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It was a bitterly cold weekend, the essential climate for a Hockey East showdown at Alfond Arena. On Friday night, the Black Bears hosted the Boston College Eagles for the first of two games. It proved to be a hard-hitting matchup between Hockey East rivals.
Earlier this season, the two teams skated to a 1-1 tie in Boston, and Friday’s game ended the same way. The Eagles and the Black Bears fought the entire game and through overtime but the result was a 3-3 tie. Saturday’s game, the third matchup between the two squads this season, began with both teams without a win to show. On Saturday night, however, the Eagles’ offense was too much for Ben Bishop and UMaine’s defense as Boston College won the rubber game by a score of 4-2.
At the end of the weekend, the Black Bears dropped to 8-11-3 on the season and 4-8-3 in Hockey East, while the Eagles – ranked 8th in the nation coming into the weekend – improved to 12-5-7 overall and 8-3-6 in Hockey East matches.
The Black Bears got on the scoreboard about halfway into the first period when Rob Bellamy shoved a rebound past BC goaltender John Muse, making the score 1-0. The Eagles answered right back when Matt Greene beat Bishop to tie up the game at one apiece. UMaine came out of the locker room fired up at the beginning of the second period and Brett Tyler found the back of the net just 13 seconds in, giving the Black Bears back the lead.
Once again, the Eagles tied up the game, this time taking just under two minutes. Later on in the second period, the Eagles snapped UMaine’s penalty killing streak of 34 consecutive periods, and broke the tie, taking a 3-2 lead heading into the third period.
Fans at the Alfond were in for an intense, nail-biting third period. The Eagles’ offense had been floating around the crease in front of “Big” Ben Bishop all game, and in the third period Bishop got fed up. About five or six minutes into the third, a BC forward got too close and personal for Bishop, and UMaine’s goalie responded. Bishop pushed back, Black Bears hurried over to back up their goalie and tussles ensued. Penalties were assessed to each team, but the fight gave UMaine a boost of momentum.
About halfway through the third period, Simon Danis-Pepin scored a power play goal for UMaine and tied the game at three goals apiece. Neither team would score a goal in the last 10 minutes of the third period, and the game was decided in overtime. The Black Bears needed two points against their Hockey East foe.
In Saturday’s game, the Eagles drew first blood. A little more than halfway into the first period, Joe Whiney beat Bishop, and BC took a 1-0 lead. Maine quickly answered back, and Danis-Pepin got the Black Bears on the scoreboard, tying the game at one.
The game remained tied at the end of the first period, but BC would quickly tally a goal just 37 seconds into the second period. The Eagles came flying out of the gates with a power play advantage and broke the tie, and the game was now 2-1. Just like the first game on Friday night, Maine would again tie the game at two goals apiece. This time it would take Andrew Sweetland to beat Muse with a shot from the face off circle.
Ten minutes would pass without seeing another goal. The Eagles scored when Nathan Gerbe beat Bishop on a breakaway goal to get his 19th goal of the season, and it would turn out to be the game winner for the Eagles. After the Black Bears pulled Bishop to gain an extra skater for UMaine, Matt Greene added an empty-net goal for B.C.
Even though the Black Bears lost, Bishop again had a solid performance as he blocked away 27 shots. Each team was successful on the power play, as both BC and UMaine got a goal.
The Black Bears travel down to UMass Lowell to try and garner a win in Hockey East play this upcoming weekend on Friday, Feb. 1.
