The University of Maine men’s ice hockey team fought hard last weekend against the University of Notre Dame, tieing Friday night before getting blown out 5-1 Saturday. The Black Bears are now 10-7-3 and 5-9-2 in conference play.
UMaine skates to tie
The University of Maine men’s hockey team went into overtime for the third consecutive game, tying the Notre Dame Fighting Irish by a score of 4-4 on Friday night at Alfond Arena. The Black Bears third-year captain Devin Shore and second-year forward Brady Campbell tallied big goals to help lift Maine from a first period deficit.
Campbell’s goal was his first of the season and came early in the second period.The Black Bears were battling back from 3-2 when Campbell found the back of the net on a miraculous play by linemate and fourth-year assistant captain Stu Higgins.
Higgins skated up ice, catching the Fighting Irish on a line change with only one defender in Notre Dame’s defensive zone. Higgins fired a pair of shots that deflected off the legs of a Notre Dame defender. The Fighting Irish’s second-year goaltender Chad Katunar lost sight of the puck in the exchange. Campbell was trailing Higgins on the play and recovered the loose puck, knocking it in as he fell to the ice to even the score at 3-3.
“I was just trying to do my best to keep my eye on it,” Campbell said. “ Somehow it ended up behind the goalie and I was able to just chip it in.”
The Black Bears third line of Campbell, Higgins and third-year wing Will Merchant were stellar throughout, combining for two goals and an assist in the contest.
“Campbell, Merchant and Higgins have played really well for a long time, and tonight they were superb again. They finally earned their just deserts,” Black Bears coach Red Gendron said.
Maine would take a 4-3 lead before the end of the middle period. Shore brought the puck up ice on a two on one opportunity. He decided to hold onto the puck and fired a wrist shot that deflected off the mask of Katunar and out to first-year defender Mark Hamilton. Hamilton fired a shot high at the net that Katunar awkwardly stood up to save. The puck dropped to the ice between his legs, and Shore was right there to clap the puck through his legs to take a 4-3 Maine lead.
“We captured momentum by using speed, puck movement, and winning battles. We never let our foot off the gas and that’s how we want to play,” Gendron said.
Notre Dame was able to fall back on their all-star, third-year wing Mario Lucia, who knotted the score in the final minute of the second period for the Fighting Irish after being battered 18-6 in shots throughout the middle period.
Second-year center Vince Hinostroza received a pass at the point and fired a slapshot at Black Bears second-year goaltender Matt Morris. The puck deflected off of Morris’ right pad and back into the slot. Lucia was battling for position down low with a Maine defender, finding the puck at the end of his stick and firing a rocket into the Black Bears net for a 4-4 tie.
“Momentum goals are always huge, that gave us a little life going into the third,” Notre Dame coach, Jeff Jackson said.
Neither team was able to tally a goal in the overtime.
“I think we played well enough to win, but a lot of the times the results don’t reflect how well you played,” Shore said. “It’s that time of year in a really deep league where points are precious.”
Gendron pulled starting first-year netminder Sean Romeo after giving up three goals in the first 13 minutes of action. Morris replaced him for the remainder of the contest and played well between the posts for the Black Bears, allowing only one goal in nearly an entire game of action.
Maine got on the board first, just five minutes into the opening period. An aggressive mid-ice forecheck earned the Black Bears a breakaway opportunity. Second-year forward Blaine Byron poked the puck away from a Notre Dame defender, and fourth-year wing Connor Leen tipped it back up ice to Byron as he skated alone towards the Notre Dame net. Byron hesitated and fired a wrist shot across the ice and through the five hole of Katunar for a 1-0 Maine lead.
Notre Dame would tally two consecutive goals before the Black Bears would respond on a goal by Will Merchant before the end of the period.
The first goal came on a 3-on-2 opportunity converted by first-year wing Anders Bjork. After thwarting a Black Bears offensive rush, Hinostroza stormed up ice and passed the puck from the right faceoff circle to first-year wing Anders Bjork in the center of the slot. Bjork fired a shot stick side that Romeo couldn’t save, knotting the score at 1-1.
The Fighting Irish tallied their second goal less than a minute later on an odd play by third-year defender Jordan Gross. Gross received a pass and fired a shot into a slew of traffic. The puck deflected off of several players, and eventually dribbled into the back of the net. Romeo lost sight of the puck in the action and it slid slowly into the Maine net for a 2-1 Notre Dame advantage.
Merchant scored on a tip-in from a puck that rebounded off of Katunar’s chest on a slapshot from third-year forward Steven Swavely.
