BURLINGTON, Vt. – The University of Maine men’s hockey team must be glad it has only one more Hockey East afternoon game this season.

The University of Vermont Catamounts dealt the Black Bears their third consecutive loss, all coming in afternoon games, 3-2 at Gutterson Fieldhouse on Saturday.

A flukey goal by freshman left wing Colin Vock broke a scoreless tie in the second period and senior right wing Dan Owens’ third-period goal, representing his first point this season, proved to be decisive.

Maine’s Billy Ryan got one back with 31 seconds remaining but Dean Strong’s empty-netter six seconds later iced it before Keenan Hopson capped the scoring with three seconds left.

Maine lost the services of scoring leader and captain Michel Leveille 58 seconds into the second period when UVM defenseman and co-captain Kenny Macaulay checked him from behind and he went headfirst into the boards. Leveille suffered a back injury but skated off the ice and watched the rest of the game in street clothes after being examined by a doctor in the arena.

Macaulay received a five-minute major and game misconduct. Maine defenseman Bryan Plaszcz had received a similar penalty and expulsion in the first period.

Vermont’s fifth straight win, in which it has allowed only six goals, elevated its record to 7-4-1, 5-1-1 in Hockey East. Maine fell to 8-3-1, 3-3-1, respectively.

“We definitely played a better game than we have of late. I’m just really disappointed with the outcome,” said Maine senior left wing and assistant captain Josh Soares. “We had our opportunities. We made a few mistakes again that we can’t be making and they turned into goals.”

Maine outshot Vermont 29-26, including 23-13 over the last two periods, but squandered a full two-minute five-on-three in the first period and another that spanned 1:01 in the second period as the Macaulay hit on Leveille coincided with an earlier penalty. Vermont also killed off the remaining 3:59 of the one-man advantage created by Macaulay’s penalty.

Maine’s suddenly anemic power play is just 4-for-31 over its last five games (12.9 percent).

Both teams went 0-for-5 on the power play.

Vermont entered the game with the nation’s third-best penalty killing percentage (91.5 percent) while Maine’s power-play percentage was the nation’s second-best (25 percent).

UVM coach Kevin Sneddon said his team’s penalty-killing “was the difference in the game.”

“They block shots really well,” said Leveille. “They put their bodies in front of the puck. We’ve got to move the puck a little quicker. If we do, seams will open.”

UVM blocked 12 shots in the game.

Vock opened the scoring when his wrister was deflected by Keith Johnson and popped high in the air. Maine goalie Ben Bishop came out and leaped for it but was knocked down by one of his own players and a UVM player.

The puck dropped into the path of the oncoming Vock.

“It came right on my stick. I happened to be in the right spot at the right time and I put it in the empty net,” said Vock.

“Everybody hit me at one time. It may have hit my glove [before dropping into the slot]. It was unlucky,” said Bishop, whose 13 first-period saves preserved a scoreless tie.

Owens made it 2-0 8:30 into the third period when he pounced on a loose puck, made a 180-degree spin and wristed it from the right circle into the far corner over the screened Bishop’s blocker.

“I spun and shot it as hard as I could. I didn’t know where the goalie was. I knew where I was and I tried to go far side,” said Owens.

Bishop said “I was trying to look around [Wes Clark]. I looked one way and the puck went the other way.”

To their credit, the Bears didn’t quit and made things interesting when Ryan lifted a pinpoint post-to-post pass from Teddy Purcell over the extended pad of UVM goalie Joe Fallon.

But Strong found the empty net six seconds after the center-ice faceoff.

“I thought we played very well in the second and third periods. It’s just how the game goes sometimes. You can’t win them all,” said Ryan.

Fallon finished with 16 Grade-A (high-percentage) saves among his 27 but rarely had to face any second shots. Bishop wound up with 14 Grade-As among his 23 stops.

“The guys did a real good job getting in their face and getting good [defensive] position out there,” said Fallon.

Maine will play its first night game since Nov. 10 when its hosts Providence on Friday.

CATAMOUNTS 3, BLACK BEARS 2

Maine (8-3-1) 0 0 2 – 2

Vermont (7-4-1) 0 1 2 – 3

First period – 1. No scoring. Penalties: Maine, Tyler, cross checking, 4:57; Maine, Plaszcz, five-minute major for hitting from behind and game misconduct, 8:24; UVM, Strong, boarding, 17:24; UVM, Femenella, hitting after the whistle, 17:24; UVM, Collingham, charging, 19:59

Second period – 1. UVM, Vock 5 (Irwin, Femenella), 8:16. Penalties: UVM, Macaulay, five-minute major for hitting from behind and game misconduct, :58; UVM, Lutz, hitting after the whistle, :58; Maine, Soares, hitting after the whistle, :58; Maine, Danis-Pepin, holding, 12:00

Third period – 2. UVM, Owens 1 (Wisnowski, Collingham), 8:30; 3. Maine, Ryan 2 (Purcell, Soares), 19:29; 4. UVM, Strong 9 (Mitchell), 19:35 (en); 5. Maine, Hopson 4 (Danis-Pepin, Czuba), 19:57. Penalties: Maine, Duffy, hitting from behind, 1:08; UVM, Cullity, interference, 5:29; Maine, Bellamy, high sticking, 13:17

Shots on goal: Maine 6-14-9-29; UVM 13-5-8-26

Goaltenders: Maine, Bishop (25 shots-23 saves); UVM, Fallon (29-27)

Power-play opportunities: Maine 0 of 5; UVM 0 of 5

High-percentage scoring chances: Maine 7-11-7-25; UVM 13-5-5-23

Attendance: 4,003