ORONO- Owen Fowler had two goals and Thomas Freel had a game winning powerplay tally late in the second period on Friday night, as the #7 Maine Black Bears defeated #11 Boston University 5-2 in game one of a two game men’s Hockey East series at Alfond Arena.
Maine, coming off being swept by #2 Boston College on the road last weekend, jumped ahead in the first period and never trailed before another big home crowd. Boston University had the first powerplay opportunity of the night, but just 30 seconds into the man advantage the Terriers turned it over in their own zone. The errant pass found the stick of Fowler, who glided into the right faceoff circle and beat goaltender Max Lacroix stick side to the far post for a shorthanded marker at 5:12 to make it 1-0 Black Bears.
Maine defenseman Frank Djurasevic extended the lead with a great individual effort early in the second period. The Merrimack sophomore transfer split two Boston University defenders for a shot attempt in the low slot. Lacroix stripped away the chance with his stick, but Djurasevic poked at it at the last moment and it snuck over the goal line as he found his first goal of the season at 3:17.
Meanwhile, Black Bears goalie Albin Boija was standing tall making several key saves while the game was close and keeping the skilled Terriers off the scoreboard. The key moments of the contest happened late in that middle stanza when BU was whistled for three penalties in a span of 43 seconds, and Maine would cash in. Brandon Holt sent a pass over to Charlie Russell in the left circle, and Russell then found a wide open Freel for an easy tap-in 5 on 3 powerplay goal and the eventual game winner on the doorstep to the left of Lacroix at 19:30. Harrison Scott made it 4-0 on the continued 5 on 3 powerplay just as time expired in the period, another one that beat Lacroix stickside this time up over his right shoulder inside the near side post.
Boston University got their own 5 on 3 powerplay goal to score for the first time on the night when Ryan Greene found the back of the net at 2:32 of the third period. The Terriers made it interesting at the 9:01 mark when Doug Grimes cut it to 4-2, just 24 seconds after a Maine penalty had expired. The Black Bears were able to nail it down from there, and with the goalie pulled Fowler got his second goal of the game to finish it off into an empty net with 1:42 remaining.
Boija made 23 saves in the Maine win, as the Black Bears improved to 7-2-1 overall and 4-2-1 in Hockey East. Fowler (two goals), Djurasevic (one goal, one assist), Freel (one goal, one assist), and Holt (two assists) all had two points each. They would go 2-6 on the powerplay, including a successful one on the game winner by Freel who scored his seventh goal (all seven of them while on the powerplay). Lacroix stopped 29 shots in the loss for Boston University, as they went 1-6 with their man advantage. The Terriers drop to 5-5 and 2-2 in league play. The Black Bears win snapped a six-game losing streak to BU, that included a 4-1 defeat in the Hockey East semifinals at TD Garden last season. It is the second win over the Terriers in 10 games during the Ben Barr era (2-8). The teams finish off their two game set on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Photos and postgame video interviews by Chris Lessner/Other videos courtesy of MaineIceHockey on X
