ORONO – Maine’s Michel Leveille had his eight-game points streak snapped in a 2-2 tie at Boston University last Saturday night.

The senior center and captain started another on Friday night as he scored a pair of goals to lead the Black Bears to a 4-1 victory over the speedy and freshmen-laden UMass Lowell River Hawks at Alfond Arena.

Maine, ranked No. 1 in the country, is now 8-0-1 overall and 3-0-1 in Hockey East. UMass Lowell is now 3-3-3 and 2-1-1, respectively, after having its five-game unbeaten streak (3-0-2) snapped.

The River Hawks had 10 freshmen in the lineup.

Leveille broke a scoreless tie with his seventh goal of the season 5:05 into the second period before Keenan Hopson and Simon Danis-Pepin gave the Bears some breathing with goals 2:06 apart later in the period.

Freshman Jason Bergeron cut the lead to 3-1 1:11 into the third period but Leveille iced it with 7:12 remaining.

An effective forecheck set up Leveille’s first goal as Rob Bellamy wheeled with the puck in the corner to the left of Hutton and pushed it ahead to the uncovered Leveille in the low slot.

“Bellamy made a great play. He had the puck and they all followed him. He got the puck to me. The goalie [freshman Carter Hutton] tried to pokecheck me and I put it upstairs over his glove,” said Leveille.

Hopson extended the lead 7:33 later and again it was a sustained forecheck that led to the goal.

Maine’s Billy Ryan stickhandled in the circle to Hutton’s left and was being hauled down for a delayed penalty when he got the puck over to Hopson.

Hopson carried the puck around the top of the faceoff circle and snapped a screened wrist shot that evaded Hutton and nestled in the top corner.

“I saw Billy go down and I just tried to put the puck on net. Luckily, it went in,” said Hopson who benefited from a Bellamy screen.

“I never saw it,” said Hutton.

It was Hopson’s second goal in as many games.

Danis-Pepin’s first collegiate goal finished off a wild flurry in front of the River Hawk net.

Freshmen Zach Sill and David de Kastrozza cycled the puck low and the puck bounced off the back boards into the slot.

“Usually, the puck doesn’t kick out off the boards that far,” said Danis-Pepin, who closed from the right point and wristed a 30-footer into the short-side corner.

“It definitely feels good to get a goal in a big win rather than a loss or a tie,” said Danis-Pepin.

It was deKastrozza’s first collegiate point and Sill’s first-ever assist.

“It’s nice to see Simon score his first goal. He has played very well,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead. “Our defensemen do so much for us but they don’t always get the recognition they deserve.”

UMass Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald said some of his River Hawk defensemen got caught on long shifts in the second period “and Maine was able to sustain some offensive zone time” that resulted in the goals. The River Hawks weren’t able to clear the puck.

“That turned the game around,” said MacDonald.

UMass Lowell got some life early in the third period when Maine goalie Ben Bishop’s pass from the corner was knocked down by Chris Auger and he fed Bergeron in front of the vacated net.

But Leveille re-established the lead off a scramble in front resulting from a Travis Ramsey point shot. Two shots later, the puck slipped over to Leveille who backhanded it into the half-empty net.

Bishop finished with 22 saves while Hutton had 30 stops. Both played extremely well.

Both teams had good opportunities in the first period but both goalies were sharp.

Bishop caught a break when Mark Roebothan’s pass to Bergeron in front of an open net landed in his skates.

Bishop made a couple of saves off two-on-ones in the period.

“This wasn’t one of our better games but we were strong in the second period,” said Leveille.

UML senior defenseman and captain Cleve Kinley said “Maine was very opportunistic. When they had an open net, they made sure. We had some open nets but we didn’t capitalize.”

MacDonald said his team has to do a better job finishing its chances.

Whitehead said he was impressed with the River Hawks and said his Bears “worked harder” in the second period when they took the lead for good.

“We were able to win a lot of loose pucks,” said Whitehead whose Bears capitalized on their size and experience advantage by shielding the puck in the offensive zone and establishing a net front presence.

Bellamy and Josh Soares had two assists apiece for Maine.

Maine hosts the University of New Hampshire on Sunday at 3 p.m.

BLACK BEARS 4, RIVER HAWKS 1

UMass Lowell (3-3-3) 0 0 1 – 1

Maine (8-0-1) 0 3 1 – 4

First period – No scoring. Penalties: UML, Roebothan, tripping, 6:02; UML, Schaser, tripping, 11:08; Maine, Hamilton, boarding, 13:52; Maine, Duffy, tripping, 17:08

Second period – 1. Maine, Leveille 7 (Soares, Bellamy), 5:05; 2. Maine, Hopson 3 (Ryan, Bellamy), 12:38; 3. Maine, Danis-Pepin 1 (de Kastrozza, Sill), 14:44. Penalties: Maine, Purcell, hooking, :51; UML, Bergeron, interference, 5:29; Maine, Bellamy, interference, 6:48; Maine, Plaszcz, obstruction-interference, 18:11

Third period – 4. UML, Bergeron 3 (Auger), 1:11; 5. Maine, Leveille (Soares, Purcell), 12:48. Penalties: Maine, Tyler, hooking, 10:19; UML, Sullivan, roughing, 17:43

Shots on goal: UMass Lowell 8-7-8-23; Maine 8-12-14-34

Goaltenders: UMass Lowell, Hutton (34 shots-30 saves); Maine, Bishop (23-22)

Power-play opportunities: UMass Lowell 0 of 6; Maine 0 of 4

High-percentage scoring chances: UMass Lowell 5-3-10-18; Maine 4-7-8-19

Attendance: 5,450