Bears remain anxious about getting NCAA berth

BOSTON – The University of Maine men’s hockey team went into Friday night’s Hockey East semifinal against Boston College with its NCAA Tournament destiny in its hands.

A win would have clinched the Black Bears’ seventh consecutive appearance in the 16-team field. Instead, they left the FleetCenter wondering whether the 2-1 double-overtime loss to the Eagles would ultimately cost them a bid.

While UMaine believed it had a pretty good shot at making the NCAAs regardless of the outcome, the Bears knew they couldn’t take anything for granted.

“We didn’t want to put ourselves in the situation that we did, where we don’t know for sure if we’re getting in, because with a win in that game we’d have surely been in,” said sophomore defenseman Mike Lundin. “Now it looks like we’re going to get in, but it’s definitely not for sure, so it’s kind of a scary thing not to get into the NCAA Tournament.”

That uncertainty helps explain 12th-ranked UMaine’s grit and resilience in battling No. 4 BC relentlessly through 60 minutes of regulation and nearly 30 minutes of overtime.

“It was a bad ending to a real good game,” Whitehead said of Andrew Alberts’ game-winning goal 9:09 into the second OT.

UMaine appears to have a shot at earning one of 10 at-large bids based on its PairWise ranking (tied for 10th with New Hampshire prior to Friday’s game). Whitehead said that, much like last weekend against UMass Lowell, UMaine approached the Boston College game as a must-win situation.

“We certainly didn’t want to count on it [making the NCAAs], so we talked to our team about the need to play with same urgency we did last weekend because we may very well not be in if we lose,” Whitehead said. “We wanted to play like this could be our last game and I thought our guys did leave it all out there.”

UMaine must now wait for the NCAA selection committee to determine its fate. The pairings will be announced Sunday at 11 a.m.

“I certainly hope the season’s not over,” Whitehead said. “I think our guys have a lot in them. I think it’s a real strong team. If we make the tournament, I think there’s a good chance to do something.”

UMaine played as though its season was on the line. Junior goalie Jimmy Howard made several clutch saves among his 36. Among them was a point-blank stop on Chris Collins, who was sent in alone by a long flip pass from Ryan Shannon, with 35 seconds remaining in the first overtime.

“It’s kind of like you expect it,” UMaine’s Josh Soares said of Howard’s performance. “You can’t ask for a better goaltender. He does it every night.”

Yet the biggest save of the game may have come with 12:12 left in the third period.

With a delayed penalty for interference pending against BC’s Brian Boyle and the Bears having pulled Howard out of the net, UMaine attempted to break out of its own zone.

That’s when an errant backward pass by Michel Leveille slid directly toward the Bears’ empty net. Lundin alertly lunged across the crease and poked the puck off the goal line.

“I knew the goalie left, but I really wasn’t even thinking about it,” Mike Lundin said. “Then it fluttered toward the net and I just kind of panicked and got it with my stick.”

BC’s Dan Bertram chipped the puck into the net, but it was ruled no goal because the delayed penalty was whistled with the Eagles’ touching of the puck.

“It was a pretty scary moment,” Lundin said.