The University of Maine women’s hockey team has already won six Hockey East games after averaging 5.6 league wins over the previous five seasons.
And its 12 overall wins is already more than it had posted in any of those five seasons.
The Black Bears are 4-1-2 against Vermont, Northeastern and Providence after going 0-9 against them a year ago.
UMaine also split series with nationally ranked Quinnipiac and Robert Morris.
UMaine, which has players from eight countries, is on the cusp of cracking the U.S. College Hockey Online poll’s top 10.
The Black Bears, 12-6-3 overall and amidst a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2), are 6-3-2 in Hockey East. They were 10-21-1 and 6-17-1, respectively, last year.
The key to the team’s success, according to fourth-year head coach Richard Reichenbach, has been its “defense and penalty-killing.”
UMaine is the 11th stingiest team among the nation’s 35 Division I programs, surrendering only 2.10 goals per game. Its penalty-killing is ninth at 88.5 percent.
“Now we just need to get our power play going,” said Reichenbach, of a Black Bears power play operating at 10 percent rate, last in the country.
Reichenbach credited his wife and assistant coach Sara (Simard) for playing a major role in the resurgence because she is the recruiting coordinator and has brought in the talent.
The Reichenbachs were co-head coaches in 2013-14 before he was named the head coach.
“We had a huge freshmen class last year and a really big one again this year,” said the head coach referring to the 11 newcomers a year ago and eight this season.
Nine of the the team’s top 12 scorers are freshmen and sophomores led by sophomore center and 2016-17 Hockey East Co-Rookie of the Year Tereza Vanisova, who has nine goals and 22 assists. Vanisova is the nation’s eighth-leading scorer and is third in assists.
She is one of six Black Bears with double-digit points along with senior left wing Brooke Stacey (9 & 13), her linemate; freshman center Michelle Weis (5 & 8), senior right wing Catherine Tufts (7 & 4), sophomore left wing Vendula Pribylova (5 & 6) and junior defenseman Alyson Matteau (3 & 7).
Sophomores Lydia Murray, a center, and Jessica Jacques, a right wing, have already improved their goal totals over a year ago as Murray has four and Jacques has three. Daria Tereshkina (3 & 3) is second in scoring among UMaine freshmen.
“We have much more balance up front than we had last year,” said Reichenbach.
UMaine’s top five scorers are on three different lines.
Reichenbach has also received a significant offensive boost from his defense, which has combined for eight goals and 33 assists after registering 5 & 29 a year ago.
Sophomores Brittany Kucera (1 & 8) and Ebba Strandberg (1 & 7) are UMaine’s Nos. 7 and 8 point-getters and freshman Anna Zikova (2 & 4) has been productive. The other regulars are sophomore Brittany Colton (0 & 2) and senior Mikayla Rogers (0 & 1).
“Our defensemen have been doing a much better job jumping up into the rush this year,” said Reichenbach.
Sophomore Carly Jackson has made dramatic strides in goal and is ranked in the top 20 in goals-against average (1.85) and save percentage (.925. 19th).
“And she is coming off her best game,” Reichenbach said of her 28-save outing in a 4-1 win at Vermont on Saturday. “She looked calm and poised from start to finish. She’s quick and she made hard saves look easy.”
Reichenbach said they spent a lot of time on defense and penalty-killing over the first half of the season and now he intends on focusing on improving the power play.
“You need a (good) power play to go far in the playoffs,” sadi Reichenbach, whose team visits Boston University on Jan. 6 and 7.
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