Changes, changes, changes.

After tonight's 3-1 win over Union, freshman forward Gustav Nyquist said it's actually comforting to have players who want to compete for a spot on the Black Bears' roster day in and day out. If you got to look at tonight's lineup, you saw that there were plenty of changes # Chris Hahn teamed with Robby Dee and Kyle Solomon on the second line, and Lem Randall going from the second to the fourth line, for instance.

Shuffling the lineup wasn't just about giving guys a chance to play in a nonconference game.

"Really, it just because we had a couple players who had been practicing in a while but they hadn't had opportunities to play in a game," Maine coach Tim Whitehead said. "There were other guys who played well but not exceptionally well and we felt it was important to juggle a little in hopes of getting an extra goal."

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The Black Bears killed off a pair of 5-on-3 chances, the first created late in the second when Mike Banwell was penalized for roughing/contact to the head at 17:51, followed by Will O'Neill being penalized for crosschecking 13 seconds later.

Then, in the final three minutes of the game, Lem Randall was called for slashing at 17:59, followed by Chris Hahn for interference less than 40 seconds later.
Union finished 0 for 7 on the power play.

"Like many times, special teams are a huge part of the game but in this case, the 5-on-3s were great," Whitehead said. "(Union) had some good chances … but we did well on the penalty kill, Scott (Darling) was very composed in the net and our 5-on-3 goal at the end, that would have been quite deflating if we hadn't capitalized on that 5-on-3."

Brian Flynn converted a two-man advantage for the Black Bears at 12:45 to tie the game at 1-1. Flynn's goal came after Adam Presizniuk scored for Union, and after the Black Bears played what appeared to be a stretch of offensively disorganized hockey.

"We've been trying to focus on our starts, to make sure we have good starts," Tanner House said. "To bounce back the way we did was huge for us. Every time this team seems to get down a goal, it seems to ignite us a bit."

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Skate with the Bears on Sunday, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Alfond Arena. It's the last time you'll get to see them before the New Year and before they leave for the Florida College Classic in Estero, Florida.

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