PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Providence College women's ice hockey team tied visiting Maine, 3-3, in a penalty-filled affair Saturday at Schneider Arena.
The Friars benefitted from several multi-point games, including a three-assist performance from senior Abby Gauthier (Lynn, Mass.). Sophomore Maggie Pendleton (Woodbury, Minn.) notched her first career goal to go with an assist.
It was Providence who came from behind to get the equalizer with less than five minutes to play in regulation. At the 15:51 mark of the third and the Black Bears leading, 3-2, Gauthier sent a beautiful, back-hand feed through the crease. Classmate Ashley Cottrell (Sterling Heights, Mich.) waited at the right side of the crease and popped home her second of the season.
Both teams had chances in overtime. The best opportunity came with 3:45 left in the extra session, when Friar junior Jessica Vella (Pickering, Ontario) stole the puck in the neutral zone, skated in and shot from the slot. Maine goalie Brittany Ott got just enough of her glove on the puck and it trickled past the left post.
Friar goaltender Nina Riley (Lexington, Mass.) made 25 saves to backbone PC, including a stop on a breakaway midway through the second. Ott halted 20.
Maine jumped on the scoreboard first. At 14:11 of the opening period, senior Melissa Gagnon dug the puck put from the left boards and found junior Brittany Dougherty in the slot. Dougherty sent a rising shot for a 1-0, Black Bear advantage.
The Friars answered just over one minute later. Pendleton kept the puck in at the left point and fed Gauthier. The winger drifted towards the end boards before finding classmate Laura Veharanta (La Verne, Calif.), who stuffed the puck home from the left of the doorstep for her fifth of the season. The game remained knotted, 1-1, heading into the first intermission. Several penalties were called in the middle period, resulting in a total of three power play goals. At the 2:22 mark of the second and the Friars with the advantage, Pendleton connected on her first of her career, taking a pass from Gauthier and firing in a slapshot from the slot. 2-1, Friars.
At 11:46, with the Black Bears skating with a 4-3 advantage, Maine's Brittney Huneke converted on a slapshot from the high slot to even the game, 2-2.
The visitors took a 3-2 lead at 17:00. Again on the power play, Myriam Croussette scored from the right circle.
All told, the teams combined for 55 penalty minutes - 23 for Maine, 22 for Providence.
Cottrell accounted for a goal and an assist, and, after a three-point performance in Tuesday night's victory over Yale, the senior has five points in her last two games.
The Friars and Black Bears will meet again tomorrow, November 6, at Schneider Arena. Face-off is set for 2 p.m. Tickets are available by calling the PC ticket office at (401) 865 GO PC, or visit Friars.com.