Women’s hockey: UMaine hosting Lewiston’s Lauren DeBlois and Providence in Auburn

Lauren DeBlois skates at Providence College’s Schneider Arena in a game earlier this season. David Silverman Photography

It’s been a while since Lewiston’s Lauren DeBlois has played in the Lewiston-Auburn area in front of friends and family.

She’ll have that chance Saturday when the Providence College defender and the 13th-ranked Friars face the University of Maine women’s hockey team at Norway Savings Bank Arena in Auburn at 6 p.m.

DeBlois is excited to play in front of the community for the first time since her one season at Lewiston High School, when she helped the Blue Devils win the 2014-15 state championship. She then played at the New Hampton School in Hampton, New Hampshire, from 2015-19, before her college career began in 2019.

When she’s home, she spend a lot of time at Norway Savings Bank Arena with Cam Robichaud, the Twin City Thunder co-owner and coach, who also owns PucDevelopment, a hockey-specific training facility in Lewiston that has on-ice sessions in Auburn.

“I spend a lot of my summer there, skating with Cam and his crew,” DeBlois said. “Just being in college and playing a game there is pretty special to me.”

The game came about after last season when former Black Bears coach Richard Reichenbach — who resigned in the summer of 2022 — reached out to Providence coach Matt Kelly.

“I remember getting a call last spring from the former coach at Maine saying, ‘Hey, we are going to move this game,'” Kelly said. “I think they like doing one game a year at a town facility. He thought it would be a nice game because of Lauren’s connections in the state of Maine.”

This is the first time since before the coronavirus pandemic that the Black Bears have hosted a home game outside the Alfond Arena in Orono. They played games in 2018 and 2019 at Family Ice Center in Falmouth and hosted a game in Rockport in 2017 at the Midcoast Recreation Center. Maine played at Norway Savings Bank Arena twice during the 2016-17 season.

Maine also played at The Colisee in 2009 when the Black Bears hosted Boston University, a program that included two Lewiston natives: defender Kasey Boucher and associate head coach Katie Lachapelle, who is now the head coach of the Holy Cross women’s team and has been Team USA’s Women’s Under-18 coach the past two World Under-18 Championships.

Saturday’s game is also a showcase of women’s college hockey to people who may not have experienced it.

“It’s so important to get out, and you never know who will be at the rink,” Maine coach Molly Engstrom said. “That’s the one thing I was told as a player and now as a coach, it can be one person you are influencing. We are looking forward of hoping to have an impact on the next generation by getting out of Orono and getting out of the Alfond by playing in front of a different crowd.”

Engstrom is in her first season as the Black Bears head coach. She came to the University of Maine from St. Cloud State, where she was an assistant coach for the women’s team since 2018. She played at the University of Wisconsin from 2001-2005 and won two Olympic medals as a member of Team USA, a bronze in 2006 and a silver in 2010.

DeBlois said she never went to a UMaine women’s game but did go see the men’s team as a kid. She understands this game will allow younger players to see a level of hockey they probably haven’t seen.

“I think there are going to be a lot of young girls there. And I think playing a game closer to Southern Maine — obviously, the only Division I team in Maine is UMaine, and it’s kind of hard getting up there, how far Orono is away from the Portland area,” DeBlois said.

“I know, here, a lot of young girls come to our games and they are always running around and smiling, so it will be cool to see.”

Saturday’s game is important for both teams in the Hockey East standings. The Friars (17-8-3, 12-6-3 Hockey East) are currently third, and the Black Bears (13-14-1, 10-10-1) are sixth in the conference.

The Black Bears are coming off a 2-1 overtime win against Boston College this past Saturday. UMaine’s leading-scorer Mira Seregely (eight goals, 11 assists) scored both goals.

Luisa Welcke (seven goals and nine assists) and Lilly Welcke (four goals and 12 assists) are tied for second on the team in points, with 16, along with Alyssa Wruble (seven goals and nine assists).

“We have Mira Seregely — she scored a couple of goals this weekend,” Engstrom said. “She scored the game-winning goal against BC. She has been playing really well. We have Lilly and Luisa Welcke — the twins — they are only freshmen, but they like to have the puck, be around the puck, and shoot the puck.”

DeBlois isn’t the only Mainer playing in the game Saturday. The Black Bears have three local athletes on their roster: sisters Ally and Morgan Trimper of Bangor and Olivia King of Old Town.

DeBlois, a senior who will be returning to Providence next season for a fifth year made available because of the pandemic, is the Friars’ top-scoring defender with five goals and nine assists.

Kelly said the Providence coaching staff wants defenders to be part of the offense.

“Whether it’s Lauren or another defenseman, anytime your defensemen can get involved in the offense, that’s awesome,” Kelly said. “That’s something we preach a lot, getting up in the offense, and it’s something Lauren does really well.”

DeBlois entered Friday’s game against the University of New Hampshire with a three-game point streak.

Getting a goal Saturday would make the experience of playing in front of her hometown crowd even more special.

“That will be cool if that happens,” DeBlois said.