Rookie goalie records victory for Maine in 1st start Lundin makes 28 saves against Niagara

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ORONO – University of Maine freshman goalie Matt Lundin didn’t learn he was going to start his first game until the team meeting earlier Saturday.

“I was really anxious. I couldn’t wait to get in there. I didn’t know how I would feel at the beginning, but I knew I was excited to play,” said Lundin, who responded with an impressive 28-save performance to lead Maine to a 6-2 men’s hockey win over Niagara University Saturday night.

“It felt great out there. I loved it. I had a lot of fun,” said Lundin who received a start from coach Tim Whitehead because Maine has just two more non-league games before beginning Hockey East play and Whitehead wanted to get a look at him.

Second team All-American Jimmy Howard started the first four games with Lundin receiving 4:39 of mop-up duty in the season-opening 7-1 win at Vermont.

Maine is now 3-2 while Niagara fell to 0-3.

Lundin stopped a breakaway by Niagara sophomore Sean Benivoglio early in the first period and junior center Derek Damon gave Maine the lead for good a few minutes later.

“That save helped me. After I stopped that one, I settled down a lot,” said Lundin. “Then we scored the first goal and that was huge. We just went from there.”

Lundin, who made seven Grade-A (high-percentage) stops, also gave plenty of credit to his teammates.

“Our team let me see every shot. They made it easy for me,” said Lundin, whose brother Mike helped anchor the defense corps.

Jon Jankus extended the lead to 2-0 4:22 into the second period before Niagara’s Mike Maier responded 59 seconds later.

Damon’s power-play goal at the 13:14 mark and Ben Murphy’s score 1:11 later made it 4-1.

Aaron Clarke’s power-play goal 50 seconds into the third period tightened things up, but Jankus’ 70-foot wrist shot 31 seconds later deflected off a Niagara defenseman’s stick at the blue line and sailed over the blocker of backup goalie Allen Barton to deflate the Purple Eagles.

Barton had replaced Jeff Van Nynatten at the outset of the third period.

“He was a new goalie and I was just trying to test him. I just tried to get it on net,” Jankus said.

“That was pretty much the ballgame right there. And Maine got better as the weekend wore on,” said Niagara coach Dave Burkholder, who was impressed with Lundin’s performance.

“I don’t know where they find them [topnotch goalies],” said Burkholder. “He made everything look so easy. His rebound control [was good], he was never out of position, and never had to make a desperation save. He was very solid.”

Niagara senior center and captain Barret Ehgoetz added, “We worked really hard trying to get rebound goals off him and we got a couple. But I think he did a pretty good job not giving us too much of that.”

Michel Leveille capped the scoring by sweeping a Greg Moore pass inside the near post off a shorthanded two-on-one.

Damon opened the scoring after Billy Ryan made a nifty move and got off a wrister that dropped to Damon off Van Nynatten’s chest.

Jankus made it 2-0 after Josh Soares muscled his way out of the corner and threw the puck across the slot.

“I got a backhand on it and it went through the goalie’s legs,” said Jankus.

Maier swept home the rebound of a point-blank shot by Tim Madsen, who was set up nicely by Cliff Ketchen.

But Damon scored his fifth goal in four games when he converted a Greg Moore rebound in the low slot to Van Nynatten’s left.

“It just popped out to me and, fortunately, I was in the right place at the right time,” said Damon.

A perfect backhand pass from behind the net by Brent Shepheard found an open Murphy just beyond the crease and he capitalized.

“He made a great pass. All I had to do was redirect it,” said Murphy.

Maine outshot Niagara 36-30.

“We got a complete game from everybody, including our elite players,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead.

BLACK BEARS 6, PURPLE EAGLES 2

Niagara (0-3) 0 1 1 – 2

Maine (3-2) 1 3 2 – 6

First period – 1. Maine, Damon 4 (Ryan), 9:32. Penalties: Niagara, Clarke, boarding, 4:00; Maine, Murphy, hooking, 7:07; Maine, Shepheard, hitting after the whistle, 9:14; Niagara, Oliveto, hitting after the whistle, 9:14; Maine, Mushaluk, cross checking, 9:59; Niagara, Norrington, delay of game, 15:03; Maine, Hamilton, hooking, 15:37; Maine, Bellamy, slashing, 17:12

Second period – 2. Maine, Jankus 1 (Soares, Hamilton), 4:22; 3. Niagara, Maier 1 (Madsen, Ketchen), 5:21; 4. Maine, Damon 5 (Leveille, Moore), 13:14 (pp); 5. Maine, Murphy 2 (Hamilton, Shepheard), 14:25. Penalties: Niagara, Wiebe, obstruction, 7:21; Niagara, Hartman, contact to the head-roughing, 9:28; Niagara, Clarke, hooking, 12:25

Third period – 6. Niagara, Clarke 2 (Wiebe, Bentivoglio), :50 (pp); 7. Maine, Jankus 2 (Tyler), 1:21; 8. Maine, Leveille 2 (Moore), 5:11 (sh). Penalties: Maine, Shepheard, slashing, :25; Niagara, Novosad, obstruction, 1:29; Maine, Murphy, holding the stick, 4:51; Maine, Mushaluk, interference, 7:10; Niagara, Cross, obstruction-holding, 15:24; Maine, Leveille, holding, 15:40; Maine, Tyler, roughing, 18:56; Niagara, Maier, double minor for roughing and contact to the head-roughing, 18:56; Niagara, Anderson, charging, 19:25

Shots on goal: Niagara 12-6-12-30; Maine 11-14-11-36

Goaltenders: Niagara, Van Nynatten (25 shots-21 saves), Barton (0:00 of 3rd, 11-9); Maine, Ma. Lundin (30-28)

Power-play opportunities: Niagara 1 of 8; Maine 1 of 8

High-percentage scoring chances: Niagara 4-7-8-19; Maine 10-10-8-28

Attendance: 5,641