The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team is on a winning streak.
But when the Black Bears entertain No. 10 Vermont for a two-game set this weekend, they will probably be without second team All-Hockey East goaltender Loryn Porter, who injured her knee early in the first period of last Sunday’s 4-1 win at Providence College.
The team has strung together six consecutive wins, which is the program’s longest winning streak since the 2004-05 team won seven in a row from Dec. 3, 2004, to Jan. 8, 2005, of that season. UMaine is 12-13-1 overall and 10-8-1 in Hockey East and are in a fourth place tie with Boston College.
The team is currently without forwards Amalie Andersenn (Denmark) and Rahel Enzler (Switzerland), who are playing in the Winter Olympics.
Porter, a finalist for the inaugural College Goaltender of the Year last season, posted a 1.18 goals-against average and a .960 save percentage during the winning streak.
Redshirt freshman Jorden Mattison, who came on 4:53 into the Providence game after Porter left and stopped 31 of 32 shots, will be between the pipes in Porter’s absence.
UMaine head coach Richard Reichenbach said Porter’s injury doesn’t appear to be serious and he expects her to be back soon.
Porter has started 22 of UMaine’s 26 games and is 9-10-1 with a 2.33 GAA and a .927 save percentage. Mattision has started the other four games and has appeared in 10 games overall and is 3-3 with a 2.67 GAA and a .910 save percentage.
Black Bear defenseman and captain Taylor Leech from Bowdoinham said the team has played with consistency during the winning streak, accentuating their strengths and executing their systems.
“We are all playing well and we’re playing well off each other and supporting each other,” said Leech, whose Black Bears have outscored their opponents 19-7 during the streak.
UMaine’s power play is 7-for-27 over the six games compared with the opponents’ 3-for-26.
Reichenbach said his team has improved noticeably against physical teams which had given them problems previously.
“Our forwards have been able to fight through contact and get to the net [on the forecheck]. We’ve scored a lot of goals five-on-five. The last few years, we’ve had to rely on rush chances and the power play for our goals,” he said.
Several players are having breakout seasons including senior center Ally Johnson, Leech and junior center Morgan Trimper from Bangor, whose twin sister Ally has been seeing duty on the fourth line.
Milwaukee’s Johnson had seven goals and eight assists in 89 career games entering the season and she already has eight goals and seven assists this year.
“She is one of our fastest players and she’s really strong. She was a really good track athlete in high school. And she has a really hard shot. It just has taken her a few years to put everything together,” said Reichenbach.
Leech has four goals and six assists this season, after having only three goals and 23 assists through her first 100 games. She also leads the team in blocked shots with 35, 13 more than anyone else.
“She has always been really good defensively and now she is running our top power play unit,” Reichenbach said.
Trimper had a goal and eight assists in 55 games before this season and she has three goals and six assists this season.
Former All-U.S. College Hockey Online All-Rookie team selection Ida Kuoppala leads the team in scoring with eight goals and 11 assists with Johnson (8 & 7) and senior center Ali Beltz (5 & 9) right behind.
Defenseman Courtney Colarullo is fourth (3 & 8) and she is one of four freshmen immediately improving the team, along with wingers Mira Seregely ( 3 & 6) and Alyssa Wruble (5 & 2) and defenseman Bailey Oakes (2 & 2).
Senior Celine Tedenby (5 & 4), graduate student Maddie Giordano (5 & 3) and Dartmouth College transfer Jen Costa (3 & 6), who are wingers, are also having productive seasons.
Reichenbach has been pleased with his entire defense corps and noted that eight played last weekend.
Veterans Ida Press (1 & 6), Elise Morphy (0 & 7) and Nicole Pateman (2 & 3) have teamed up with Leech to anchor the defense corps. Former Old Town High standout Olivia King (0 & 2) is vastly improved, according to Reichenbach.
Maine and Vermont will play at 6 p.m. on Friday at Alfond Arena and at 2 p.m. on Saturday.