The overall World Cup winner in 2013 with a record total of 2,414 points had yet to win a race at a stage of the season when she had already bagged six wins last winter.
However, after being told "ski the way you feel" by Swiss coach Mauro Pini, Maze appears to be picking up speed just in time for the Sochi Olympics.
"I'm happy for all of us," she said about the team surrounding her, which also includes Italian manager and partner Andrea Massi, a fitness coach and a ski technician.
"Mauro is just really intelligent about the way he's interpreting the course. We really connected very well. It's coming the way it should be and I'm really proud."
"He said to let my feelings lead the skis," she added.
After such a long victory drought, Maze said it was great to be back on top of the podium.
"This victory means a lot. It's easy when you win all the time. You don't appreciate it as much as when you're struggling and fighting for it", she said.
Her win was all the more promising as downhill has never been her best event and it will also be the first race in Sochi.
Maze clocked one minute 37.79 to beat in-form Swiss Marianne Kaufmann-Abderhalden and Liechtenstein's Tina Weirather.
World Cup leader Maria Hoefl-Riesch from Germany, who won Friday's downhill on the same course, was fourth to retain her overall World Cup lead ahead on 1,011 points ahead of Weirather who has 863.
(Reporting by Patrick Lang) nL3N0KZ065
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