BOSTON – New Hampshire used speed and finesse, two departments in which it has excelled this season, to slip by Maine 2-0 at Matthews Arena in the Hockey East semifinal Saturday.

The win was the 27th on the season for New Hampshire against Maine’s final total of 12, but the lopsided game that many expected never materialized.

“There isn’t as much disparity as most people think,” said Maine coach Rick Filighera. “Of the two teams, they are more skilled for sure, but our kids worked just as hard. Hard work can beat skill on any given day.”

New Hampshire got the only goal it needed midway through the second period on the power play. Allison Edgar picked up a stray puck high in the slot and let a shot go through traffic in front. Maine goalie Dawn Froats made the first stop, and then a second on a rebound shot in front by Stephanie Jones. Jones got another whack at it, however, and poked the puck through Froats’ pads to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.

“I think that trickled underneath her,” said Jones. “Their defenseman was in the far corner so I was alone in front. The shot came in from the point and I got the rebound. It trickled right underneath her.”

Thanks to a clutch performance by Froats, Maine stayed within one goal for much of the game, trading chances throughout the final period. Froats made 41 saves on the afternoon.

“She kept us in the game,” said Filighera. “The reason we had the opportunity again New Hampshire today was because she came up huge in net for us.”

“I could tell after the first few shots that I would have a decent day in net,” added Froats. “My forwards and defensemen kept the puck out of the front after the first shot. It didn’t feel like 43 shots.”

The biggest test for Froats came late in the third as UNH peppered her. In a 15-second span, Froats made three saves, caught two bounces off of the posts and dealt with four offensive zone faceoffs.

On the other end, All-Conference goaltender Jen Huggon made 15 saves for her 14th shutout of the season.

Maine didn’t look a bit like the underdog in the first period, managing seven shots on Huggon. Most of those shots were quality scoring opportunities, including two breakaways (one that missed the net) and one quick turnaround by Karen Droog as she fought off a defender in front, creating a screen.

“On that breakaway she did exactly what we had talked about,” said Filighera. “When Huggon goes down, she can leave the top corners open, so we had worked on faking and going high. In general, any odd bounce we get changes the entire game.”

Keeping them off the board in the first was big,” said UNH coach Brian McClosky. “That could have changed the whole game.”

On the other end, Froats turned aside 11 UNH offerings to keep the game scoreless. Both teams killed off a penalty in the opening frame, and both managed two good chances on those opportunities.

New Hampshire displayed its quick feet early and often in the second period, beating Maine to several pucks and dominating on the shot chart 14-4. The Wildcats also managed a goal in the second frame to take a 1-0 lead.

It would be New Hampshire’s only goal in the period. It may have had another at the 15:36 mark of the period, but Froats snagged a breakaway shot with her glove to preserve the one-goal margin.

On the other end, Huggon proved equal to the task with a snazzy glove save of her own on Droog just ten seconds later.

Again as the period wound down, Maine applied stiffer pressure, but couldn’t get inside on New Hampshire’s defense.

jpelletier

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