With a little over a month left in the regular season of women’s Hockey East, a key series will take place this weekend at Alfond Arena in Orono as the University of New Hampshire Wildcats visit the Maine Black Bears.
All 10 Hockey East schools make the postseason, but the top six seeds get a bye and avoid the opening round. Currently UNH (12-11-1, 8-9-0) owns that sixth place position with 22 points, with Maine (6-18-1, 5-12-1) just behind them with 19 and six big points available in their series head to head at the Alfond.
The Black Bears have already beaten the Wildcats in the only other meeting in the regular season 4-1 in Durham on January 3. Three skaters have double digit points in helping to lead Maine with sophomore forward Lily Fetch registering 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists), senior forward Alyssa Wruble with 11 (5 goals, 6 assists), and senior defenseman Adriana van de Leest also with 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists). In net, sophomore Julia Bachetti (2-4-1, 3.21 goals against average, .897 save percentage) has returned from injury and has started the last three games after freshman Kiia Lahtinen (3-14, 3.41 GAA, .897 save %) had played the previous 17 games.
Maine and UNH face-off Friday at 6 p.m. and at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
