ORONO- If you love scoring, you would of loved Saturday night’s Hockey East men’s series finale between #12 Maine and #5 Boston University at Alfond Arena. In a game that was up and down with plenty of chances both ways, the Black Bears would find the net just enough to hold off the Terriers 8-5 in starting their conference season at 2-0 while also extending their win streak to three.
After allowing the opening goal of the contest to the Terriers on a tally by Ben Merrill just 36 seconds into the first period, the Black Bears responded as they did all weekend just 23 seconds later when Charlie Russell scored his first of the season. Maine took the lead for good when Jeremy Langlois put in his first collegiate goal at 11:47, and Owen Fowler made it 3-1 just 34 seconds after the Langlois marker. That would end the night for BU starting goalie Mikhail Yegorov who gave up three goals on eight shots and was replaced by Max Lacroix.
Boston University battled back within a goal twice in the second period. Brandon Svoboda cut it to 3-2 at 5:04, before Justin Poirier made it 4-2 Maine with a highlight reel goal at 10:08. On a rush up the right wing, the freshman tried to cut into the low slot through a pair of Terriers defenders. He would get spun around but was still able to corral the puck, and with his back to Lacroix he lifted a backhander that floated over the shoulder of the netminder and landed into the net. BU got a break on a Black Bears powerplay at 11:58, as a player fell down in the Terriers offensive zone leading to a clean 2 on 0 break the other way that was finished off by Kamil Bednarik to slice the deficit to just one goal again. Maine converted on their next powerplay, as Josh Nadeau dropped one to Max Scott who whistled one in on a one-timer from the left faceoff circle at 13:02. Russell made it 6-3 with his second of the night that was the eventual game winner at 14:56. The guests ended the scoring in the stanza on the powerplay on a marker from Conrad Fondrk at 18:50 and it was 6-4 heading into the third.
The craziness continued into the final frame, as both teams scored shorthanded in the first 3:18. Scott got the first one for Maine 1:29 in, before Svoboda made it 7-5 scoring his second of the game 1:49 later but that was close as BU would get. The Black Bears eventually iced the two game sweep when Oskar Komarov would slide one into an empty net at 17:17.
Svoboda led Boston University in the loss with two goals and two assists. Cole Hutson had three assists, while Merrill added one goal and one assist. Yegorov (5 saves in 12:12 of action) and Lacroix (33 saves in 46:27) combined to make 38 saves in net, as the Terriers fall to 3-5-1 and 1-3-0 in Hockey East. BU went 1-3 on the powerplay. Russell and Scott both had two goals and one assist for Maine. Brandon Holt had three assists, while Lukas Peterson and Thomas Freel added two helpers a piece. Poirier also had two points with one goal and one assist, and is now up to 13 points in his first eight college games (eight goals, five assists). Freshman Mathis Rousseau in his second career start earned his first collegiate win by making 26 stops in between the pipes. The Black Bears outshot the Terriers 46-31 and would go 1-7 on their powerplay chances in improving their record to 5-2-1 and 2-0 in conference play. The eight goal outburst is the most in a game since March 5, 2022 which was also a win over BU (8-1) in the first year behind the bench for head coach Ben Barr. Maine will head out on the road this coming week for the first time in league play when they take on UMass at the Mullins Center in Amherst for a two game series. Those are set for Thursday and Friday night at 7 p.m.
Featured photo of Charlie Russell is courtesy of UMaine Athletics
