ORONO – After squandering two-goal leads in the final 4:19 of two Hockey East games and winding up with ties, including Friday night’s 3-3 draw with Boston University, the University of Maine needed to prove they could protect a lead.

Junior goalie Matt Yeats made five clutch saves in the final 10 minutes after Niko Dimitrakos had snapped a 1-1 tie with 10:04 remaining and the Black Bears collected an important 3-1 triumph over the Terriers before a sellout crowd of 5,641 at the Alfond Arena Saturday night.

The win gives Maine sole possession of fourth place in Hockey East, two points clear of Boston University. Maine is 5-4-4 in league play, 10-7-6 overall. Boston University is 5-6-2, 7-11-2 overall.

“Matt was tremendous over the last 10 minutes,” said Maine coach Shawn Walsh. “We have a young team and we needed to win a game like this in which we held the lead.”

BU junior goalie Jason Tapp said, “He made the big saves when he had to and I didn’t. That was the difference in the game.”

But Tapp couldn’t be blamed for the game-winner, which came off a BU turnover just beyond its defensive blue line.

Maine junior defenseman Peter Metcalf stepped up on BU’s Jack Baker, the puck popped in the air and Metcalf batted it ahead.

“Their two defensemen were moving forward,” said Metcalf. “It was a race for the puck and I didn’t think he [Tapp] was going to come out but he did. I dove into him. I tried to take him with me.”

Tapp said he tried to sweep the puck to the side but it wound up hitting Maine’s Robert Liscak, who took a swipe at it and had his weak shot bounce off Tapp’s arm to Dimitrakos in the middle of the slot.

“I had just come off the bench on a line change. The puck came loose but they had two defensemen in front of the net [Chris Dyment and Mike Bussoli],” said Dimitrakos. “If I had shot it high, one of them probably would have gotten it. So I surprised them by shooting it five-hole.”

His 12-footer slipped between the legs of Dyment.

The Terriers then put on their most sustained pressure of the weekend.

Yeats’ first good save was a pad stop on Brian Collins’ 11-foot one-timer off a Nick Gillis pass.

His best save came with six minutes left off Pat Aufiero, who had tied Friday’s game when his little flip-in changed directions off the stick of Maine’s Doug Janik with 1:41 left.

Aufiero was all alone in the low slot when the rebound of a John Sabo shot came to him and he tried to go upstairs with it.

“I was down but I threw my arms up in the air and his shot hit my stick,” said Yeats.

Aufiero thought a Maine forplayer got a piece of it but Bear defenseman A.J. Begg, who was standing next to Yeats, said Yeats got a piece of it.

“I got the lucky bounce last night [Friday] but not tonight,” said Aufiero.

Yeats made two more clutch stops on Maine nemesis Carl Corazzini before Dimitrakos, who had missed an open net 26 seconds earlier, softly shoveled a backhander into the empty net from center ice with 16 seconds remaining.

Lucas Lawson had staked Maine to a 1-0 lead late in the first period, capitalizing on a BU line change to break in on Tapp with a Tommy Reimann pass and snap a 20-foot wrist shot over Tapp’s blocker into the far corner.

The Terriers tied the tight-checking game in the second period when Dyment’s wrister from the point off a Bussoli pass deflected off the stick of Maine’s Dan Kerluke and sailed over Yeats’ shoulder.

Yeats finished with 15 saves, including seven in that third period.

“I came to the game with a no-care attitude tonight. I wanted to just go out and have fun,” said Years. “I was totally relaxed. I felt great. I felt a lot better than I did on Friday and the puck was hitting me.”

The Bears shut down the league’s best power play as BU went 0-for-4 for an 0-for-14 showing in three games vs. Maine this season.

BU coach Jack Parker said he thought his team played better than it had on Friday night but credited Maine for playing great team defense.

“They were poised and made great plays to get the puck out of the [defensive] zone,” said Parker, whose team was outshot 23-16.

Black Bears 3, Terriers 1

Boston University (7-11-2) 0 1 0 – 1

Maine (10-7-6) 1 0 2 – 3

First period – 1. Maine, Lawson 6 (Reimann), 17:06. Penalties: BU, Magowan, hooking, 8:20; BU, Dyment, holding, 12:22; Maine, Dimitrakos, high sticking, 18:56.

Second period – 2. BU, Dyment 7 (Bussoli), 10:21. Penalties: Maine, Loya, holding, 3:30; Maine, Metcalf, tripping, 8:44; BU, Baker, hooking, 9:41; Maine, Janik, holding, 16:17; BU, Cavanaugh, hooking, 19:08.

Third period – 3. Maine, Dimitrakos 6 (Metcalf, Nault), 9:56; 4. Maine, Dimitrakos 7 (Kerluke, Janik), 19:44 (en). Penalties: BU, Bussoli, tripping, 5:05.

Shots on goal: BU 4-5-7-16; Maine 8-7-8-23

Goaltenders: BU, Tapp (22 shots-20 saves); Maine, Yeats (16-15)

Power-play Opportunities: BU 0-4; Maine 0-5

High-percentage scoring chances: BU 1-2-7-10; Home 7-2-3-12

Attendance: 5,641 (sellout)