PORTLAND – University of Maine senior left winger and captain Chris Heisten said his team hasn’t been having strong first periods in recent games and the Bears wanted to change that trend against Harvard University at the Cumberland County Civic Center Sunday afternoon.

“We wanted to make sure we came out of the gates strong,” said Heisten, who did his part by assisting on all three first-period goals as Maine took a lead it would never relinquish on its way to an entertaining and fast-paced 4-2 triumph in front of 6,894.

Maine enters the Christmas break with a 13-1-2 record and a 14-game unbeaten streak (12-0-2) which is the program’s best since it started the 1994-95 season 14-0-5. Harvard, a 4-3 overtime loser to Maine in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, fell to 9-4-1 and had its five-game unbeaten streak snapped (4-0-1).

Maine’s Colin Shields scored a flukey goal 45 seconds into the game and made it 3-0 with a five-on-three power-play goal at the 15:03 mark. He sandwiched a power-play goal by Martin Kariya at 9:31.

Kenny Turano got one back for Harvard at the 10:06 mark of the second period but Maine junior defenseman Francis Nault answered 4:02 later.

Dominic Moore pulled the Crimson within two 5:23 into the third period but the Bears did an effective job limiting Harvard’s scoring opportunities, freshman goalie Jimmy Howard made seven of his 32 saves in the third period and Harvard hit a couple of posts in the final five minutes.

“That first period was as strong a period as we’ve played all year,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead. “The fact we scored the early goal didn’t disarm us, like it can. It gave us more jump.”

“Maine came out flying in the first period and we did some holding and grabbing. Maine deserved what it got in the first period [3-0 lead],” said Harvard sophomore defenseman Ryan Lannon.

Howard was solid while being tested on numerous occasions by the talented Crimson. It was the 12th time this season Maine had held an opponent to two goals or less.

Maine had 19 shots on goal in the first period, including 10 from its revamped power-play units, while the Crimson mustered 13. Maine had gone just 1-for-10 on the power play over its last three games but went 2-for-8 on Sunday and generated 17 shots on goal.

Shields opened the scoring with a clever maneuver and a lucky bounce.

The puck was dumped into the corner and Harvard defenseman Kenny Smith had a stride on Shields.

“I was going to try to go around him but, instead, I put on the brakes. He looked at me and took his eye off the puck, I got it and heard Tommy [Reimann] yelling for it. I tried to put it out in front but it hit a defenseman’s stick and the goalie’s pad and went in,” said Shields.

“Our defenseman was skating right towards me and, unfortunately, it hit his stick,” said Harvard goalie Dov Grumet-Morris.

Kariya made it 2-0 after being set up nicely in the middle of the slot by Nault. Nault’s first pass attempt hit a Harvard defenseman but it came right back to him and he fed it to the wide open Kariya.

“I just spun around and shot. I tried to put it on net,” said Kariya whose low 16-foot wrister slipped between Grumet-Morris’ right skate and the post.

Shields’ fourth goal in the last three games was bizarre.

Maine had a five-on-three for 1:44 and things went from bad to worse for the Crimson when Moore broke his stick on the faceoff to Grumet-Morris’ left.

“Then Marty [Kariya] went behind the net and I got my stick tangled up in him and it went with him,” said Grumet-Morris, who was virtually helpless when Heisten followed a wild flurry by feeding the puck to Shields, whose low 20-foot one-timer sailed through the pads of Grumet-Morris.

“I knew he didn’t have a stick so I wanted to keep the shot low. Even if he made the save, there would have been a rebound and he wouldn’t have been able to poke it away,” said Shields.

Grumet-Morris kept the Crimson in the game over the final five minutes of the first period as he dove out to poke-check the puck away from Kariya, who was going in alone on a shorthanded situation.

He also made a great save on Derek Damon, who was set up nicely at the far post by Todd Jackson.

Maine’s penalty-killing units, among the best in the nation, again came through as the Crimson went 0-for-5 with the man advantage.

BLACK BEARS 4, CRIMSON 2

Harvard (9-4-1) 0 1 1 ? 2

Maine (13-1-2) 3 1 0 ? 4

First period ? 1. Maine, Shields 12 (Heisten, Reimann), :45; 2. Maine, Kariya 5 (Nault, Heisten), 9:31 (pp); 3. Maine, Shields 13 (Heisten, Kariya), 15:03 (pp). Penalties: Har, Welch, interference, 4:24; Har, Lannon, holding, 9:24; Maine, Liscak, interference, 10:36; Har, Flynn, elbowing, 14:14; Har, Hafner, hitting from behind, 14:30; Maine, Deschamps, hitting from behind, 16:52; Har, D. Moore, interference, 19:42.

Second period ? 4. Har, Turano 1 (Cavanagh, Welch), 10:06; 5. Maine, Nault 4 (Damon, Lyall), 14:08. Penalties: Maine, G. Moore, roughing, 5:52; Har, D. Moore, tripping, 16:43; Maine, Loya, slashing, 19:44.

Third period ? 6. Har, D. Moore 8 (Lannon), 5:23. Penalties: Maine, Ryan, roughing, 6:29; Har, D. Moore, roughing, 6:29; Har, Fried, interference, 9:10; Maine, Liscak, holding, 9:37; Har, Welch, roughing, 19:52.

Shots on goal: Harvard 13-13-8?34; Maine 19-10-7?36

Goalies: Harvard, Grumet-Morris (36 shots-32 saves); Maine, Howard (34-32)

Power-play opportunities: Harvard 0-5, Maine 2-8

High-percentage scoring chances: Harvard 8-4-7?19; Maine 8-4-6?18

Attendance: 6,894