Saturday night’s 3-3 tie against Northeastern was a slight stumble, but not a fall, for the University of Maine hockey team.

The Black Bears maintained their No. 1 ranking in the national polls. Maine is preparing to take the final turn into the home stretch of the Hockey East season with two games at Massachusetts in Amherst on Friday and Saturday nights.

Maine has posted its 21-1-6 record by concentrating on defense. Coach Shawn Walsh’s squad leads Division I, allowing only 2.67 goals per game.

Goaltender Blair Allison, who provides Maine’s last line of defense, continues his clutch play. Allison, a junior from Golden, British Columbia, has played all but eight minutes this season.

In the recent national statistics, Allison ranks second in goals-against average, which now stands at 2.51. He is 12th in save percentage, which is .892.

Allison and the Bears have been especially stingy since taking 11 days off early this month. Allison is 4-0-1 with a 1.49 GAA and a .917 save percentage since Maine resumed play on Jan. 11.

“It helps when you play for a club that’s defensive like this,” said Allison, always quick to share the credit. “People have been talking about our defensemen all year, and I would say, for sure, they’re the best in the country.”

Allison has been at all points on the spectrum this season, but has had few poor outings. He has, admittedly, given up several “soft” goals, but he also has made numerous brilliant saves, many of them in key situations.

Northeastern’s Francois Bouchard beat a surprised Allison with an 80-foot shot from near center ice Friday night. But that was the Huskies’ only goal.

“That’s Blair, to come back and make a (tough) save right after,” Walsh said. “He’s extremely solid.”

Allison’s Achilles’ heel has been shootouts, which pit the goalie against the shooter, one-on-one. He has allowed 14 goals in 29 shots, a .517 save percentage.

However, shootouts are not game situations, and they won’t come into play during the postseason.

Currier Gym at St. Joseph’s College in Standish has been referred to as the “Chamber of Horrors,” apparently with good reason.

While the entire SJC student body of 740 could fit into its cozy confines, it is home sweet home for Coach Rick Simonds’ men’s basketball squad. Last Thursday’s victory over the University of New England was the 50th in a row at home for the Monks.

St. Joe’s, 13-2, is dueling with the University of Maine-Presque Isle for supremacy in the Maine Athletic Conference this season.

Numerous former Eastern Maine high school basketball players are making an impact at the college level.

Darren Clough of Orrington is starring at Saint Anselm in Manchester, N.H. The former Brewer High School standout, who is averaging a team-best 17.9 points and 8.7 rebounds for the Hawks, was named the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week Monday.

Clough, a junior forward, has helped lead Saint Anselm to a 13-2 record and the No. 7 ranking in NCAA Division II.

The University of Southern Maine women’s team boasts a 14-1 record, thanks in part to two former EM Class B performers. Mandy King of Dexter and Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield, and Teel Anderson of Rockland have been instrumental in its success.

King, a sophomore point guard, is providing 9.1 points, 6.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game for USM. Her 42 percent on 3-pointers leads the team.

Anderson, a junior guard, is averaging 9.1 points and 3.3 assists.

In Keene, N.H., sophomore guard-forward Leah Thistle has been a mainstay for Keene State College. Thistle, who played her high school ball at Foxcroft Academy before transferring to Bangor High, is averaging 14.3 points and 9.1 rebounds for the Owls.