Bears hold off Lakers to win tourney title

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INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Junior goalie Mike Dunham knew his own personal 16-game winning streak was going to be severely threatened by defending national champion Lake Superior State University in the Great Western Freeze-out Tournament final here Sunday night. He and his University of Maine hockey teammates knew the same was true for their 29-game regular-season unbeaten streak.

But Dunham made 30 saves and the Bears, without four of their top six scorers, received a goal and an assist from Kent Salfi and third-period goals from Jamie Thompson and Justin Tomberlin to nip the Lakers 3-2 at the Great Western Forum and successfully defend their Great Western Freeze-out crown.

Maine, ranked No. 1 in the country in both major polls (WMEB and Albany Times Union), is now 17-0-1 overall and winner of 16 straight. The Bears are 27-0-3 in their last 30 regular-season games. Lake Superior State is 12-3-3. The Lakers were rated third in Sunday’s WMEB poll and fourth in the Albany Times Union poll.

Salfi gave Maine the lead for good when he broke a scoreless deadlock with 15:07 gone in the second period. Salfi picked up the puck from Martin Mercier behind the Laker net, wheeled in front, took a quick shot that was saved by goalie Blaine Lacher, and then swept the rebound inside the far post.

Thompson, who had played in only two of the last seven games and hadn’t scored a goal since Maine’s 11-1 win over New Brunswick on Oct. 31, made it 2-0 at the 3:38 mark of the third period when he flipped a nifty cross-ice backhand pass from Salfi into the open short side.

Clayton Beddoes cut the lead in half at the 3:16 mark when he slid a wrap-around shot inside the far post.

Tomberlin answered 1:27 later off the rebound of a Patrice Tardif shot. Tardif had taken a quick shot off a Dave MacIsaac pass and the rebound bounced in front where Tomberlin jammed it underneath Lacher.

The Bears found themselves two men short for a full two minutes with 4:39 left and Sean Tallaire capitalized by swatting a rebound past Dunham.

But the Bears killed off the final 1:16 of the one-man disadvantage and Lake Superior State’s Mike Morin was called for a hooking penalty with 1:37 remaining.

The Bears used a conservative power play and held on for the win.

The All-Tournament team consisted of Maine’s Dunham, Salfi, and center Jim Montgomery; Lake Superior State defenseman Steve Barnes and right wing Rob Valicevic; and Western Michigan defenseman Scott Chartier.

Lacher had 23 saves for the Lakers, who were without leading scorer Brian Rolston.

On Saturday, an emotion-filled Maine team beat Western Michigan 4-1 to advance to the final. Lake Superior State had beaten Princeton 3-1.

Tardif, whose father, Pamphile, died Friday night after a bout with cancer, jump-started the Bears by scoring the game-opening goal; Mercier and Tomberlin ended goal-scoring droughts, and Dunham made 28 saves to key the win.

“We played very, very well as a team on Saturday night,” said Maine Coach Shawn Walsh. “The guys executed the game plan perfectly. They shut off Western Michigan’s transition game and played very sound defensively. And Mike (Dunham) was strong when he had to be.”

The Bears wore black arm bands in memory of Pamphile Tardif and his son opened the scoring by knocking in the rebound of a MacIsaac shot on a power play.

Montgomery made it 2-0 as he and Chris Imes worked a two-on-one with Imes getting off the shot. WMU goalie Craig Brown made the save, but Montgomery shoveled the rebound into the net.

Mercier made it 3-0 with 12 seconds remaining in the first period, ending his 10-game goal-scoring famine with a breakaway backhander off a Matt Martin pass.

Early in the second period, the Broncos made it 3-1 when Brian Gallentine took a pass from Colin Ward and beat Dunham with a screened drive.

Tomberlin got that one back while the Bears were enjoying a two-man advantage. It ended Tomberlin’s seven-game goal-scoring drought.

Dunham made a long pass to Cal Ingraham, who stickhandled in the WMU zone before firing a shot that Tomberlin tipped home.

Dunham finished with 28 saves to Brown’s 31 stops.

Black Bears 3, Lakers 2

Maine 0 1 2 – 3 Lake Superior State 0 0 2 – 2

First Period – No scoring. Penalties – Maine, Imes, hitting from behind, 11:07; LSS, Valicevic, hitting from behind, 11:57; LSS, Angelelli, high sticking, 14:05; Maine, MacIsaac, holding, 15:34.

Second Period – 1. Maine, Salfi 9 (Mercier), 15:07. Penalties – LSS, Hulett, roughing, 1:07; LSS, Aldridge, slashing, 8:00; Maine, Mercier, interference, 16:38.

Third Period – 2. Maine, Thompson 3 (Salfi), 2:28; 3. LSS, Beddoes 7 (unassisted), 3:16; 4. Maine, Tomberlin 4 (Tardif, MacIsaac), 4:43; 5. LSS, Tallaire 12 (Gartshore, Hendry), 16:05. Penalties – Maine, Texeira, elbowing, 6:21; Maine, Martin, interference, 12:29; Maine, Imes, holding, 15:21; Maine, bench minor on Coach Walsh (served by Thompson), 15:21; LSS, Morin, hooking, 18:23.

Shots on goal: Maine 9-8-9 – 26; LSS 9-8-15 – 32

Goalies: Maine, Mike Dunham; LSS, Blaine Lacher