March 4, 2003
SMART NAMED DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK


Maine women's hockey goaltender Lara Smart has been named Hockey East Women'
s League Defensive Player of the Week for her performance against UConn over
the weekend.

Smart, a junior from Airdrie, Alberta, stopped all 21 shots she faced in a
2-0 shutout of the Huskies on Saturday. The win, Smart's third shutout of
the season, secured the Black Bears a ticket to the Hockey East Tournament.
It is the second time this season that Smart has received the honor.

Three other Black Bears were named to the Hockey East weekly honor roll for
their roles in Maine's weekend sweep. Dawn Froats made 21 saves on 22 shots
to give Maine a 5-1 win over UConn on Sunday, Katie Hartley picked up two
assists in Sunday's win, and Raffi Wolf notched a goal and two assists over
the two games.

Maine, the third-seeded team in the Hockey East tournament, will face
second-seeded New Hampshire at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 15 at
Northeastern's Matthews Arena.