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BIDDEFORD, Maine -- The teams scored 1:54 apart during the initial portion of the 2nd period, as the University of New England and Nichols College skated to a 1-1 draw in Conference of New England (CNE) women's ice hockey action Saturday evening (Jan. 18) at the Harold Alfond Forum. Then, after a scoreless overtime period, with quality chances flying left and right, the Nor'easters captured the shootout (1-0) for an extra point in the standings.

The game was also the 9th Annual Teddy Bear Toss, which is organized by the Harold Alfond Forum Building Managers and benefits both Southern Maine Health Care and Make-A-Wish Maine.

Kaleigh Laurendeau denied all three shootout attempts by the Bison, sliding both directions to cover low tries each time [Watch 1 / 2 / 3]. Once Jamie DuPont faked left and roofed UNE's first look inside the right post [Watch], stops from Laurendeau were all that the hosts needed. 
 
After Friday's tightly-contested 1-0 road win, the Nor'easters (7-7-1, 5-3-1 CNE / 16 pts) gain five points from the weekend against the Bison (5-10-1, 2-6-1 / 7). The teams will eventually meet for a third time to close out the regular season in February.

Things were still knotted at 0-0 through Saturday's 1st period, when the celebratory Teddy Bear Toss goal came 5:01 into the 2nd -- the latest score in the last six TBT events. Hannah Humes started and ended the play for UNE, beginning with disrupting Nichols from advancing to center ice and passing from her knees over to Kaylen Taddia entering the zone on the left. Taddia had a clear path to the cage and shot far-side low, which produced a juicy rebound after a pad save, and the trailing Humes settled the puck on the backhand before flipping it over the goalie's right shoulder [Watch]. It was the third tally of the season for Humes, who leads the squad with 10 points. Amanda Forziati, last year's TBT scorer, joined Taddia with an assist, and is right behind Humes with eight points.
 
The advantage was short-lived, though, as Nichols' Taylor Breen stepped into a passing lane in the defensive zone and took it the distance for the equalizer at the 6:55 mark.

Eight of the game's nine power plays occurred following that moment, with one even carrying over into OT, but neither group could capitalize with the extra skater. The 3-on-3 ice opened up down the stretch, forcing a key blocked shot by Forziati [Watch] and a pair of saves by Laurendeau [Watch 1 / 2]. McKenzie Muir of the Bison also provided an impressive kick-save in transition to keep it deadlocked.

Laurendeau wound up with 28 stops, while Muir notched 33. Eliana Kane topped all defensive contributions with six blocks for UNE; Humes added five, and Anneliese Klein had a team-best four on the Nichols side.

The Nor'easters will now prepare to entertain league-leading Endicott College (25 pts) on Friday at 7 p.m.