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BOSTON – Once a team reaches the Hockey East Semifinals, it’s supposed to take two games to win the Hockey East Championship. It took the University of Maine men’s ice hockey team almost three.
The Black Bears won their fifth ever Hockey East title in dramatic fashion, as junior Ben Murphy scored just his third goal all year to beat the Massachusetts Minutemen at the 9:27 mark of the third overtime, lifting UMaine to a 2-1 win Saturday night at the Fleet Center.
“It’s pretty great,” Murphy said of scoring the winner. “It’s always nice to score a goal in overtime. When you’ re in the Fleet Center and playing in front of all these people, it’s a great feeling. It’s the greatest feeling of my life so far. I’m happy it could help the team to victory.”
Murphy’s goal came from grinding work by the fourth line of Murphy, Cameron Lyall and John Ronan down low. After Ronan worked the puck free from UMass defenseman Dusty Demianiuk behind the UMass net, Lyall picked it up in the right corner. He threw the puck to the top of the right circle where defenseman Matthew Deschamps came down on the puck. He took one stride before wristing it toward the net, where Murphy redirected the shot between sophomore goalie Gabe Winer’s legs to end the longest game in Hockey East history, eclipsing the old mark of 96:26 set in a Hockey East Quarterfinal game between Providence and Boston University in 2001.
Murphy, who doesn’t normally get a chance to do postgame interviews, said he doesn’t mind not having to do them after games.
“I know we have our top-end guys, and I’m fine with sitting and watching them get all the interviews and the notoriety so long as we keep winning as a team,” he said. “That’s what keeps me happy.”
Goaltending played out as a key of the game with Winer and UMaine’s Jimmy Howard. Winer stopped 59 shots in the loss, but Howard continued his hot streak, saving 63 shots, only two short of tying the Hockey East record for saves in a game set by Chris Terreri of Providence in 1985.
“It was a great game,” Howard said. “Both goalies played unbelievable. I think we could have finished that a little bit earlier, but Gabe was great. He stood on his head.”
For his efforts in the entire tournament, Howard was named the Hockey East Tournament Most Valuable Player. He won all three games he played and stopped 98 of 100 shots for the tournament. Both goals he gave up were power play goals, keeping intact his streak of 11 games without giving up an even-strength goal.
The Minutemen appeared to have the first goal of the game half-way through the first period. Greg Mauldin one-timed a feed from Thomas P�ck into the net, but the goal was called back on replay because freshman forward Kevin Jarman skated through the crease before the puck went in.
UMaine’s Dustin Penner gave the Black Bears the lead as UMaine broke out of its 0-for-15 power play draught in the postseason with a goal 16:24 into the second period. Penner followed up a blocked shot from Michel Leveille for his 10th of the year to give UMaine the lead.
Mauldin tied the game, this time with a goal that counted, on the power play at 13:47 of the third period. Mauldin took a slap shot from the top of the left circle that was deflected off Prestin Ryan’s leg and past Howard for his 15th goal of the year to set up the overtime. The Minutemen outshot UMaine 19-8 in the first overtime, but only managed eight shots in the other two extra periods combined. UMaine had 19 shots combined in the final overtimes.
“I’m just thoroughly impressed with these guys,” UMaine coach Tim Whitehead said following the game. “Todd Jackson has been a great leader, and Prestin Ryan and Jeff Mushaluk have been great leaders as well. [The team] just keeps finding a way to rise up in challenging situations, and this was another one – the best of them all.”
UMaine advanced to the championship game with a 1-0 win over Boston University in the semifinal on Friday. Freshman Mike Hamilton scored the game-winner 7:09 into the third period on a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle. He went high to the stick side on BU senior goalie Sean Fields. Jon Jankus got the lone assist on the play.
Howard made 21 saves in the game for his sixth shutout of the season and ninth of his career, both UMaine records.
Besides being named the tournament MVP, Howard was also named as the goalie on the All-Tournament team. UMaine forward Colin Shields and defenseman Ryan also got nods on the team. The All-Tourney team was rounded out by UMass forwards Mauldin and Mike Warner, along with defenseman P�ck.
The UMass Minutemen’s season came to a close with the loss at 19-12-6. UMaine is now 30-7-3 on the year.
The Black Bears will head to Albany, N.Y., for the East Regional of the NCAA tournament as the top seed. The Black Bears will take on the ECAC Champion Harvard Crimson on Friday. Faceoff will be at 5 p.m. Should UMaine win, the Black Bears will face either Ohio State or Wisconsin for a bid to the Frozen Four on Saturday at 6 p.m. All East Regional games will be at the Pepsi Arena.
