Albin Nilsson scored a game winning third period goal on Saturday evening, as the #16 Providence College Friars salvaged a split of their two game series with a 3-2 win over the Maine Black Bears in Hockey East men’s action at Schneider Arena in Providence, Rhode Island.
Providence (5-5-2) didn’t trail in this one as Friars defenseman Cam McDonald scored at 6:54 of the first for a 1-0 lead. Maine, who didn’t have any luck on any of their four powerplay chances, got a lift from their other special teams unit to tie the game late in the second period. Eduards Tralmaks would score shorthanded at 15:04, to make it 1-1 headed for the third. Craig Needham would score a go ahead goal for the home team at 7:41 of the final period. Nilsson got the game winner when he scooped up a rebound and slammed it home at 11:52, just after a Friars powerplay had to come to an end. It was the first career goal for Nilsson. Tralmaks scored with 1:06 left for Maine with the extra attacker, but the visitors couldn’t come up with the equalizer.
Maine has their two game win streak snapped, falling to 2-5-1 after they had broken a 15 game losing streak at Schneider Arena against Providence with their first win since 2010 with a 4-3 victory Friday afternoon. Freshman goalie Victor Ostman, who has played great so far in three straight starts, stopped 30 of 33 shots in the loss. JD Greenway, Lynden Breen, and Emil Westerlund all had one assist each. Jaxson Stauber made 21 saves in the win for Providence, and five skaters added an assist a piece. The Black Bears were 0-4 on the powerplay, while the Friars went 0-3. Maine is at Boston University next Friday and Saturday, with games at 3:30 and 2 p.m. respectively.
