Alfond Arena hosted two more electric games of conference hockey on Nov. 15 and 16, as the Maine Black Bears, ranked 7th, took on the Boston University Terriers, ranked 11th, in a tantamount weekend set for position in the Hockey East Association standings.
Maine took home the lion’s share of conference points for the weekend as they won game one with a 5-3 lead and tied the second game 2-2, losing the extra conference point in the shootout. This awarded the Black Bears a total of four points while the Terriers took home two.
The first game was a fiasco of penalty calls as each team opted to play a bruising and unrelentingly physical style of hockey. A total of 16 penalties were called between the two teams.
Maine scored the first four goals unanswered on Nov 15. Third-year forward Owen Fowler opened the scoring with a skilled shorthanded snipe to capitalize on a Boston University turnover five minutes into the first period.
With little room to skate, neither team broke through again until Maine’s second-year defenseman Frank Djurasevic forced the puck home during a netfront scramble three minutes into the second period. The Black Bears began to pour it on in the period as they struck for consecutive power play goals from third-year forward Thomas Freel and fourth-year forward Harrison Scott in the final minute of the frame. Scott’s goal beat the buzzer as it crossed the goal line with just a tenth of a second remaining in the period, necessitating a replay review.
Freel has scored seven goals for the season and is now tied for seventh in the conference. All of Freel’s tallies have come on the power play.
Boston University scored the first two goals of the third period, however Fowler found the empty net for his second goal of the game, and the insurance goal that the Black Bears needed to seal the win.
UMaine’s third-year defenseman Brandon Holt picked up two more assists, bringing his season points total to 13, good for fourth in the Hockey East Association. Second year goaltender Albin Boija collected 23 saves.
The second game on Nov. 15 was just as chippy, however the officials were not quite as eager to call penalties. BU opened the scoring 10 minutes into the first period before fourth-year forward Nolan Renwick answered on the power play six minutes later.
Maine took a 2-1 lead courtesy of second-year forward Anthony Calafiore, who struck for his first goal of the year on a nice assist from first-year forward Oskar Komarov.
The score remained 2-1 late in the third period, as the Black Bears couldn’t find an insurance goal. The Terriers, however, managed to score the equalizing goal in dramatic fashion with the goaltender pulled and just 19.6 seconds remaining.
The overtime period was a 3-on-3 thriller, as each team had multiple opportunities to score a sudden death winner. Neither squad broke through however, bringing the game to a shootout. Each side’s first three skaters were unable to score, until the Terriers scored in the fourth round of the shootout to take home the extra Hockey East point.
Boija collected 20 saves and the Black Bears outshot the Terriers by 10, but were unable to capitalize on the extra opportunities.
Coming out of the doubleheader, Maine sits at 7-2-2 overall, 4-2-2 in-conference. The team stands at second place in Hockey East with 15 conference points, one fewer than the Providence Friars.
Scott is tied for the conference points lead with 16 points on six goals and 10 assists.
The Black Bears will gear up for their next showdown, a clash with their bitter rival the University of New Hampshire on Friday, Nov. 22.
