The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team opened up Hockey East play with Friday and Saturday evening games with UConn and Northeastern at the Alfond Arena in Orono.
On Friday, Viki Harkness scored a second period goal and that is all UConn would need in staying unbeaten in the early season with a 1-0 win.
Jorden Mattison made 33 saves in net and kept Maine in the game, but they couldn’t crack the scoreboard. Natalie Snodgrass and Taylor Wabick had the assists on the winner by Harkness that was scored at 12:51 of the middle period. Samantha Carpentier-Yelle made 17 saves for the Huskies, who improved to 5-0, 1-0 in Hockey East.
On Saturday, three different goal scorers led the visiting Northeastern Huskies to a 3-0 win.
Maddie Mills and Andrea Renner had second period goals at 6:30 and 11:28, with the one by Mills being the eventual game winner. Tessa Ward added an unassisted empty net tally at 19:20 of the third. Northeastern improves to 4-2, 3-2 in HE. Aerin Frankel stopped all 34 shots for the shutout in net. Loryn Porter made 36 stops in the loss.
Maine falls to 2-5, 0-2 in HE and is back in conference play again next weekend when they travel to New Hampshire and Boston College on Friday and Saturday afternoon.
