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BOSTON – The University of Maine men’s hockey team found itself in yet another struggle with the Northeastern University Huskies in a rink that hasn’t been kind to the Black Bears of late.
But three veterans came to the forefront and the Bears used three unanswered third-period goals to post a 6-3 triumph at Matthews Arena Friday night.
Maine entered the game with a 2-4-3 mark in its previous nine games at what used to be called the Boston Arena.
Junior left wing Keith Johnson scored the game-winner 2:01 into the third period, senior defenseman Travis Wight finished off a determined rush by senior right wing and captain Greg Moore 4:43 later, and senior center Jon Jankus added an insurance goal with 1:14 left.
Maine improved to 16-9 overall, 9-7 in Hockey East. Northeastern fell to 1-17-5, 1-12-5 in Hockey East. NU’s winless streak was extended to 15 games (0-11-4).
Johnson’s goal was created by the hustle of Jankus and a John Hopson pass.
Jankus carried the puck out and protected it before sliding it to Hopson behind the net.
“John brought it out front and I crashed the net. I was yelling for the puck and he got it over to me,” said Johnson, who swept it into the short side corner past junior goalie Adam Geragosian.
Johnson had jumped onto the ice to replace Brent Shepheard, who came to the bench with a shoulder injury.
It was his second goal of the game, his first two-goal game since a 4-2 win over Boston University on Jan. 22, 2005.
“It felt good to have a two-goal game, especially getting the game-winner,” said Johnson.
Wight made it 5-3 after Moore manufactured the opportunity by taking a Josh Soares pass and barreling down the right wing around NU defenseman Denis Chisholm.
“I tried to get body position and I got my feet taken out from under me. The puck rolled in on the goalie,” said Moore, who crashed into the net along with Chisholm.
Fortunately for Maine, the goal didn’t come off its moorings, the puck squirted out, and Wight shoveled home the loose puck.
“It was a two-on-two, so I thought I’d jump into the play to see if something happened. It usually doesn’t happen to me,” said Wight. “I shot it low blocker.”
Ryan Ginand fired a screened 40-foot slapper past Maine freshman goalie Ben Bishop with 3:52 remaining, but NU’s Ray Ortiz was called for interference on the play, which nullified the goal.
Jankus capped the scoring with a partial break-in and 25-foot wrister.
Maine outshot NU 35-21.
Johnson and Moore provided the Bears with a pair of one-goal leads in the first period, but NU’s Yale Lewis and Brian Deeth answered, respectively.
Moore’s 18th goal of the season and second of the game gave Maine its third one-goal lead in the second period but Dennis McCauley tied it up later in the period on the power play.
Johnson opened the scoring when a wide-open Steve Mullin controlled the puck at the blue line, took a few strides, and took a low wrist shot that Johnson deflected past Adam Geragosian.
Lewis equalized when he was able to push the puck around Bishop in a race for the puck and deposited it into the wide-open net from a difficult angle. Bishop had raced out to the top of the faceoff circles to try to beat Lewis to the puck and prevent a breakaway opportunity.
Moore regained the lead with a short wrister after being set up by Keenan Hopson, who flipped the puck over to him at the far post.
But Deeth knotted it up as he skated in from the point and lifted a 15-footer over Bishop after the Huskies had cycled the puck behind the net.
Moore made it 3-2 3:18 into the second period when he took a pinpoint pass from Derek Damon in the low slot, stickhandled cleverly around Geragosian, and roofed it into the half-empty net.
Maine took three consecutive penalties midway through the period, providing the Huskies with a pair of two-man advantages.
The Bears killed off the two-man disadvantages, but McCauley capitalized with the one-man advantage when a weak wrist shot deflected to him off Bishop’s blocker and the short-side post. The puck was sitting in the crease, and McCauley jammed it home.
Johnson said the Bears discussed the importance of the game after the second period.
“We knew it was a game we had to win,” said Johnson.
Moore concurred.
“We’re desperate for wins,” said Moore, who has 10 goals in his last 10 games and also had an assist on the evening. “They played well. But I felt we stayed focused for all three periods.”
NU coach Greg Cronin said his team didn’t play as well as it has played in recent games.
“We played well in spurts,” said Cronin, who felt the nullified goal was the turning point.
“[If it had counted], it would have been a hell of a finish,” said Cronin.
BLACK BEARS 6, HUSKIES 3
Maine (16-9) 2 1 3 – 6
Northeastern (1-17-5) 2 1 0 – 3
First period – 1. Maine, Johnson 4 (Mullin), 5:57; 2. NU, Lewis 3 (Robertson, Tomes), 10:23; 3. Maine, Moore 17 (Danis-Pepin, K. Hopson), 15:18 (pp); 4. NU, Deeth 2 (Robertson, Vitale), 15:39. Penalties: NU, Swiniarski, contact to the head-high sticking, 7:32; NU, Uusivirta, boarding, 14:12; Maine, Hamilton, obstruction-interference, 15:52; NU, Lewis, contact to the head-roughing, 16:24; NU, Rassey, tripping, 19:08
Second period – 5. Maine, Moore 18 (Damon, Mullin), 3:18 (pp); 6. NU, McCauley 3 (Swiniarski, Robertson), 12:41 (pp). Penalties: Maine, Moore, interference, :29; NU, Deeth, contact to the head-roughing, 3:54; NU, Vitale, slashing, 6:39; Maine, Ryan, cross checking, 9:01; Maine, Damon, hooking, 10:19; Maine, Jankus, slashing, 10:30; NU, Deeth, charging and roughing, 13:44; Maine, Bellamy, holding, 13:44; Maine, bench minor for too many men on the ice, 15:26
Third period – 7. Maine, Johnson 5 (Hopson, Jankus) 2:01; 8. Maine, Wight 2 (Moore, Soares) 6:44; 9. Maine, Jankus 5 (Ramsey, Hopson) 18:46. Penalties: Maine, Jankus, tripping, 11:07; Maine, Duffy, delay of game, 14:29; NU, Ortiz, interference, 16:08; NU, Lewis, roughing, 19:18; Maine, Clark, roughing, 19:18; NU, McCauley, hitting after whistle, 20:00; Maine, Bellamy, hitting after whistle, 20:00; NU, McCauley, roughing, 20:00; Maine, Bellamy, roughing, 20:00
Shots on goal: Maine 11-14-10-35; Northeastern 6-7-8-21
Goaltenders: Maine, Bishop (21 shots-18 saves); NU, Geragosian (35-29)
Power-play opportunities: Maine 1 of 8; Northeastern 1 of 8
High-percentage scoring chances: Maine 12-14-9-35; NU 7-10-8-25
Attendance: 2,932
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