UMaine knocks off national champs

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ORONO – The University of Maine Black Bears overcame a toasty Alfond Arena, which featured some third-period fog, and a sluggish start to make a statement in front of a soldout crowd in their home opener Friday night.

The Bears surrendered the game’s first goal to Denver’s Ryan Helgason but scored the next five en route to a 5-1 men’s hockey win over the defending two-time NCAA champs.

Maine is now 2-1 while Denver was playing its opener.

The teams will play again tonight at 7.

Late second-period goals 41 seconds apart by Josh Soares and Greg Moore gave the Bears the lead for good and Jon Jankus made it 3-1 just 4:34 into the third period before Michel Leveille added an empty-net goal and Derek Damon capped the scoring with one second left.

Helgason opened the scoring with a tap-in off a perfect feed from T.J. Fast off a textbook two-on-one.

The Pioneers appeared to take a 2-0 lead early in the second period but Denver had a man in the crease and the goal was nullified.

It was two years ago in Denver’s 1-0 NCAA championship game win over Maine when the Bears’ Derek Damon had a game-opening goal nullified when Mike Hamilton was ruled to have his skate in the crease.

Soares tied the game on the power play with 5:15 remaining in the second period as Keenan Hopson controlled the puck at the midpoint and wristed the puck toward the net where Soares, holding his stick waist-high, tipped the puck up in the air and over Denver goalie Glenn Fisher.

Seconds later, Michel Leveille won a faceoff to the right of Fisher and poked it ahead where Moore swooped in and capitalized.

Moore and Leveille explained that it was a set play.

“I told Greg I was going to push it ahead,” said Leveille.

“Michel got held up but nobody took me. I scooped it in between the goalie’s [right] arm and his body,” said Moore.

His goal snapped a Bear streak of 282 minutes and 19 seconds without an even strength goal dating back to last season.

Maine preserved the lead by killing off two Denver power plays until Jankus made it 3-1 off a four-man rush.

Freshman defenseman Matt Duffy made a nice outlet pass to Mike Hamilton on the left wing and Hamilton carried the puck into the offensive zone. Jankus trailed the play and Hamilton slid it back to him.

“I knew [Hamilton] was going to drop it back and I knew I was going to shoot it far side,” said Jankus. “I had time to wait for the guys to go to the net. I don’t think the goalie saw it.”

Jankus’ wrister cleanly beat Fisher to the far side over his glove.

Just 2:44 later, Maine freshman goalie Ben Bishop preserved the two-goal lead by using his 6-foot-7 frame and extending his left pad to rob Denver second-team All-American Gabe Gauthier, who was set up on the doorstep by J.D. Corbin.

“I thought our guys had him tied up and I just got my pad down,” said Bishop.

“It was tough to get the puck up in that tight but he made a great save,” said Gauthier. “He may have turned the game around with that save.”

Maine had to kill off a four-minute disadvantage later in the third period and did an exceptional job.

“We weren’t patient enough on the power play,” said Gauthier whose Pioneers went 0-for-9 on the power play.

“The forwards did a great job cycling around [on the penalty kill] so the defensemen didn’t get worn down,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead.

“The guys did a great job in front of me all night,” said Bishop.

The Pioneers carried the play to the Bears in the first period and could have easily extended their lead. But Bishop came up with some important saves and caught a break when Gauthier’s re-direction sailed wide of the open net.

Denver outshot Maine 11-8 in that first period but the Bears began taking charge in the second period and wound up outshooting Denver 20-5 over the final 40 minutes.

“We came out in the second period and started to make more plays. We worked harder and were able to establish more of a forecheck,” said Moore.

“Maine played a great game and we lost our effort the last two periods,” said Gauthier, whose power-play goal beat Maine in the national championship game two years ago.

BLACK BEARS 5, PIONEERS 1

Denver (0-1) 1 0 0 – 1

Maine (2-1) 0 2 3 – 5

First period – 1. Denver, Helgason 1 (Fast), 8:07. penalties: Den, Dingle, boarding, 1:09; Maine, Johnson, holding the stick, 5:12; Maine, Wight, holding, 12:02; Maine, Soares, roughing, 18:22.

Second period – 2. Maine, Soares 2 (K. Hopson), 14:45 (pp); 3. Maine, Moore 2 (Leveille), 15:26; penalties: Den, Thomas, contact-to-head elbowing, 4:06; Maine, Duffy, contact-to-head high-sticking, 7:40; Den, Fast, obstruction holding, 11:11; Maine, Moore, slashing, 12:07; Den, Veideman, obstruction hooking, 14:14; Maine, too many men on ice (served by Ryan), 17:05

Third period – 4. Maine, Jankus 2 (Hamilton, Bellamy), 4:34; 5. Maine, Leveille 2 (unassisted), 19:25; 6. Maine, Damon 2 (Johnson), 19:59; penalties: Maine, Leveille, obstruction hooking, 0:44; Maine, Soares, double minor, roughing, 8:16; Maine, Soares, grasping facemask, 8:16; Maine, Ramsey, 10-min. misconduct, 8:16; Maine, Tyler, roughing, 8:16; Den, Stastny, 10-min. misconduct, 8:16; Den, Butler, roughing, 8:16; Den, Dingle, roughing, 8:16

Shots on goal: Denver 11-3-2-16; Maine 8-17-3-28

Goaltenders: Denver, Fisher (28 shots-24 saves); Maine, Bishop (16-15)

Power-play opportunities: Denver 0 of 9; Maine 1 of 4

High-percentage scoring chances: Denver 12-2-9-23; Maine 13-10-3-26

Attendance: 5,641