GORHAM, Maine -- Sophomore Katie Couture (Harrisville, R.I.) scored her second goal of the game 47 seconds into sudden-death overtime to give the University of Southern Maine Huskies a 3-2 win over the visiting University of New England Nor'easters in an ECAC Women's East game Friday at the USM Ice Arena.

            The win improved the Huskies' record to 2-3-0 overall and in league play.  The Nor'easters dropped their second straight 3-2 overtime game to fall to 2-4-0 overall and 2-3-0 in conference games.

            Couture was in the right spot to knock in the rebound of a shot taken by sophomore Lynn Kozlowski (Stoneham, Mass.).  Kozlowski went in on a partial breakaway and was stopped by UNE sophomore goaltender Sydney Helmbrecht (Grand Rapids, Minn.), but Couture was there to shovel the puck between Helmbrecht's pads for the game-winning goal.

            Couture and Kozlowski combined on the only goal of the first period to give USM a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.  In the opening minute, Kozlowski set up Couture 20 feet out in front of Helmbrecht for a hard wrist shot that squeezed behind the UNE goalie.  Before anyone could clear the puck away for UNE, Kozlowski poked it into the net for her first goal of the season.

            In the second period, Couture scored her first goal of the season, and the first of her career, beating Helmbrecht from 30 feet out with a rising shot at 6:51.  Freshman Mikhaela Schultz (Warren, N.J.) sent Couture in one-on-one with a UNE defender.  Couture used the defender as a partial screen to help beat Helmbrecht.

            UNE forced the game into the extra period with a pair of goals 47 second apart in the third period.  Junior Marissa Clifford-Biederman (Lee, N.H.) fired a centering pass from below the goal line extended that hit a USM defender's skate and deflected past senior goalie Liz Bergstrom (Chanhassen, Minn.) at 10:24 for a power-play goal.

            Less than a minute later, the game was tied as sophomore Shannon Smith (Naperville, Ill.) picked up a loose puck in the left wing circle and beat Bergstrom with a wrist shot from 25 feet.  The unassisted marker was the third of the season for Smith.

            Bergstrom finished the game registering 18 saves for her second win of the season.  Helmbrecht recorded 16 saves.  UNE held a 20-19 edge in shots on goal and converted on 1 of 5 power-play opportunities.  USM was 0 for 2 with the extra skater.

            Southern Maine is back in action tomorrow afternoon (1:00 p.m.) traveling to the University of Massachusetts Boston for an ECAC Women's East game.  UNE returns home to host Franklin Pierce University in a battle of ECAC Women's East newcomers on Saturday (3:00 p.m.). 

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