BC avenges loss, tames Bears

loading...

ORONO – The Boston College Eagles certainly haven’t forgotten their heart-breaking 2-1 loss to Maine in the Frozen Four semifinals in their backyard, Boston’s FleetCenter, last April.

They got a measure of revenge Friday night, scoring the last three goals, including a couple of uncharacteristic soft goals surrendered by University of Maine goalie Jimmy Howard to beat Maine 3-1 at the Alfond Arena.

“It’s a great feeling,” said junior defenseman Peter Harrold, who scored the game-winner with 9:29 remaining in the second period. “We owed them for last year. That was a really tough loss in Boston on the biggest stage in college hockey. We needed to prove something.”

Howard, a second team All-American, had made 40 saves in that Frozen Four triumph and turned aside 28 on Friday.

Maine junior center Derek Damon had staked Maine to a 1-0 lead by scoring on a four-on-three power play just 2:55 into the game.

Maine played an exceptional first period but BC outshot the Bears 23-10 over the final two periods, which were marred by penalties.

Boston College freshman right wing Dan Bertram tied it 3:56 into the second period and Harrold scored 6:35 later.

Senior center Ryan Shannon’s sixth career goal against Maine, coming directly off a Howard turnover with 9:04 remaining in the third period, sealed the win.

BC, ranked No. 1 in the country in both polls, is now 4-1-1 overall and 2-0 in Hockey East while Maine, ranked ninth, fell to 5-5 and 1-2. The Bears have scored just two goals in their last two games and nine in their last five.

Maine hosts New Hampshire Sunday at 2 p.m.

Harrold’s goal came on an unscreened wrist shot from the top of the right circle.

“I threw it on the net low hoping that a rebound would come out front and one of our forwards would bang it in,” said Harrold. “I got lucky.”

Howard said, “I saw him looking far side but my main concern was all our guys were over there so I tried to get out and make him make a perfect shot. It just so happened he did. I didn’t get my legs down quick enough. It went over the stick and between the pads.”

Shannon’s clincher came just moments after BC senior goalie Matti Kaltiainen preserved a 2-1 lead with a great glove save on Greg Moore, who was set up between the circles by Damon.

“It was a great play by Derek. He rolled off the puck and drew guys with him. He got it back to me, I got a shot off and he had a quick glove and made a good save,” said Moore.

“I saw it and that made it easier,” said Kaltiainen.

Soon afterward, BC dumped the puck into the Maine zone and Howard tracked it down in the corner. He tried to rim it around behind his net and it hit the side of his net and stopped.

“I could tell he wanted to go up the wall with it on his forehand and I took that angle away and he fired it into the back of the net,” said Shannon, who circled the net and swept the puck into the empty net.

“If people want to pin the loss on me, that’s all right. I’m man enough. I can take it,” said Howard. “People make mistakes. I make mistakes every day. I made a large one there.

“It was just his luck, it was his night. Someone was really looking down on him from upstairs,” said Howard.

Shannon had set up the tying goal by stickhanding into the Maine end, spinning at the top of the right circle to buy some time and firing a snap shot that deflected into the net off the shaft of Bertram’s stick.

Howard and the Bears killed off a pair of two-man disadvantages later in the period to keep the deficit at one goal.

Maine took three consecutive penalties during that span.

“That derailed us,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead.

Damon opened the scoring by skating from right to left across the middle of the slot and beating Kaltiainen with a wrister past the goalie’s glove.

Kaltiainen finished with 16 saves.

“We played hard but we didn’t play smart and that will kill you all the time,” said Whitehead. “It’s not a complicated game. We tried to complicate it a bit by taking penalties and, before you know it, we got out of that rhythm that helped us so much in the first period.”

EAGLES 3, BLACK BEARS 1

Boston College (4-1) 0 2 1 – 3

Maine (5-5) 1 0 0 – 1

First period – 1. Maine, Damon 6 (Mi. Lundin), 2:55 (pp). Penalties: BC, Boyle, obstruction interference, 1:33; BC, Gionta, obstruction elbowing, 2:09; Maine, Jankus, slashing, 2:37; BC, Eaves, roughing, 16:55; Maine, Damon, roughing, 16:55; BC, Brennan, roughing, 17:47

Second period – 2. BC, Bertram 5 (Shannon), 3:56; 3. BC, Harrold 1 (Adams), 10:31. Penalties: Maine, Deschamps, obstruction interference, 4:04; BC, Adams, holding, 6:25; BC, too many men on the ice (served by Greene), 8:51; Maine, Deschamps, tripping, 10:17; Maine, Johnson, hooking, 10:59; Maine, Damon, slashing, 11:45; BC, Bertram, diving, 13:06; Maine, Murphy, hooking, 13:06; BC, Boyle, obstruction interference, 14:52; BC, Eaves, hitting after the whistle, 18:43; BC, Brennan, hitting after the whistle, 18:43; Maine, Moore, hitting after the whistle, 18:43; Maine, Tyler, hitting after the whistle, 18:43

Third period – 4. BC, Shannon 2 (unassisted), 10:56. Penalties: Maine, Murphy, boarding, :44; BC, Collins, hooking, 7:29; BC, Spina, obstruction-hooking, 7:40; Maine, Murphy, diving, 7:40; Maine, Barnes, tripping, 13:22; Maine, Damon, high sticking, 13:50; BC, Harrold, hooking, 15:21; BC, Bertram, hooking, 18:53; BC, Brennan, hitting after whistle, 19:41; Maine, Murphy, hitting after whistle, 19:41; BC, Collins, hitting after whistle, 19:41; Maine, Jankus, hitting after whistle, 19:41

Shots on goal: BC 8-10-13-31; Maine 7-3-7-17

Goaltenders: BC, Kaltiainen (17 shots-16 saves); Maine, Howard (31-28)

Power-play opportunities: BC 0 of 6; Maine 1 of 8

High-percentage scoring chances: BC 3-7-10-20; Maine 6-2-7-15

Attendance: 5,641