As his teammates get dressed for practice, University of Maine junior left winger Lucas Lawson will be shooting weighted pucks into a regulation hockey net on the pavement outside the side entrance to the locker room.

He began the routine last summer and has continued it throughout the season.

“If we have a home game, I do it Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday,” explained Lawson whose assist and two goals helped lead the Black Bears to a 4-3 win over Boston University in their NCAA Tournament Eastern Regional quarterfinal on Sunday at the Worcester (Mass.) Centrum.

He can’t shoot the weighted pucks on Friday if the Bears have a road series because they leave on Thursday.

“I do it for about 15 minutes. I shoot about 60 or 80 pucks,” said Lawson, who was selected to the all-tournament team. “It’s finally starting to pay off. It’s a good time for it to start paying off.”

Lawson will be able to continue the routine a little later this season as the Bears practice for the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn., April 4. Maine plays New Hampshire at 1:30 p.m. with the winner advancing to the final on April 6.

After scoring 11 goals in 62 games his first two seasons, Lawson has found the back of the net 17 times in 42 games this season and tied Ron Hellen’s school record by scoring at least a goal in eight consecutive games. He has scored 10 goals in his last 12 games.

The assist and two goals against BU snapped a three-game pointless skein.

“It was good to finally get back on the scoreboard,” said Lawson, who added that he wasn’t concerned about going into a prolonged slump because he had been getting plenty of opportunities.

“I would worry if I wasn’t getting chances,” said Lawson who is on a line with leading scorer Niko Dimitrakos and fourth-leading point-getter Marty Kariya.

Being on a line with Dimitrakos and Kariya usually ensures plenty of scoring chances.

“I don’t think I’m a natural goal scorer. But now I’m starting to get chances and I’m capitalizing on them,” said Lawson. “I’m just trying to put the puck on the net and, fortunately, good things are happening.”

The idea to shoot weighted pucks was introduced to him by former Michigan State star and NHL player Mike Donnelly.

“He set the college record for goals in a season [59 in 1986]. It worked for him. My dad [Paul] found out about it on a Web site,” said Lawson, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound native of Braeside, Ontario.

Maine interim head coach Tim Whitehead said Lawson has “quietly become a huge factor on that line.”

“Everyone is worried about Dimitrakos and Kariya, as they should be, and, all of a sudden, Lucas Lawson is emerging as one of the top players in the league,” said Whitehead. “He has earned it. He works extremely hard, he has really been getting the puck to the net, he skates like the wind, he plays physical, he wins pucks and he hustles back on defense.”

Whitehead added that Lawson is playing “good hockey right now and if you keep an eye on the other two guys, you’ll be in trouble when Lucas has the puck.”

Maine senior defenseman and captain Peter Metcalf said, “He’s hot and it’s a credit to him for being out there shooting all those weighted pucks. He’s strong. He can throw guys off him with one hand. He hustles. He’s a workhorse. He gets the team going and everyone gets excited when he does it [wards off one or two checkers].”

Bears receive well-earned days off

The Black Bears will head back to the practice ice after a couple of days off Wednesday in preparation for their semifinal against UNH.

“The two days off will be good for us. We had two days off prior to the regional. That gave us a little boost so we’re going to do it again,” said Whitehead.

Whitehead said he doesn’t mind playing a familiar opponent. UNH went 2-1-1 against Maine this season, including a 3-1 triumph in the Hockey East championship game two weekends ago.

“It’s like a best-of-five playoff series spread over the whole season. We’ve got a final chance to even the series in a big way,” said Whitehead. “Both teams will go into the game with the confidence they have beaten the other team but also with respect. It’s a real good matchup, similar to our matchup with BU, and it’ll probably come down to whoever gets the last bounce. Hopefully, we’ll earn it.”

Which is exactly what they did against Boston University.

“We were sharp and very focused. I was really proud of the guys. They executed [the game plan] and played as a team,” said Whitehead.

He said it will be important not to overcoach the team although they will certainly make some adjustments based on their four previous games with UNH.

“You don’t want your team doing too much thinking this time of year,” said Whitehead. “You want them reacting within the systems they are familiar with. It’s a simple game and, a lot of times, coaches make it more complicated than it really is, especially in big games.”