ORONO - Keif Orsini scored with 5:46 left in the third period to help Maine salvage a 1-1 tie with Merrimack on Saturday at Alfond Arena.

Francois Ouimet scored for Merrimack at 14:07 of the second. Maine goalie Scott Darling made 22 saves, while Merrimack goalie Joe Cannata made 15 saves.

Maine had a season-low 16 shots on goal.

Maine (7-3-1, 4-2-1) will play at Vermont on Nov. 29.

***

Four of the game's 12 penalties were assessed at the end of overtime, after a scuffle broke out between the two teams near the Merrimack goal as the horn sounded. Maine's Will O'Neill and Tanner House each got two minutes for roughing, as did Merrimack's Joe Loprieno and Adam Ross.

"One of their defensemen hit Gustav (Nyquist) in the face and Gustav's one of our better players," Orsini said. "We've just got to protect our team and we've got to stand up for each other."

"I didn't see it," Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said. "To be honest, we've got to wait and watch the tape of the game. But cooler heads prevailed, the officials broke it up. I thought they did a nice job of not tossing anyone for the next game. A hard-fought series like that, to end with a tie, the puck was down in their end. I don't know how it started but fortunately nobody was hurt and we'll go onto next weekend."

***

Linesman Greg Dumais left the game with 2:58 left in the first when he was caught in a collision between a pair of players just inside Maine's defensive end of the ice.

Dumais was helped off the ice by referee Dave Hansen and Maine trainer Paul Culina, and was wearing an air cast on his left knee as he left Alfond Arena after the game.

***

Three stars:

1. Keif Orsini, Maine
2. Francois Ouimet, Merrimack
3. Joe Cannata, Merrimack

E-mail this entry to a friend