Kariya powers Bears to Frozen Four> UMaine to play on Thursday

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WORCESTER, Mass. – He simply wasn’t ready to turn in his No. 18 hockey sweater.

So University of Maine senior right winger Steve Kariya extended his college hockey career by putting on a memorable, record-breaking show to lead the Black Bears to a 7-2 NCAA Eastern Regional quarterfinal triumph over Clarkson University at the Worcester Centrum Saturday night.

Kariya racked up a career-high and NCAA Tournament Regional-record six points with three goals and three assists. His three goals tied a regional mark.

“I don’t want the season to end. I just want to keep playing. I want this team to win it all,” said Hobey Baker Award finalist Kariya, who was selected the unanimous tournament Most Valuable Player. “We had a great weekend.”

“I just want to do everything I can, whatever it takes, whether it be blocking a shot or making a pass or whatever,” Kariya added. “I just want to do it for the team and everyone is buying into that. It’s just fun to play with these guys right now. Everyone is so unselfish.”

For the first time in the league’s 15-year history, Hockey East has three teams in the Frozen Four.

The 29-6-4 Bears will play conference rival Boston College, 27-11-4 and a 3-1 Sunday winner over North Dakota, in Thursday’s 4 p.m. semifinal at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, Calif.

Hockey East regular season champ New Hampshire, 30-6-3 and a 2-1 overtime winner over Michigan, will play CCHA regular season champ Michigan State, 29-5-7, at 9 p.m. Michigan State eliminated Colorado College 4-3 on Sunday.

In the waning seconds of the game, Bear senior defenseman and captain David Cullen told Kariya it was time to smile.

Not yet.

“It was gratifying. I’m happy but yet I’m unfulfilled. Hopefully, I’ll get that feeling next week,” said Kariya.

Maine coach Shawn Walsh said “you saw Stevie’s focus. How many guys can have that performance and say we’re not satisfied yet? That’s Steve Kariya to a T. He’s our leader and you go as your leader goes.”

Walsh called Kariya’s night “an unbelievable performance by an unbelievable hockey player. There are people who question whether he can play at the next level. I think he made a statement tonight.”

Kariya created the first goal, off the stick of linemate Marcus Gustafsson, by cruising around a fallen defenseman and getting off a point-blank shot. Gustafsson flipped home the rebound.

After Clarkson’s David Evans equalized off a perfect feed from behind the net by Erik Cole, Kariya gave Maine the lead for good by snapping the rebound of a Cullen power-play shot past Knight freshman goalie Shawn Grant.

Just 2:51 later, with 1:46 left in the period, a videotape replay upheld a goal by Cullen, whose centering pass to an onrushing Barrett Heisten deflected into the net off the skate of Clarkson defenseman Kerry Ellis-Toddington.

In the second period, Kariya made it 4-1 with a similar power-play goal to his first as he swooped on the third rebound, after shots by Cory Larose and Dan Kerluke, and slid the puck short side past the scrambling Grant.

“I got some lucky bounces. They came right to me. They came off great shots from the point by Cory and David,” said Kariya. “And Brendan [Walsh] did a great job in front of the net. He took a beating.”

The Bears focused all week on getting the puck to the front of the net and crashing for rebounds, according to Kariya.

Clarkson had a golden opportunity to climb back into the game when it had a two-man advantage spanning 1:02 late in the period and then Larose was called for covering the puck with his hand in the crease, resulting in Evans’ penalty shot backhander that made it 4-2 with 3:08 left in the period.

The penalty shot was the first one to ever result in a goal in NCAA Regional history. The only other penalty shot, in March of 1996, was a miss by UMass-Lowell’s Brendan Concannon.

But the Bears, led by Cullen, freshman defenseman Peter Metcalf and junior goalie Alfie Michaud, killed off the final 24 seconds of the two-man advantage and then the last 58 seconds of the one-man advantage.

“Peter made some great plays. He blocked a shot. That was the turning point,” said Cullen. “We went into the intermission with a two-goal lead and we have been very stingy defensively all year. We felt confident we could protect the lead. But we didn’t want to come out in the third period back on our heels. We wanted to go for the win.”

Just 37 seconds into the third period, Larose gathered in the rebound of a Metcalf point shot, took a stride to his right and lifted a backhander over the fallen goalie.

“We have been stressing getting the puck to the net and beating their defenseman to the front of the net,” said Larose. “Their goalie left a rebound and I put it in the back of the net.”

“That goal really deflated us,” said Clarkson leading scorer Cole.

Niko Dimitrakos’ power play far-corner wrister through a maze of players from the left circle iced it with 7:39 left and Kariya added an empty-net goal with 4:35 left.

Maine, with just two power-play goals in its last 39 attempts entering the game, went 3-for-5 with the man advantage.

Coach Walsh credited assistants Grant Standbrook, Nate Leaman and Gene Reilly with devising a smart high defensive zone break-out that significantly hampered Clarkson’s forecheck and with suggesting that they shadow the ever-dangerous Cole beginning in the second period.

Bobby Stewart drew that assignment most of the time.

“I had a tough time dealing with it,” said Cole. “[Maine is the] best transition team we’ve played all year.”

Clarkson coach Mark Morris, whose ECAC regular season and tournament champs finished up at 25-11-1, said, “Maine got some early bounces and Kariya was in the right place at the right time. He was the biggest impact player in the game. Our goalie wasn’t on top of his game.”

Morris, whose team was outshot 24-22, added that Matt Saper’s mishandling of a pass which would have provided him with a clean breakaway and Evans’ inability to get off a shot on a two-on-one, both in the second period, were pivotal.

Black Bears 7, Knights 2

Maine 3 1 3-7 Clarkson 1 1 0-2

First period – 1, Maine, Gustafsson 12 (Kariya, Cullen), 9:32. 2, Clarkson, Evans 5 (Cole, Ollila), 11:05. 3, Maine, Kariya 25 (Cullen, Larose), 16:23 (pp). 4, Maine, Cullen 11 (unassisted), 18:14. Penalties: Saper, Cla (hooking), 1:28; Guite, Mai (charging), 2:08; Metcalf, Mai (hooking), 11:41; Gates, Cla (hooking), 14:55; Walsh, Mai (hit after whistle), 18:40; Cole, Cla (hit after whistle), 18:40.

Second period – 5, Maine, Kariya 26 (Kerluke, Larose), 4:55 (pp). 6, Clarkson, Evans 6 (penalty shot), 16:52. Penalties: Roy, Cla (hooking), 3:49; Popst, Cla (interference), 9:36; Tratting, Main (holding), 15:16; Vitorino, Mai (holding), 16:14; Larose, Mai (delay of game), 16:52.

Third period – 7, Maine, Larose 21 (Metcalf, Kariya), :37. 8, Maine, Dimitrakos 6 (Metcalf, Kariya), 12:21 (pp). 9, Maine, Kariya 27 (unassisted), 15:25 (en). Penalties: Stewart, Mai (interference), 3:44; Gates, Cla (high-sticking), 11:20; Metcalf, Mai (cross-checking after the whistle), 13:27; Drakensjo, Cla (hitting after the whistle), 13:27.

Shots on goal: Maine 9-5-10-24. Clarkson 8-7-7-22.

High-percentage scoring attempts: Maine 12-5-3-20; Clarkson 10-7-5-22

Power-play opportunities: Maine 3 of 5; Clarkson 0 of 5

Goalies: Maine, Michaud (22 shots-20 saves); Morrison (18:02 third period, 0-0). Clarkson, Grant (17-24).

Attendance: 12,517