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LOWELL, Mass. – University of Maine junior center Robert Liscak had game-winning assists in each of the Bears’ two wins over Merrimack College last weekend.
On Friday night, he scored the game-winner.
Liscak’s goal with 7:52 remaining, off a perfect pass from freshman right wing Matt Greyeyes, gave the Black Bears a gritty 2-1 win over the University of Massachusetts-Lowell at Tsongas Arena.
The two men’s hockey teams will play again tonight.
It was Liscak’s third game-winning goal to go with last weekend’s two assists. Greyeyes, who replaced the injured Gray Shaneberger (concussion) on a line with Liscak and Todd Jackson, notched his first career point in his fifth game.
The Bears are now 14-7-4 overall, 8-3-2 in Hockey East. They are 3-0-1 in their last four games and 5-1-1 in their last seven. It was Maine’s third one-goal win against five one-goal losses.
Maine is now 5-0 against UMass-Lowell at the Tsongas Arena and is 14-0-4 in its last 18 visits to either Lowell or Billerica, where the River Hawks used to play at Tully Forum. That dates back to 1990.
UMass-Lowell is now 16-6-1 and 8-5-1 in league play. The River Hawks lost their third straight for the first time this season.
The game-winning goal came about off a faceoff to the left of River Hawk senior goalie Cam McCormick.
The puck squirted to the right- wing boards where Greyeyes pounced on it.
“I saw Robert and threw it to the front of the net,” said Greyeyes.
Liscak found himself alone just beyond the crease at the far post.
“I lost my guy and just had to deflect it in. It was a great pass by Matt,” said Liscak, whose goal was his 11th of the season and matched last year’s career-high.
UMass-Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald said the blown coverage was understandable.
“It was a guy [freshman Gerry Hickey] playing in his first college game,” said MacDonald, who was missing second and third leading scorers Yorick Treille and Laurent Meunier along with defenseman Baptiste Amar, who left to join the French Olympic team on Thursday.
Maine junior center Michael Schutte had snapped a five-game goalless streak with his eighth of the season at the 16:36 mark of the middle period but Maine nemesis Ed McGrane equalized on the power play 4:22 into the third period.
It was McGrane’s seventh career goal against Maine including six in the last four meetings.
Good scoring chances were few and far between as both teams contested every piece of ice and did an impressive job covering the front of their respective nets.
“They’re tough to play against,” said Maine junior center Marty Kariya. “This was a good road win. We played very well.”
Maine junior center Tommy Reimann added that “we played a smart road game.”
MacDonald said he was “very impressed” by the Bears.
“They played as well without the puck as anybody we’ve played. They really pay attention to detail,” said MacDonald who indicated that the Bears did an exemplary job impeding his River Hawks and keeping them from getting to the front of the net.
“We’ve got to be more diligent in front of the net Saturday,” said MacDonald. “And we’ve got to make some plays.”
Schutte opened the scoring by intercepting a Josh Allison pass behind the UML net, quickly wheeling in front of the net to the left of senior goalie Cam McCormick and jamming home the rebound of his own shot.
Maine had a great chance to build the lead to 2-0 early in the third period when Kariya broke in alone courtesy of a Colin Shields pass but McCormick held his ground and, after a couple of fakes, Kariya ran out of real estate and could only flip a weak wrister that McCormick got with his pad.
McGrane equalized a few minutes later when he took a pass from Josh Reed and fired a slap shot from the top of the right circle that sailed through the blocker arm of Maine goalie Mike Morrison.
“[Tom] Rouleau was in front and I thought I was going to have to play a deflection off his stick. He waved at it but I don’t think he touched it. It was a good shot. That kid [McGrane] owns me,” said Morrison.
The Bears had to kill a penalty later in the period, which they did, and they did a nice job getting the puck out of their zone after UML pulled McCormick in favor of an extra attacker in the final minutes.
Morrison finished with 23 saves and McCormick rejected 19.
‘”Our defense played really well,” said Morrison. “They did a good job clearing rebounds.”
Morrison was tested occasionally as he held the short side on Peter Hay’s walk-in to the front of the net off a faceoff in the first period and Darryl Green’s rink-length rush and wrister.
BLACK BEARS 2, RIVER HAWKS 1
Maine (14-7-4) 0 1 1? 2
Lowell (16-6-1) 0 0 1? 1
First period ? No scoring. Penalties: none
Second period ? 1. Maine, Schutte 8 (unassisted), 16:36. Penalties: UML, McCormick, obstruction tripping (served by Kotyluk), 14:14.
Third period ?2. UML, McGrane 13 (Reed, Green) 4:22; 3. Maine, Liscak 11 (Greyeyes, Jackson) 12:08; Penalties: Maine, Barnes, holding, 3:45; Maine, Ryan, slashing, 7:43; Murphy, tripping, 14:58
Shots on goal: Maine 4-9-8?21; UML 8-11-5?24
Goaltenders: Maine, Morrison (24 shots-23 saves); UML, McCormick (19-21)
Power-play opportunities: Maine 0 of 1; UML 1 of 3
High-percentage scoring chances: Maine 5-11-8?24; UML 7-7-4?18
Attendance: 3,465
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