BOSTON – University of Maine senior defenseman and assistant captain Mike Lundin scored the game-winning goal in Friday’s 4-1 win over Merrimack College and he was called upon to make a game-saving defensive play in Saturday’s 2-2 tie at Boston University.

With the score tied 2-2 late in the second period, BU’s John McCarthy was staring at an empty net after he beat Maine goalie Ben Bishop in a foot race for a loose puck just inside the Maine blue line.

But Lundin hustled back, disrupted McCarthy and then got a piece of the puck with his stick to steer the shot wide of the near post.

“Mike made a great defensive play,” said a grateful Bishop, who finished with 29 saves.

BU was shorthanded when McCarthy got around Michel Leveille at the point. Leveille gave him a little hook but couldn’t stop him.

“Ben came out and slowed him down enough for me to catch him and get enough of the puck so it went wide,” said Lundin.

Then it was BU senior goalie John Curry who preserved the tie in overtime by saving Billy Ryan’s breakaway with 11 seconds remaining.

Curry finished with 22 saves.

“Brent Shepheard gave me a great pass coming through the neutral zone and I beat the [defenseman],” said Ryan. “I thought I opened him [Curry’s legs] up and I was going to try to flip it five-hole. But he got his pad down just in time. He made a great save.”

Curry said, “He opened me up pretty good. At the last second, I saw he was trying to go five-hole and I squeezed my pads. I probably didn’t get a lot of it with my pad. It might have even rolled back to my toe. He made a pretty good move.”

Maine had its seven-game winning streak snapped but its 7-0-1 start equals the 1992-93 NCAA championship team for the best ever eight-game start. Maine is 2-0-1 in Hockey East play.

BU is now 2-1-3 overall, 2-1-2 in Hockey East.

Over the last 11 games between the two rivals, there have been seven games decided by a goal and two ties.

“Maine brought out the best in us tonight,” said BU coach Jack Parker, whose Terriers had been outshot 59-38 in a 2-1 loss and a 1-1 tie with UMass-Lowell in their previous two games.

It appeared at the outset that the nation’s top-ranked team would make short work of the Terriers (7th in one poll, 8th in another) as Keenan Hopson and Josh Soares scored within the first 6:25. Soares’ goal came on the power play.

Maine outshot BU 11-5 in the first period thanks to three impressive power plays.

But Curry made several important saves to keep his team within striking distance and BU scored twice on the power play during a dominant second-period performance in which the Terriers outshot Maine 14-3.

Matt Gilroy cut the lead in half while BU enjoyed a two-man advantage and Kevin Schaeffer tied it while a man up with 5:39 remaining.

Hopson scored his second goal of the season off a nice pass from Ryan on a three-on-one as his wrister from the left circle beat Curry short side.

“I was thinking pass and he beat me underneath my arm,” said Curry.

Wes Clark replaced the injured Keith Johnson (knee) on the Maine power play and set up Soares’ goal with a pinpoint pass across the low slot.

Soares one-timed it in the half-empty net before Curry could scramble across.

Gilroy gave BU the lift it needed 6:36 into the second period by flipping the puck into the empty net after gathering his own rebound in the slot to Bishop’s right.

“His first shot hit the body closest to him and went right back to him,” said Bishop.

Maine defenseman Bret Tyler accepted responsibility for the goal because it was his double minor for roughing that gave BU the two-man advantage after Mike Hamilton had been whistled for interference.

“It was a pretty stupid penalty. I feel awful about it,” said Tyler.

BU, energized by the goal and the re-invigorated crowd of 6,224, took control of the period and Schaeffer tied it when his wrist shot from the right point deflected off Hamilton and past Bishop.

“I know it hit [Hamilton] and I could feel it hit the inside of my knee. It went five-hole. I couldn’t really see anything,” said Bishop.

BU was without Hockey East Rookie of the Year Brandon Yip and Bryan Ewing (shoulder injuiries) while Maine was without Rob Bellamy (suspension) as well as Johnson.

BLACK BEARS 2, TERRIERS 2

Maine (7-0-1) 2 0 0 0 – 2

Boston University (2-1-3) 0 2 0 0 – 2

First period – 1. Maine, Hopson 2 (Ryan, Lundin), 1:36; 2. Maine, Soares 4 (Clark, Purcell), 6:25 (pp). Penalties: BU, Roche, hooking, 1:43; BU, Weston, holding, 5:34; BU, McCarthy, holding, 13:18; Maine, Leveille, hooking, 15:20

Second period – 3. BU, Gilroy 2 (MacArthur, Lawrence), 6:36 (pp); 4. BU, Schaeffer 1 (Higgins), 14:21 (pp). Penalties: BU, MacArthur, hooking, 2:29; Maine, Hamilton, obstruction-interference, 5:12; BU, Popko, roughing, 6:06; Maine, Tyler, double minor for roughing, 6:06; BU, Gryba, contact to the head-high sticking, 11:31; Maine, Shepheard, hitting after the whistle, 13:30; BU, Gryba, tripping, 14:58; Maine, Leveille, hooking, 15:37; Maine, Marshall, holding, 17:52; BU, Lawrence, slashing, 19:10

Third period – No scoring. Penalties: Maine, Hahn, obstruction-tripping, 8:41

Overtime – No scoring. Penalties: none.

Shots on goal: Maine 11-3-7-3-24; BU 5-14-11-1-31

Goaltenders: Maine, Bishop (31 shots-29 saves); BU, Curry (24-22)

Power-play opportunities: Maine 1 of 7; BU 2 of 7

High-percentage scoring chances: Maine 8-3-7-1-19; BU 2-12-7-1-22

Attendance: 6,224