The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team opened their 2022-23 season on Friday night and Saturday afternoon by hosting the nationally ranked #8 Quinnipiac Bobcats at Alfond Arena. Quinnipiac would take the sweep with a comeback overtime win on Friday, and a shutout victory on Saturday.
On Friday- Quinnipiac scored the first goal in the opening period, before Maine got tallies from Ida Kuoppala and Mira Seregely in the second to take a 2-1 lead. The Bobcats would tie it when Lexie Adzija scored with 10:23 left in regulation, and then won it 3-2 on a goal by Olivia Mobley with just 10 seconds left in overtime. Kuoppala added an assist in the Black Bears loss, with Grace Heiting, Olivia King, and Rachel Enzler also adding an assist each. Jorden Mattison made 33 saves in net. Mobley had a goal and two assists for Quinnipiac, with goaltender Logan Angers making 18 saves.
On Saturday- QU got the only goal they needed in the first period, but added two more in the second to blank Maine 3-0 and complete the sweep. Nina Steigauf, Maya Labad, and Adzija were the goal scorers. Heiting led the Black Bears with five shots on goal, while Elise Morphy had four. Catie Boudiette stopped all 26 shots in goal for the Bobcats, while Mattison also had 26 in the defeat. Quinnipiac last season lost a double overtime thriller to the top team in the country and eventual national champion Ohio State in the NCAA Regional Finals. Maine is back in action next Saturday at 3 p.m. in Manchester, New Hampshire against Saint Anselm College. The Bears are under the direction of first year head coach Molly Engstrom, who came to Orono after four years as an assistant at St. Cloud State.
