UM’s late goal ties Friars Aggressive play helps Bears score

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ORONO – University of Maine sophomore defenseman Julie Poulin said coach Guy Perron is always telling her to get the puck to the net “even if it isn’t a hard shot.”

That’s what Poulin did in the waning moments of Sunday afternoon’s game and junior right wing Sonia Corriveau swept home her rebound with 1:16 remaining to give the Bears a 2-2 overtime tie against the nation’s No. 9-ranked Providence College Friars.

Maine, which blanked host Vermont 2-0 on Saturday, is now 11-5-6 overall, 3-5-4 in Hockey East. Providence is 13-7-4, 7-2-2 respectively.

On the power play, Perron pulled goalie Genevieve Turgeon in favor of an extra attacker and it paid off when Patricia Gagnon won the faceoff back to Poulin and Poulin’s snap shot hit somebody in front and deflected over to Corriveau.

“I had pretty much an open net. I put it top shelf,” said Corriveau.

Senior goalie Jana Bugden, a former three-sports standout at Hebron Academy, said she and her two defensemen “thought we had the puck but it rolled to the side and they banged it in. It was tough luck.”

Bugden had surrendered Amy Quirion’s first-period power-play goal off a Kim MacElhaney rebound but she kept her team within striking distance by making 20 of her 31 saves over the first two periods as the tenacious Black Bears dominated the penalty-prone Friars to the tune of a 21-8 shots-on-goal edge.

Providence equalized 2:36 into the third period when Ashley Payton crashed the net front and knocked in a Kristin Gigliotti rebound.

Gigliotti, the nation’s No. 2 scoring defenseman (30 points), gave PC the lead on the power play with a one-timer from the left point into the short side off a pass from Kathleen Smith.

Maine freshman left wing Vanessa Vani had a breakaway in overtime but hit the short- side post.

“The short side was open high but I didn’t get it there and it hit the post,” said Vani.

PC scoring leader Karen Thatcher had a break-in as time expired in overtime but Maine defenseman Kim Meagher’s desperate dive helped enable freshman goalie Turgeon to make a routine save rather than a difficult one and Thatcher’s rebound rolled across the net front.

Perron said he was “overall happy” with his team’s performance.

“We played pretty well for two and a half periods and then they battled back in the third,” said Perron. “We outshot them (33-21). We’re tough to play against right now.”

Maine went 2-for-12 on the power play while PC was 1-for-4.

On Saturday, Brigitte Laflamme’s power-play goal 8:58 into the third period broke a scoreless tie and Kelly Law added an empty-netter with 24 seconds left.

Law and Poulin assisted on Laflamme’s goal and Turgeon made 17 saves.

Katie Nichols had 37 stops for Vermont, 2-21-2 overall and 1-11-1 in Hockey East.

BLACK BEARS 2, FRIARS 2 (OT)

Providence (13-7-4) 0 0 2 0 – 2

Maine (11-5-6) 1 0 1 0 – 2

First period – 1. Maine, Quirion 3 (MacElhaney), 4:26 (pp). Penalties: PC, Malboeuf, hitting after the whistle, :45; PC, Normore, interference, 2:30; PC, Hendrickson, hitting after the whistle, 8:56; Maine, Law, holding, 9:46.

Second period – No scoring. Penalties: PC, Keilch, body check, 2:34; Maine, Tangredi, high sticking, 3:04; PC, Simpson, hooking, 3:28; Maine, Poulin, interference, 4:51; Maine, bench minor for too many men on the ice, 5:10; PC, Lomond, body check, 9:19; PC, bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct, 15:57; PC, George, roughing, 18:12; PC, Malboeuf, holding and 10-minute misconduct, 19:17.

Third period – 2. PC, Payton 11 (Gigliotti), 2:36; 3. PC, Gigliotti 14 (Smith, Crissy), 11:05 (pp); 4. Maine, Corriveau 9 (Poulin, Law), 18:44 (pp). Penalties: PC, Laffin, holding, 5:14; PC, Doolin, cross checking, 5:36; Maine, Wauters, holding, 10:42; PC, Malboeuf, high sticking, 18:34.

Overtime – No scoring. Penalties: Maine, Law, roughing and 10-minute misconduct, 4:53; PC, Gigliotti, roughing and 10-minute misconduct.

Shots on goal: PC 5-3-9-4-21; Maine 11-10-11-1-33

Goaltenders: PC, Bugden (33 shots- 31 saves); Maine, Turgeon (21-19)

Power-play opportunities: PC 1-4; Maine 2-12

High-percentage scoring chances: PC 1-3-8-1-13; Maine 8-6-5-1-20

Attendance: 178