The University of Maine men’s ice hockey team took home another closely-contested victory on Nov. 22. They fought for a full sixty minutes to secure a 3-1 win against the University of New Hampshire at the Whittemore Center Arena in Durham.
With the win, Maine advanced to 8-2-2 overall, and 5-2-2 in Hockey East Association (HEA) play. The conference points from the victory propel the Black Bears into first place in the HEA, as they hold a narrow lead over the Providence College Friars.
Entering the weekend as the fifth ranked team in the country per USCHO, the Black Bears had a lot to prove against their bitter rival. Maine had not won at the Whittemore Center in their last seven appearances dating back to 2019. There’s been concern among college hockey fans that Maine’s success is localized to Alfond Arena, as they’re 6-0-1 in Orono and 2-2-1 away from their home barn. The Black Bears silenced the doubters on Friday, as they convincingly dispatched of their bitter rival in a hostile road environment.
Maine would have to play from behind in this game, as the opening goal was scored by New Hampshire fourth-year forward Liam Devlin on the power play, as he sat on the back post in perfect position to bury the feed from second-year forward Ryan Conmy midway through the second period.
That was all the offense New Hampshire would muster however, as second-year goaltender Albin Boija was perfect the rest of the way for Maine, making 24 saves in the win.
Maine’s response came three minutes later when co-captain and graduate forward Lynden Breen tallied his second goal of the season on an absolute snipe to beat New Hampshire’s third-year netminder Jared Whale up top.
Breen would assist on Maine’s next goal just three minutes later, which was awarded to third-year forward Owen Fowler after an odd bounce off his shoulder resulted in another Maine score. This was Fowler’s fourth goal of the 2024-25 campaign. Breen and Fowler each came away with a goal and an assist on the night.
After a silent third period from each side, Maine sealed the deal with an empty net goal while they were also on the penalty kill, meaning they were down from six skaters to four. The Black Bears’ resilience and ability to survive a late-game challenge may have exorcized the demons of letting in last-minute goals, as they allowed Boston University to find an equalizer in the final minute earlier this season.
Second-year defenseman Frank Djurasevic was credited with the deal-sealer as Maine put the finishing touches on a 3-1 Border Battle road win.
The Black Bears will gear up for a weekend road set against the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers in Troy, NY on Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1.
