Power play boosts UM women’s squad

After a frustrating 1-5-2 start, the University of Maine women’s hockey team put together back-to-back wins over Boston College in its Hockey East openers last weekend.

Now the defending league champion Providence College Friars invade Orono on Saturday and Sunday.

Both games begin at 1 p.m.

Maine had scored only nine goals in its six games before the BC series and coach Rick Filighera said his team continued to have trouble finishing its chances against the Eagles.

“But we started to get our power play going and that’s a key for us,” said Filighera, whose Bears went 3 for 8 on the power play against BC after going 2 for 31 in their first eight games.

“We’ve got to score on our five-on-five chances. We generate Grade-A chances but we don’t finish,” said Filighera.

He said the victories over BC were “important for our confidence. It wasn’t very high before that.”

Two constants throughout the season, according to Filighera, have been his team’s defensive zone coverage and the goaltending of senior Lara Smart.

“The defensive zone coverage has been very good and Lara is one of the top two goalies in the conference,” said Filighera, who considers Northeastern’s Chanda Gunn to be the other top puck-stopper.

“Lara has been steady,” said Filighera. “She’s strong, she controls her rebounds and she doesn’t give up any soft goals.”

Senior right wing Karen Droog became the school’s first 100-point scorer last weekend. She now has 66 goals and 35 assists in 101 career games.

Maine men’s hockey signs two

The UMaine men’s hockey team has received signed National Letters of Intent from Rob Bellamy and Bret Tyler to attend the Orono campus next fall.

Bellamy is a 6-foot, 195-pound left wing from Westfield, Mass., who plays for the New England Junior Coyotes. He has nine goals and 12 assists in 12 games this season.

Tyler is a 5-9, 182-pound defenseman from Maynard, Mass., who has played the last four years for the Junior Bruins. Last season he had 27 goals and 60 assists as the top-scoring defenseman in the EJHL. He was selected as a member of the 2001 USA Select 16 team.

“In Bret and Rob we feel we have two of the top players in New England coming to the University of Maine and I know the fans in the Alfond are going to love watching these two guys play,” coach Tim Whitehead said.