What do the three small college women’s hockey teams have in common?

The University of Southern Maine, Bowdoin College and Colby are all unbeaten.

USM is 4-0-1 while Bowdoin and Colby are each 4-0.

Bowdoin was ranked second in this week’s national U.S. College Hockey Online Division III women’s poll while Southern Maine was 10th.

Colby was unranked.

USM is in the ECAC Division III Women’s League while Colby and Bowdoin are in the inaugural NESCAC women’s league.

“I thought we would be pretty strong,” said USM second-year coach Dave Venditti, a former USM player who led the Huskies to a 15-6-2 record a year ago. “We didn’t lose much and we gained a lot of confidence last year.”

He said his team is unselfish and “doesn’t have any superstars.

“Our strength is that we’re a pretty well-rounded, hard-working two-way hockey team,” said the 33-year-old Venditti, who has six Maine natives on his roster. “Our kids aren’t concerned with individual statistics. They’re pretty smart, they know what their ability is and what we have to do to win. We aren’t fancy. Our kids aren’t individualistic. They play hard as a team.”

The Huskies have been extremely stingy, allowing only three goals in their five games while scoring 24.

Freshman left wing Rachael Wollstadt of Old Town leads the team in scoring with five goals and three assists.

There are four Huskies tied with six points: South Portland center Courtney Rideout (3 & 3), right wing Holly Manning (4 & 2), left wing Beth Fulton (2 & 4) and center Karen Harrison (0 & 6).

Lyman’s Breanne Fortiguerra (1 & 2) and Penobscot’s Jeanna Leclerc (1 & 1) help anchor the defense in front of goalies Karen Jamnik (2-0-1, 0.97 goals-against average, .952 save percentage) and Molly Duer (9 saves in 2 shutouts).

Bowdoin has scored 29 goals and surrendered just one.

The Polar Bears of Michele Amidon, 16-5-3 a year ago, have been led by Shelly Chessie (6 & 8), Marissa O’Neil (4 & 4), Kirsti Anderson (4 & 4) and Gillian McDonald (4 & 4). Anderson and Leah McClure (0 & 4) have been the top point-producers on the blue line and Francesca Klucevek-Whalen (18 saves in two shutouts) and Emily McKissock (29 saves on 30 shots) have shared the goaltending.

The youthful Mules of Jennifer Holsten, 11-9-4 last season, have been paced by four freshmen: Caitlin Krause (3 & 3), Heather DeVito (3 & 3), Sasha Schroeder (2 & 1) and goalie Lynn Hasday (3-0, 0.67, .962), along with sophomore Kate Sweeney (1 & 5), junior defenseman Jill Young (3 & 1) and senior Carrie Swiderski (1 & 3).

There will be an NCAA Division III Frozen Four this season for the first time.

Bates holds Dash for Hunger

The Bates College indoor track and field teams will host the Fourth Annual Yuletide Dash for Hunger this Friday from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m.

The races, for children 12 and under, will be held at the Walter Slovenski Indoor Track in the Merrill Gymnasium. Registration is 4:15-5 p.m. and the event is open to any boys and girls. For entry, participants should bring a canned good or nonperishable food item which will be donated to the Rural Community Action Ministry.

For more information contact Carolyn Court at 786-6356 or Al Pereshetian at 786-6360.

Hobbs is NAIA scholar-athlete

University of Maine-Fort Kent soccer standout Tracie Hobbs has been named to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics list for scholar-athletes for the second consecutive year.

To be considered for the honor, students must play a varsity sport and maintain a 3.5 or higher grade point average.

In addition to playing on the soccer team, Hobbs has played on the women’s basketball team, served on the student senate as the vice president and is currently a teaching assistant. She was also recently named Outstanding Future Alumni by the UMFK Alumni Association as well as being named to the Maine Athletic Conference All-Conference Team.

In the coming weeks, Hobbs will begin her assistant girls varsity basketball coaching duties at Wisdom High School in St. Agatha and her student teaching assignment in St. John Valley elementary school.

Mills breaks school record

Mount Holyoke College junior Maggie Mills of Morrill broke her own college record last weekend in the triple jump by seven inches. She jumped 34 feet, 7 inches at the Husky Winter Carnival at Northeastern.

The 1999 Maine State Champion in the high jump, when competing for Belfast Area High School, Mills continues to excel in this event. At Northeastern, in addition to breaking her record in the triple jump, she placed fourth in the high jump, clearing a height of 5’2″. Both of her marks qualified Mills for post-season competition.

Mills is a History and Education major at Mount Holyoke and is also a member of the soccer and outdoor track and field teams.