Maine Black Bears women's ice hockey

The Maine Black Bears women’s ice hockey team represents the University of Maine. The team plays their home games in Alfond Arena. The team's first year of play was in 1997–98. The Black Bears finished 6th in the 2019-2020 season, advancing to the semi-finals of the Hockey East tournament, before losing to the eventual champions Northeastern Huskies by a score of 1-3. The 2020 Hockey East women's ice hockey tournament was cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak, but Maine would not have qualified even if the tournament had been played. Hockey East announced plans in July 2020 to play the 2020-2021 hockey season, with an emphasis on league play.

Coaches

The current head coach is Molly Engstrom. A native of Siren, Wisconsin, she spent the 2018-2022 seasons as the assistant coach at St. Cloud University. She is a two-time member of the United States women's hockey team at the Winter Olympics, won a bronze medal with Team USA in 2006 at the Turin Winter Games and a silver medal in 2010 at the Vancouver Winter Games. Engstrom earned the 'Best Defenseman' award at the 2010 Winter Games.

She was a member of Team USA at six IIHF World Women's Championships from 2004 to 2011 and helped Team USA win IIHF World Championships in 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2011, along with silver medals in 2004 and 2007.

She has played and coached in the Swedish Women's Professional Hockey League (SDHL) from 2016 to 2018, and helped her team Djurgarden IF win the SDHL championship in 2017. She served as the girls' varsity hockey head coach and assistant athletic director at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, N.H. from 2014-2016.

In addition to her professional playing and coaching experience in Sweden, Engstrom played professional hockey with teams in Minneapolis, Toronto and Boston in the CWHL and NWHL from 2007 to 2013. She helped her Brampton-Canadette Thunder team win the CWHL title in 2008 and the Minnesota Whitecaps win the Western Women's Hockey League crown in 2009.

A 2007 graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Engstrom played collegiate hockey in the WCHA with the Badgers. She received First Team All-American honors while at Wisconsin and was also named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005. She was selected as a Patty Kazmaier Award top 10 finalist in 2005.

She went on to receive a Masters of Sports Administration from the Russian International Olympic University in 2014.

Richard Reichenbach was head coach from 2015-2022. In the 2019-20 season, his fifth season as head coach, he led Maine to a record of 15-14-8. Prior to coaching at the University of Maine, Reichenbach was an assistant with Cortland State. Reichenbach is a 2006 graduate of Hamilton College, where he was a hockey and lacrosse standout. He was team captain in his senior year. He played one year of professional hockey, on the Richmond Renegades of the SPHL.

Maria Lewis was head coach for the Bears for four seasons, and earned the Hockey East Coach of the Year award in 2012. That season, the Bears finished fourth in the Hockey East conference, with an overall record of 17-11-6. Prior to taking on the head coach responsibilities at Maine, Lewis was an assistant coach for Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey team, where she twice won the College Hockey Assistant Coach of the year award. She was also an assistant coach with the Ohio State Buckeyes and the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

Dan Lichterman became the third head coach for the Black Bears for the 2007-2008 season and coached for three seasons. He left at the end of his first contract, citing the need to support his wife's career.

Lauren Steblen, associate coach under Guy Perron, stepped in as interim coach in the 2006-2007 season. Steblen played defense for the Bears as a college player, and in her senior season, 2000-2001, the team made the Hockey East tournament for the first time. After graduating from Maine, she coached the Bemidji State Beavers, in Minnesota. At the end of her year as interim head coach, she decided not to pursue the permanent post.

Guy Perron was hired as the second head coach for the Black Bears. A graduate of UM, Perron was a two-time captain for the Black Bears, and tallied a career total of 62 gold and 84 assists for 146 points in 136 games. Perron coached the Black Bears to a 17-9-6 season in his second year. He left the following season to be the associate head coach and recruiting director for Maine's men's ice hockey program. He later became a scout for the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL.

Rick Filighera was the inaugural head coach for the Maine Black Bears' program, and oversaw the program for its first seven seasons. He came to Maine from a head coaching position with the Rochester Institute of Technology's women's hockey team. In 2003-2004, he was the runner up for the Hockey East Coach of the Year award. After leaving Maine in 1997, he became the head coach for Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio. As of 2020-2021, he was the head coach for the Cortland Red Dragons, in the Northeast Women's Hockey League.

Year by year

Sources

Team Scoring Champions

Team captains

''In progress''
*1997-98: Alana Ahearn
*1998-99: Alison Lorenz, Christina Hedges
*1999-00: Kelly Nelson
*2000-01: Kelly Nelson
*2001-02: Amanda Cronin, Jarin Sjorgen
*2002-03: Jarin Sjorgen
*2003-04: Lara Smart
*2004-05: Tristian Desmet, Emily Stevens
*2005-06: Cheryl White, Morgan Janusc
*2006-07: Kelly Law, Sonia Corriveau
*2007-08: Jenna Cowan
*2008-09: Vanessa Vani
*2009-10: Amy Stech
*2010-11: Dawn Sullivan
*2011-12: Dawn Sullivan
*2012-13: Kylie Smith, Chloe Tinkler
*2013-14: Jennifer More, Brittney Huneke
*2014-15: Jennifer More (C), Brittney Huneke, Katy Massey (A)
*2015-16: Abby Cooke, Emilie Brigham (C), Brooklyn Langlois, Eve Boissoneault (A)
*2016-17: Emilie Brigham, Jess Vallotton
*2017-18: Alyson Matteau (C), Brooke Stacey, Cailey Hutchinson (A)
*2018-19: Jillian Flynn
*2019-20: Jillian Flynn
*2020-21: Taylor Leech
*2021-22: Taylor Leech
*2022-23: Morgan Trimper, Alexandra Johnson

Current roster

2022–23 Black Bears

As of September 26, 2022.

Black Bears in Pro Hockey

Olympians

Awards and honors

Hockey East

* Brittany Ott, 2010 WHEA All-Rookie Team
* Amy Stech, Runner up, 2010 Hockey East Sportsmanship Award
*Meghann Treacy, 2014-15 Hockey East First Team All-Star

Hockey East weekly honors

* Jenna Ouellette – Maine, WHEA Player of the Month, December 2009
*Meghann Treacy, Hockey East Defensive Player of the Month (October 2014)
*Meghann Treacy, Hockey East Defensive Player of the Month (November 2014)

Hockey East weekly honors

* Carly Jackson, Pro-Ambitions Rookie of the Week (awarded October 17, 2016)
* Michelle Weis, Pro-Ambitions Rookie of the Week (awarded October 2, 2017

HCA Awards

*Ida Kuoppala, Women's Hockey Commissioners Association Rookie of the Month February 2020

References

{{Maine Sports

Ice hockey teams in Maine