After winning handily in two games this week, the Maine hockey team improves to .500 in conference play to move up in the standings.
The Black Bears (6-7-1, 4-4-1 Hockey East) captured a win at No. 3 UMass Lowell, 3-1 and another at home against St. Lawrence, 10-1.
Against St. Lawrence, Maine sped out to a lead 29 seconds into the game, and was up 5-0 after one period. Three players scored at least four points in the contest, and passing was on display, serving up 18 assists.
The Black Bears’ success this week was propelled by the play of captain Tanner House and goalkeeper Scott Darling. House accounted for four goals on eight shots as well two assists on the weekend, earning himself Co-Player of the Week honors.
Darling improved his record to 6-3-1 in goal for Maine, turning away 27 shots on Friday and 17 Saturday in 40 minutes of play. Darling was noticed for his performance and received the Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week award.
The Black Bears finish the month of November, 3-3-1. They look to continue their climb up the Hockey East rankings when they host Providence on Friday.
BU wins in five-overtime thriller
Boston University’s resiliency was on display this week, skating to two overtime decisions in non-conference play.
The Terriers found their fourth victory of the season and evened the score against a top-tier team.
It took BU (4-7-2, 2-6-1 HEA) five overtime periods to down Harvard (1-5-2, Eastern College Athletic Conference), extending the Crimson’s winless streak to seven games on Tuesday.
The Terriers found themselves down four times only to even the score. The last of these rallies came with 53 seconds to play in regulation. After 84 total minutes of play, sophomore Chris Connolly won it for the visiting team.
BU enjoyed a 49-26 shot advantage in the game but was only able to convert on 12 percent of its attempts.
Three overtime periods failed to produce a clear winner on Saturday as the Terriers played to a stalemate against No. 7 Cornell. BU escaped from Madison Square Garden with a tie, coming back from two goals down in the third period against the Big Red (6-2-1, 5-2-0 ECAC).
The Terriers displayed dominant shooting for the second straight game, slapping 35 total shots on net.
On the season, BU has fared better outside of its conference, posting a 2-1-1 record against non-Hockey East foes.
River Hawks drop back-to-back games
UMass Lowell dropped two spots in the Hockey East standings, losing two games against struggling opponents.
After winning four consecutive games, the No. 3 River Hawks (8-4-1, 4-3-1 HEA) gave up back-to-back contests against conference opponents Providence and Maine.
On Tuesday, Lowell saw a 1-0 lead evaporate against the Friars in a 4-2 loss. Providence outshot the River Hawks, 31-22, over the final 40 minutes, making the most of their power plays.
Friday marked the first time Lowell has lost consecutive games this season. After a scoreless first period, Maine took control in the second period taking a 2-1 lead, and tacked on another goal in the final frame, winning, 3-1.
UMass-Lowell was one point behind New Hampshire for position atop the Hockey East standings coming into last week (9 points). They now find themselves tied for fourth with the Black Bears.
They will look to redeem themselves on Friday when they visit conference leader New Hampshire.
Dan Gigliotti can be reached at [email protected].
