They have totally different styles but there is a common denominator: they both stop the puck.

Sophomore Dawn Froats hails from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan; junior Amanda Cronin is from York.

They are two of the reasons the University of Maine women’s hockey team is fighting for an ECAC playoff berth in just their fourth year of varsity existence.

“They have been pretty consistent. It’s very difficult to choose a number one and that’s a good thing because it makes them both better,” said Maine coach Rick Filighera. “Mandy is more acrobatic and more athletic. She makes spectacular saves. She made a glove save against St. Lawrence [in a 3-2 win last Saturday] that may have been the best save I’ve ever seen her make.

“Dawn is more of a calming influence. She’s usually square to the puck. She makes all the saves she’s supposed to make. She freezes the puck a lot but she’ll keep it going when it’s needed. She has a really good knowledge of when to stop the puck and when to keep it going,” added Filighera.

Froats, who also has two assists, has played in 14 games and has a 10-3-1 record, a 2.07 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. Cronin is 3-8 with a 2.87 GAA and a .907 save percentage.

Highly touted freshman Lara Smart has appeared in just one game due to a recurring groin pull that has sidelined her for the season.

“It works out great,” said Cronin. “We like each other and we both feed off each other. We work well together.”

Froats said, “I totally agree. I’ve learned a lot from Amanda. We push each other motivationally and emotionally. If I have a good game, it’ll motivate her and vice versa.”

Cronin and Froats also said having to split the goaltending has worked out nicely.

“I think either one of us could handle playing both games on the weekend but knowing that we will need complete focus and energy for one game is good. You may not have the same energy in the second game after playing the first one,” said Cronin.

Froats and Cronin also said having a more talented cast of teammates this year has been beneficial.

“We have such a stronger team this season that practices are a lot more intense,” said Froats, who also said she looks forward to practice this year unlike last year.

“I know my game is going to get better in practice this year,” said Froats.

Cronin added, “We have stronger shooters and quicker puck movement and that’s bound to make you a better goaltender. Both of us have improved from last year.”

The Bears have four games left and are three points behind Niagara for the eighth and final playoff spot. Niagara has two games left and both are against league leader Dartmouth.

Princeton, just two points behind Maine, hosts Maine on Saturday before the Bears travel to No. 12 Yale on Sunday.

Maine, which has a school record 13 wins overall to go with 12 losses and a tie, closes at home against second-place Harvard and fourth place Brown the following weekend.

Several playoff games slated

Several of the state’s small college teams are involved in postseason activity this weekend.

The University of Southern Maine, Colby College and Bowdoin College men’s hockey teams along with the University of Southern Maine and Bowdoin College women’s hockey squads will be in action while the Bowdoin and Colby College women’s basketball teams will square off against each other in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) semifinal at Amherst College on Friday night at 8.

There are plenty of Eastern Maine players involved in the playoffs as the basketball game between Bowdoin and Colby will feature Bowdoin’s Lora Trenkle of Surry, the conference’s best free throw shooter and the eighth best free throw shooter in the country (87.4 percent) against former Presque Isle High School star Kim Condon.

Bangor’s Jason Tuck will be the starting goalie for seventh seed USM when they visit No. 2 Salem State on Saturday at 7 for an ECAC Division III East quarterfinal; Glenburn and John Bapst High School product Stacy Rudnicki (9 goals, 9 assists) is the third-leading point-getter for the fifth-seeded USM women, who visit Manhattanville (N.Y.) for a 4 p.m. Saturday quarterfinal in the ECAC Division III women’s league.

Freshman defenseman Jeanna Leclerc of Penobscot and Winslow forward Nicole Lemieux also play for the USM women.

The Colby men’s hockey team, the third seed, will host No. 6 Hamilton (N.Y.) in a NESCAC quarterfinal at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Waterville’s James LaLiberty, a transfer from the University of Maine, is Colby’s second-leading scorer with 13 goals and 14 assists and Saco’s J.D. Hadiaris (12-6, 3.16 GAA, .888 save percentage) tends the nets.

Another Waterville player, defenseman Chad Hart, plays for No. 5 Bowdoin, which visits Trinity (Conn.) for a 4 p.m. NESCAC quarterfinal Saturday.

He had five goals and four assists in 19 games.

The sixth-seeded Bowdoin College women’s hockey team will face No. 3 Williams for a NESCAC quarterfinal on Saturday at 7 and the fourth-seeded Colby College men’s basketball team will take on second seed Amherst in a NESCAC semifinal on Saturday at 8:00 at Trinity. Bangor’s Jake Civiello plays for the Mules.

Burke gains All-Academic team

Danielle Burke of Canaan, who saw the majority of the playing time in goal for the University of Maine’s field hockey team last fall, has been selected to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association’s Division I National Academic squad.

Burke, a graduate student in mass communications, has a 3.80 grade point average to go with her 3.56 undergraduate GPA.

She was 5-10 with a 2.12 goals-against average and a .776 save percentage for the 8-11 Bears last fall.