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Men’s Hockey: BC picks up three points at the Alfond

Eagles' Friday win and Saturday tie stops UMaine's home momentum

Photos by William P. Davis, Editor in Chief

Sophomore goalkeeper Scott Darling defends against a Boston College player in Saturday's tied game.

Posted on Monday, November 23rd, 2009, 12:51 am

David deKastrozza and a BC player go for the puck in Saturday night’s contest. DeKastrozza and the Black Bears salvaged a tie in the game after Friday night’s loss.

A roller coaster third period could not settle Saturday’s weekend finale between the Boston College and University of Maine men’s hockey teams at Alfond Arena, and neither could five minutes of overtime. The teams each took a point away from a 3-3 tie in front of 4,709 people at Alfond Arena.

BC came away with three points on the weekend after a 4-3 win Friday night. They improved to 5-3-2 overall and 4-3-2 in Hockey East play. UMaine stands at 4-7-1 overall and 3-4-1 in Hockey East.

UMaine fell behind 3-2 early in the third period despite leading 2-0 for the first 38:30. Junior center Robby Dee’s power-play goal sent the game to overtime. Dee buried a rebound through traffic in front of BC junior goaltender John Muse with 13:12 remaining in regulation.

“[UMaine sophomore right wing Gustav Nyquist] had thrown it on net, and I just happened to be right there, and I smacked it in,” Dee said of his third goal of the season.

Dee had a golden opportunity moments earlier, but his shot from the left circle banged off the inside of the far post.

“They came back and stole the lead from us, and it’s easy to get down when that happens,” UMaine junior captain Tanner House said. “We were able to bounce back, and that goal just lifted us.”

UMaine was given a two-minute power play with 2:09 remaining in the five-minute overtime but could not capitalize. The advantage was cut short when UMaine sophomore defenseman Will O’Neill was called for interference with 20 seconds left in the period.

“One goal separates the two teams over six periods of hockey,” BC coach Jerry York said. “We were very impressed with Maine’s team.”

The Eagles took their first lead of the game 4:32 into the third period when senior right wing Ben Smith’s wrist shot from the right faceoff dot sailed off a UMaine defender’s stick into the top right corner of the goal, over the shoulder of UMaine sophomore goalie Scott Darling.

“I was just trying to put it on net and got a lucky bounce,” Smith said.

Senior defenseman Carl Sneep completed the Eagles’ comeback 2:11 into the third period on a power play when he one-timed a shot from the center-point into the top shelf.

Dee’s goal was UMaine’s only power-play conversion of the weekend in 15 opportunities between the two games. They went 1-for-9 with the man advantage Saturday while BC went 1-for-5.

“That was big for us,” Smith said of BC’s penalty killing effort. “They pop one or two more in and this is a completely different weekend for us.”

Darling and Muse were each forced to make critical saves. Muse stopped 26 shots and Darling turned away 28.

Muse was tested early as UMaine earned six minutes on the power play in the first period. The nation’s fifth-ranked power play unit could not capitalize, despite putting 10 shots on goal in the frame to BC’s four.

“Johnny stepped in well for us tonight and made some big saves,” Smith said.

BC sophomore right wing Cam Atkinson broke away shorthanded less than four minutes into the game but was stoned by Darling.

The Eagles narrowed the shot margin to 18-17 after 40-minutes, but sophomore left wing Barry Almeida chance to equalize on a wrister at an open goal from the right faceoff circle was gloved by a diving Darling.

“Darling made some great saves,” Smith said.

House scored his third goal of the season 7:20 into the second period to break the stalemate. Sophomore left wing Spencer Abbott found him streaking through the right faceoff circle from the left point and House flicked it in at the near post.

Nyquist gave the Black Bears a 2-0 advantage on a 4-on-4 situation when he elected to take the puck himself on the rush and beat Muse with a wrister from the left faceoff circle.

BC freshman center Pat Mullane’s second goal of the weekend — and of his career — cut the UMaine lead to 2-1 with 1:30 remaining in the second period. Senior right wing Ben Smith forced a turnover in the Maine zone and found Mullane unattended at the far post on a 2-on-1.

“That was definitely a turning point in the game,” Smith said.

In Friday’s game, UMaine freshman left wing Joey Diamond scored his first two collegiate goals as part of the Black Bears’ three-goal third period rally, but BC senior captain Matt Price’s 4-on-4 goal midway through the third period made the difference.

Price backhanded a rebound between Darling’s pads for his first goal of the season to give the Eagles a 4-2 lead. Of Price’s 14 career goals, five have come against the Black Bears.

BC went up 2-0 before UMaine responded with goals by Nyquist and Diamond.

Atkinson answered Diamond’s equalizer off the ensuing faceoff when his wrister from the right point deflected off O’Neill’s stick and beat Darling top-shelf.

UMaine’s power play failed to capitalize on nearly two minutes of a sustained 5-on-3 advantage early in the first period.

Freshman goalie Parker Milner made his second career start for the Eagles and remained undefeated at 2-0-0. He stopped 23-of-26 shots on goal. Darling made 31 saves in the loss.

The Black Bears will travel to UMass-Lowell for a single game next Friday and will play a home game against St. Lawrence University at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland on Saturday at 7 p.m.