ORONO – The University of Maine Black Bear hockey team received an early Christmas present Saturday night.

However, it is one the Bears felt they deserved.

Referee Joe Andrews waved off Dartmouth College’s potential game-tying goal with one second left due to a man-in-the-crease infraction and the Bears escaped with a 3-2 triumph at Alfond Arena.

Maine extended its unbeaten streak to six games (5-0-1) and the Bears will enter the Christmas break with a 12-2-1 record. Dartmouth is 4-2-4.

There was a faceoff just inside Dartmouth’s offensive zone with 10 seconds left and Eric Przepiorka collected a long rebound along the left wing boards and swept it toward the net. Lee Stempniak redirected the waist-high shot past Maine goalie Frank Doyle.

But Andrews, who had made a couple of man-in-the-crease calls earlier, immediately waved the goal off.

Dartmouth players complained bitterly to Andrews but to no avail.

Maine coach Tim Whitehead and Dartmouth coach Bob Gaudet each saw the disputed goal on videotape after the game and offered different opinions.

“One of their players was clearly in the crease before the puck went in the net. He was standing behind Frank [Doyle]. It was definitely a good call,” said Whitehead.

Gaudet disagreed.

“It appeared to be a good goal. It was just such a tough play because with a team down by a goal with 10 seconds left and a faceoff 10 feet inside the blue line, to be able to actually take two shots on goal, the first one missed, and then to have another opportunity and throw it at the net and score. It’s unfortunate that it turned out that way,” said Gaudet.

“There was a man in the crease behind me. It could have gone either way,” said Doyle. “It was a close call and he [Andrews] had to make up his mind right away. Fortunately, it went our way.”

Maine jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Mike Hamilton’s first-period goal and second-period power-play goals by Dustin Penner and Greg Moore.

But Dartmouth clawed its way back into the game with power-play goals 2:17 apart by Hugh Jessiman and Tanner Glass late in the middle period.

Maine protected the lead impressively, outshooting Dartmouth 10-4 in the third period and generating 12 high-percentage scoring opportunities to Dartmouth’s three.

“We responded really well in the third period,” said Whitehead.

“It was a good win. It was a hard-fought game. We were consistently physical, which we needed to be against a tough team like Dartmouth, yet I felt we were disciplined,” Whitehead added.

There two major multi-player altercations between the two teams and Maine wound up with power plays in both cases.

Freshman Hamilton opened the scoring with his first collegiate goal as he one-timed a Jon Jankus faceoff draw win through the pads of Dartmouth goalie Dan Yacey 11:33 into the first period.

“It’s a good feeling,” said Hamilton.

Penner made it 2-0 6:54 into the second period when he was set up for a tap-in by Luciano Aquino following a point shot by Mike Lundin.

“The puck handcuffed the goalie. It was between his chest and elbow and it squirted free,” said Penner. “Luc went behind the net and banged it off the goalie’s pads in front. It went between the net and the goalie and I was right there.”

Moore, positioned in the left circle, expanded the lead 5:43 later by one-timing a diagonal pass from Michel Leveille just inside the short-side post, nicking it in the process. Derek Damon had passed it to Leveille to create the transition opportunity.

“Michel has been threading the needle all year. He found the lane, threw to me and I just had to tap it in,” said Moore.

It was the first time in nine games Maine’s struggling power play had produced more than one goal in a game.

At that point, Maine was in control of the game, limiting the Big Green to few even-strength opportunities.

But ill-advised penalties by Mat Deschamps and Jeff Mushaluk gave Dartmouth a pair of power plays and they converted when Jessiman jammed a Stempniak rebound past a helpless Doyle and Glass chipped a Jarrett Sampson back boards rebound over Doyle’s shoulder.

Jimmy Howard was expected to start in goal for Maine but he stepped on the puck in pre-game warm-ups and suffered a knee injury that could sideline him for the World Junior Championships in Finland from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.

Doyle finished with 16 saves, but was forced to make just four Grade-A (high-percentage) stops, while Yacey made 24 stops including 15 of the Grade-A variety.

BLACK BEARS 3, BIG GREEN 2

Dartmouth (4-2-4) 0 2 0 ? 2

Maine (12-2-1) 1 2 0 ? 3

First period ? 1. Maine, Hamilton 1 (Jankus), 11:33. Penalties: Dart, Jessiman, slashing, 3:24; Maine, Greyeyes, hitting from behind, 6:52; Maine, Ryan, roughing, 14:06; Dart, Prezpiorka, roughing, 14:06; Maine, Penner, roughing, 14:06; Dart, Jessiman, cross checking and roughing, 14:06; Maine, Damon, holding the stick, 14:20; Dart, Ouellette, tripping, 17:10.

Second period ? 2. Maine, Penner 3 (Lundin, Aquino), 6:54 (pp); 3. Maine, Moore 8 (Damon, Leveill e), 12:37 (pp); 4. Dart, Jessiman 6 (Lewis, Stempniak), 17:22 (pp); 5. Dart, Glass 1 (Sampson), 19:39 (pp). Penalties: Dart, Ouellette, obstruction-interference, :37; Maine, Hamilton, contact to the head, 3:09; Dart, Przepiorka, tripping, 5:46; Maine, Jankus, charging, 7:50; Dart, Lewis, hooking, 11:56; Maine, Deschamps, obstruction-interference, 15:57; Maine, Mushaluk, cross checking, 18:21.

Third period ? No scoring. Penalties: Dart, Glass, slashing, 3:08; Maine, Jankus, roughing, 10:36; Dart, Thompson, roughing, 10:36; Maine, Hamilton, roughing, 10:36; Dart, Przepiorka, roughing, 10:36; Maine, Barnes, roughing, 10:36; Dart, Lewis, roughing, 10:36; Dart, Yacey (served by Snizek), roughing, 10:36; Dart, Van Abel, 10-minute misconduct.

Shots on goal: Dartmouth 3-11-4?18; Maine 9-8-10?27

Goaltenders: Dartmouth, Yacey (27 shots-24 saves); Maine, Doyle (18-16)

Power-play opportunities: Dartmouth 2 of 6; Maine 2 of 8

High-percentage scoring chances: Dartmouth 1-7-3? 11; Maine 8-6-12?26

Attendance: 5,641 (sellout)