University of Maine women’s hockey coach Dan Lichterman said 14 days of “great effort” were rewarded Sunday when his Black Bears snapped their 20-game winless streak (0-18-2) with a 4-1 win over Northeastern.

Maine outshot NU 43-26.

“Ever since the team got back from the break, they’ve had great spirit and a great work ethic. They’ve played pretty well every day, including practices. I’m a big believer that everything starts in practice,” said Lichterman.

“You could see right from the start that there was no way we were going to lose that game,” said Maine sophomore center-right wing Taryn Peacock, who scored the game-winner and had an assist. “We all came together as a team. We decided we had enough of losing and we were going to do whatever we could to win.”

Peacock, the Hockey East Player of the Week, said everyone came back off the break with a “whole new attitude.”

“It was a great win,” said sophomore left wing Amy Stech. “Everyone was on the same page for the first time in a long time and we got a lot of good bounces.”

Stech said that since the team has returned, “We have worked hard, kept up a fast pace and we’ve all been willing to put in the sacrifices to make sure our season turns around.”

Lichterman said they have devoted a lot of time to the offensive side with puck support and puck movement and it has been “a hundred times better.”

“We’re getting more pucks to the net and more quality scoring chances,” said Lichterman.

He said the line of Peacock, Stech and sophomore Jenna Ouellette has been the catalyst.

“They’ve done a real nice job moving the puck into space and allowing people to skate on to it,” said Lichterman.

“We’re playing simple hockey now. We’re making easy passes,” said Peacock.

“We work so well together,” said Stech.

Robyn Law, who has three assists in the three games since the break, has been another key, according to Lichterman.

Although the Bears are in seventh place in Hockey East at 1-6-2 (2-18-2 overall), Lichterman noted they’re just four points out of fifth place and five out of the fourth and final playoff spot.

“A lot of teams think our win was a fluke, but we’re ready to prove it wasn’t a fluke,” said Stech. “We’re getting our systems down and our team chemistry down. It has taken us a while, but we’re ready to make a big turnaround.”

“We have to focus on playing our best and controlling what we can control which is how we play and our attitude as a team,” said Lichterman.

Maine visits Boston University for a pair this weekend.

UMaine track team performs well

The UMaine indoor track and field team had a productive meet, winning several events during Saturday’s Vert et Or Invitational at Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Laura Brustolon was among the top women’s performers, winning the 3000 meters with a time of 10 minutes, 44.09 seconds. Tanya Simard took the triple jump with a leap of 11.14 meters, while the Black Bears’ 4x400m relay team won in 4:10.10.

Simard placed second in the long jump (5.21m), while Allyson Howatt was second in the 60 meters (7.85 seconds) and Vicki Tolton was second in the 300 (41.84 seconds).

In the men’s ranks, Miles Bartlett took top honors in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:01.76. Jeff Ramos claimed the high jump at 2.02 meters.

Carson Hartman and Thomas Williams wound up 1-2 in the triple jump with leaps of 12.72m and 12.32m, respectively. The 4×400 relay squad also crossed the finish line first, in 3:25.56.

Skip Edwards finished second in the 300m in 35.88 seconds.

UM baseball clinic set Feb. 17-21

The UMaine baseball program is gearing up for its preseason baseball clinic, which will be held Feb. 17-21 in the Mahaney Dome and the Memorial Fieldhouse on the Orono campus.

The camp is open to players ages 6-18 and will be divided into age-appropriate groups. Players ages 6-12 will meet 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. daily, while 13-to-18-year-olds gather from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

UMaine also is offering an hourlong hitting clinic for all ages from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The five-day clinic costs $150, while the hitting clinic is $75 per player.

Registration forms are available on the Web at GoBlackBears.com. Payments should be made to: UMaine Baseball, 5745 Mahaney Clubhouse, Orono, ME 04469.

For more information, contact assistant coach Mark Michaud at 581-1098 or mark.j.michaud@umit.maine.edu.

lmahoney@bangordailynews.net

990-8231