UMaine making sure its late leads stand up

ORONO – It was Dec. 30, 2001 and the University of Maine’s hockey team was facing Northern Michigan University in the championship game at the Everblades College Hockey Classic in Estero, Fla.

Maine took a 3-2 lead into the third period only to have the Wildcats rally for a 5-4 triumph.

Since that night, the Black Bears have taken 106 leads into the third period of games.

And they have a 106-game unbeaten streak with 100 wins and six ties.

“I hope that keeps going,” said Maine senior defenseman Travis Wight. “Maine has the reputation of always having strong goaltending. Every year I’ve been here, we’ve had unbelievable goaltending. That’s the biggest reason.”

Maine senior center Derek Damon said they “know we can close out teams. We make them come 200 feet by playing smart hockey, getting the puck deep and not making many mistakes. When you make a team come 200 feet to get by you, it gets frustrating for them.”

Senior right wing and captain Greg Moore said the forwards “make sure we get back defensively” and that every player is willing to do what it takes to protect the lead.

“We’re a close-knit team. We stick together. We’re willing to do little things for each other to get a win. Everybody is unselfish here,” said Moore.

Junior right wing Keith Johnson said the coaching staff deserves credit for devising a third-period strategy for protecting the lead.

“And we really stick to our system. We get the puck deep, forecheck hard and always keep guys back,” said Johnson.

Johnson, Bellamy producing

Junior right wing Keith Johnson and sophomore right wing Rob Bellamy may not been among the University of Maine’s goal-scoring leaders, but their goals have certainly come at opportune times.

Johnson and Bellamy have combined for 12 goals so far this season but seven of them have been game-winners.

Johnson has four game-winners among his six overall, including the overtime winner in the 4-3 win over UMass Lowell in the Hockey East quarterfinals last Friday night, and Bellamy has three.

Maine has received at least one game-winner from 12 players.

“This shows how deep we are,” said Bellamy. “On any given night, anybody can come up and perform. That’s what makes our team so special. A lot of teams rely on their top guys. We have our top guys, we rely on [Moore] to score his goals. It’s always good to have somebody to fall back on. We have four solid lines.”

Johnson added, “We have one of the best forward crops in the league. We roll four lines out there and any of our four lines can play against any of the opposing teams’ lines. That’s a credit to the coaching staff for putting the lines together like that.”

Moore said having scoring balance “is exactly what you need for the playoffs and the end of the season. You need every line and every guy contributing. Whether guys have six, seven or 15 goals, certain guys find a way to get it done at pivotal points in the games.”

Moore shares the team lead in game-winners with Johnson with his four. Michel Leveille and Josh Soares have three along with Bellamy.