Notre Dame regained the lead on a beautiful snipe by third-year defender Jordan Gross. Gross found the puck just left of the slot after a scrum for the puck in the corner. Gross lifted the puck over the shoulder of Romeo, who was hugging the right post. The puck somehow found its way through and into the back of the net for a 3-2 Fighting Irish lead at the end of the first.
“Some nights I sit here and I tell you how angry I am, but tonight we played well. It would have been nice to get two points instead of one, but that’s hockey,” Gendron said.
“I’m not happy unless we win, ever. But at the same time, I can’t sit here and say we played poorly. We played a real good game. We needed to get five goals, and we didn’t.”
Black Bears blown out
A defensive lapse in the final two minutes of the middle period decided Saturday’s conference bout between Notre Dame and the University of Maine. The Fighting Irish tallied three goals in 90 seconds to defeat Maine 5-1 at Alfond Arena. Second-year forward Vince Hinostroza finished with two goals and an assist to lift the Fighting Irish.
“We came out flat and didn’t pay attention to detail. We just fell apart in the second period,” Black Bears fourth-year wing Connor Leen said after the game.
Both teams entered the second period in a 1-1 tie. The majority of the period remained scoreless until Notre Dame exploded for three goals, a deficit too large for the Black Bears to respond to.
The first came from fourth-year wing Austin Wuthrich. Wuthrich received a pass at the left faceoff circle and fired a shot in traffic. The puck deflected off of a Notre Dame player and squeaked by Morris’ right pad to give the Fighting Irish a 2-1 lead.
“We had good puck possession the whole shift. A couple things opened up and we were finally able to capitalize. It was a good shift and that’s what we’ve wanted to do all weekend,” Wuthrich said.
Second-year center Vince Hinostroza tallied a second goal in the period just seconds later. A defensive zone turnover gave Hinostroza and second-year forward Anders Bjork a 2 on 1 opportunity against a Maine defender. Bjork passed right to Hinostoza who hesitated, and then fired a shot short side by Morris to increase the lead at 3-1.
“I saw the goalie sliding and I put it short side under his glove. I think he got a piece of it but it went in,” Hinostroza said.
It didn’t get better for the Black Bears from there. First-year forward Jake Evans would tally a third Notre Dame goal 40 seconds later. Evans received a pass in the slot from first-year center Connor Hurley and widened his path as he approached the Black Bears net. Then, Evans released a wrist shot that deflected off the skate of a Maine defender and through Morris’ five hole to propel Notre Dame to a 4-1 lead before the end of the period.
“We stuck with it all night. When we play four lines and control the puck, that’s Irish hockey,” Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson said.
Maine played well throughout the contest, but the disastrous end to the middle period ultimately lost them the game.
“That stretch is unacceptable. I should have had two of them, if not all of them. The last one was a weird bounce but it’s definitely one I want back,” Morris said.
Both teams tallied a goal in a back and forth opening period.
Notre Dame broke the scoreless tie just five minutes into the game. Hinostroza fired a shot from the slot at Black Bears second-year goaltender Matt Morris. The puck deflected off of Morris’ pad and back out into the slot. Third-year wing Mario Lucia recovered the puck and sent a rebound shot that Morris somehow blocked again. The puck slid right of the crease where Bjork recovered and clapped the puck by Morris to secure a 1-0 Notre Dame lead.
Maine would respond by tallying their only goal of the contest shortly after Bjork’s on a spectacular effort by fourth-year forward Connor Leen. Leen received a pass from Swavely behind the Notre Dame net. Leen skated behind and back out to the end line before firing a shot parallel with the net that deflected off the skate of Notre Dame first-year netminder Cal Petersen and into the back of the net, tying the game at 1-1.
The only chance the Black Bears had to put another on the board was thwarted when Petersen laid down to cover a puck shot by first-year wing Nolan Vesey. Vesey sent the shot from the right faceoff circle and connected with the post. The puck fell under Petersen and a scrum ensued in front of the Notre Dame net. Petersen laid back and covered the puck, despite the light flashing and the Black Bears horn sounding. The referees reviewed the play and confirmed the call on the ice of no goal.
Hinostroza tallied an empty net goal with a minute remaining to complete the 5-1 victory for Notre Dame.
“We needed to get elevated tonight. Last night we played a good game. We had to be focused and intense for the game tonight, but clearly that didn’t happen. We didn’t start well, and we didn’t play well in the second period,” Maine coach Red Gendron said.
The Black Bears return to action next weekend for a two game series at Merrimack College. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.