save percentage, and three shutouts. Melissa Bourdon is ranked first for the Friars in all games played and has seen action in 23 games this season. Bourdon comes into the weekend series with a 14-5-3 record, a .915 save percentage and a 1.91 GAA. Maine will look to avenge the 1-0 loss to UNH earlier this season and secure a spot in the Hockey East playoffs. Both games will begin at 1pm on Saturday and Sunday at Alfond Arena.
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