ORONO – The University of Maine men’s hockey team won’t be sorry to see University of New Hampshire senior center Mike Radja graduate after this season.

Radja’s third goal of the game, a shorthanded tally with 12:35 remaining in the third period, broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Wildcats a 3-2 Hockey East victory over the Black Bears at Alfond Arena Friday night.

UNH (17-7-1, 13-4-1 HE) has won four in a row while Maine (8-14-3, 4-11-3 HE) has lost four straight. The Bears fell to 1-6-2 at home in Hockey East play.

The teams will meet for the 100th time in the series tonight at 7.

Radja’s hat trick gives him seven goals in 10 career games against the Bears. He also has three assists.

Radja’s game-winner came when the puck left the UNH zone down the left-wing boards. He was able to slip past Maine defenseman Simon Danis-Pepin, who was trying to keep the puck into the offensive zone.

“I thought I was going to get hit so I tried to protect the puck. I didn’t get hit, so I kept going,” said Radja, who broke in alone on Maine goalie Ben Bishop, cut across the top of the crease and tucked a backhander over Bishop’s glove and under the crossbar.

“I looked to see what he was going to give me and I caught him dropping down so I put it top corner,” said Radja.

Bishop said, “I thought he was going to slide it five-hole. He made a good shot.”

UNH coach Dick Umile said Radja made an “unbelievable” play.

“I’ve seen him do that before. He scored a shorthanded goal in the NCAA Tournament last year,” said Umile.

It was Radja’s team-high fifth game-winning goal of the season.

Maine swarmed the UNH net in the waning minutes but senior goalie Kevin Regan made a few timely stops and Maine failed to capitalize on some loose pucks during scrambles.

Regan improved to 6-2 in his career against Maine as he made 32 stops, including off Grade-A (high-percentage) shots.

“The defenseman did a real good job clearing the front of the net. That was the difference tonight as it was in the first game [2-0 UNH win on Dec. 16],” said Regan, who was making his 100th career appearance.

Bishop also finished with 32 stops including 15 Grade-A’s.

Freshman left wing Andrew Sweetland tied it up 2-2 for the Bears 8:41 into the second period and Bishop made two terrific saves to keep the game tied. He extended his left skate to get his toe on Bobby Butler’s breakaway and then, seconds later, gloved James vanRiemsdyk’s uncontested wrist shot from between the faceoff dots.

Maine took a well-deserved 1-0 lead 16:01 into the first period on a goal by Danis-Pepin but Radja stunned the Alfond Arena crowd by scoring twice within the final 20 seconds of the period to give UNH its first lead.

Maine outshot UNH 15-8 in the first period before UNH dominated the second period to the tune of a 16-7 shots margin.

Danis-Pepin opened the scoring with a wrist shot from the left point off a Sweetland pass from the corner that beat Regan five-hole. Regan said he was trying to find the puck through a screen and didn’t pick it up until it was too late.

The Bears appeared poised to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission when Danis-Pepin made an ill-advised backhand pass from the left corner in his own zone into the middle of the ice and Radja skated on to it and snapped a 30-footer past Bishop.

“I was trying to go up the boards with it but the puck was flat and it wound up going into the middle,” said Danis-Pepin.

“It came off my stick weird and went through his legs,” said Radja.

“I thought he was going to go glove-side shoulder but it fluttered,” said Bishop.

On the ensuing faceoff, Danny Dries carried the puck into the Maine zone and dropped a pass for Radja, whose 40-foot wrister deflected off Danis-Pepin’s leg and changed direction.

“It was headed to the glove side but deflected to the blocker side,” said Bishop.

Sweetland tied it in the second period following a flurry in the UNH zone.

Sweetland and linemates Wes Clark and Rob Bellamy generated several shots before Bret Tyler gave Sweetland a pass in the slot. Sweetland spun around and beat Regan from 25 feet.

“I think it went in off his arm,” said Sweetland.

“He outwaited me,” said Regan.

The Maine freshman had another opportunity late in the game with a turnaround wrister from the middle of the slot but Regan closed his pads to make the stop.

Regan also made a couple stops on the doorstep off Rob Bellamy.

“We had a lot of chances but their goalie played well,” said Sweetland. “It just seems to be the way things have been going. The other team always seems to get that one extra goal we don’t get.”

Radja said the Wildcats knew despite Maine’s record, they were in for a battle.

“They worked hard. We knew we couldn’t take anything for granted,” said Radja.

Bishop thought his team “deserved a better fate.

“We played a good game. I thought we were going to win. Regan made some good saves,” said Bishop.

The Bears were bolstered by the return of senior center Keenan Hopson and junior right wing Chris Hahn, who had been sidelined by injuries.

lmahoney@bangordailynews.net

990-8231

WILDCATS 3, BLACK BEARS 2

New Hampshire (17-7-1) 2 0 1 – 3

Maine (8-14-3) 1 1 0 – 2

First period – 1. Maine, Danis-Pepin 4 (Sweetland, Clark), 16:01; 2. UNH, Radja 14 (unassisted), 19:40; 3. UNH, Radja 15 (Dries, Charlebois), 19:56. Penalties: UNH, Fornataro, hooking, 4:09; Maine, Duffy, contact to head roughing, 8:28; UNH, Krates, tripping, 11:33.

Second period – 4. Maine, Sweetland 6 (Tyler), 8:41. Penalties: Maine, Duffy, tripping, :41; UNH, Pollastrone, hooking, 2:56; UNH, Butler, tripping, 4:29; Maine, Danis-Pepin, hooking, 9:23; Maine, Clark, tripping, 13:12.

Third period – 5. UNH, Radja 16 (Fornataro), 7:25 (sh). Penalties: UNH, Thompson, tripping, 6:08; Maine, Bellamy, contact to head roughing, 10:31; UNH, Radja, tripping, 14:25

Shots on goal: UNH 8-16-11-35; Maine 15-7-12-34

Goaltenders: UNH, Regan (34 shots-32 saves); Maine, Bishop (35-32)

Power-play opportunities: UNH 0 of 5; Maine 0 of 6

High-percentage scoring chances: UNH 6-14-8-28; Maine 7-11-7-25

Attendance: 5,315 (tickets issued)