Allison backstops UMaine victory

loading...

PORTLAND – Blair Allison was beseiged by 18 New Hampshire shots during the second period of Friday night’s Hockey East game at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

The junior goaltender from Golden, British Columbia, enjoyed the opportunity to stay involved in the game. Allison turned away 17 of the 18 shots to backstop the University of Maine’s 4-3 victory over New Hampshire in front of 5,261 fans.

Coach Shawn Walsh’s Black Bears take a 4-0-2 record, including a 1-0-2 league mark, back to Alfond Arena in Orono for Saturday’s 7 p.m. rematch against the Wildcats, now 3-2 and 0-1 respectively.

Despite New Hampshire’s second-period bull rush, Allison kept Maine ahead.

“We got into penalty trouble in the second and they’ve got a good power play,” said Allison, who finished with 25 saves. “We stayed cool. They got one and no one lost their confidence. They didn’t get many quality shots.”

Maine staked Allison to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes, but UNH came out firing in the second period. Allison was brilliant, but the Bears fueled the UNH surge with four penalties.

The Wildcats got on the board at 13:00, when Dean Woodman beat Allison low to his left with UNH on the power play.

“Their power play looked like the Montreal Canadiens in the second period, but Allison kept making the saves,” Walsh said. “That was the difference in the game.”

Despite having reversed the momentum, UNH let Maine regain it. Tim Murray and Eric Flinton took penalties 43 seconds apart late in the period, giving the Bears a 5-on-3 advantage.

Barry Clukey scored with 27 seconds remaining in the period, controlling the rebound of a Jeff Tory slapshot and calmly lifting a backhander behind Mike Heinke, who never saw the shot. The goal restored the two-goal margin and took the edge off an otherwise poor period for Maine.

“Barry scored a real big goal for us,” Allison said. “They pretty much dominated that period, but that kept the two-goal lead.”

The ‘Cats got within 3-2 at 3:48 of the third period when Corey Cash slipped a rebound through Allison’s pads.

Brad Purdie made sure Maine would stay in front. He intercepted Woodman’s errant clearing pass on the right wing, broke in alone and snuck a backhander inside the far post to make it 4-2 at the 4:22 mark.

“That was huge,” Walsh said. “We trapped them into a pass that they thought they had and he jumped on it. He was really a strong player tonight.”

Purdie made sure the Bears didn’t play in their third straight shootout.

“I just read it properly and got it right on my stick,” Purdie said. “I was fortunate that I beat that defenseman. I’ve been working a lot on my shot. (Assistant coach) Guy Perron’s been helping me, and it’s starting to pay off.”

UNH kept the pressure on when Eric Nickulas took a nice feed from Tom O’Brien and one-timed a high shot past Allison’s glove with 9:46 left.

But the Bears tightened up the defense and preserved the one-goal margin.

Maine dominated early, scoring 4:26 in. Tony Frenette picked up a loose puck in the left corner, wheeled into the faceoff circle, and whistled a shot off Heinke’s stick and into the upper lefthand corner of the net.

The Bears kept the pressure on in the UNH end and played stellar defense. The Wildcats did not manage a shot on goal until the 13:04 mark.

Maine made it 2-0 with 2:04 to play in the period. Tim Lovell fed the puck from behind the net and up the left wing, where Wayne Conlan picked it up, streaked toward the middle and fired a low shot through a Lovell screen in front.

The Bears owned the period, outshooting the ‘Cats 13-3.

Black Bears 4, Wildcats 3

(Friday Night) Maine 2 1 1 -4 New Hampshire 0 1 2 – 3

First Period: 1. Maine, Frenette 2 (una), 4:26; 2. Conlan 1 (Tory, Lovell), 17:56 Penalties: UNH, Hall, hooking, 1:20; Maine, MacIsaac, tripping, 6:03; UNH, Russell, interference, 10:08; Maine, Shermerhorn, interference, 19:51

Second Period: 3. UNH, Woodman 1 (Sullivan), 13:00; 4. Maine, Clukey 2 (Tory, MacIsaac), 19:33; Penalties: Maine, Frenette, interference, 5:35; Maine, Parmentier, cross-checking, 8:55; Maine, Clukey, interference, 12:06; UNH, Murray, high-sticking, 17:41; UNH, Flinton, slashing, 18:24

Third Period: 5. UNH, Cash 1 (Hall), 3:48; 6. Maine, Purdie 2 (una), 4:22; 7. UNH, Nickulas 4 (O’Brien, Hall), 11:14; Penalties: Maine, Cardinal, interference, 8:08; Maine, Frenette, boarding, 11:28

Shots on goal: Maine 13-10-8–31, UNH 3-18-7–28

Goaltenders: Maine, Blair Allison; UNH, Mike Heinke