ORONO - Kory Falite's power-play goal 6:26 into the third period helped UMass-Lowell to a 3-2 win over Maine on Friday at Alfond Arena.

The win was UML's first at Alfond Arena since 2001, snapping a 16-game winless streak for the River Hawks in Orono. Maine is winless in its last nine games.

Robby Dee and Spencer Abbott scored for the Black Bears (10-12-3, 5-9-2 Hockey East), who were outshot 38-16. Maine goalie Dave Wilson made 35 saves.

Mark Roebothan and Matt Ferreira scored for UML (12-12, 9-8), and River Hawks goalie Carter Hutton made 14 saves.

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There's that hot, damp presence that's pulsing on the collective collar of the Black Bears.

That's Providence there, creeping up from ninth place and breathing down Maine's necks.

The Friars salvaged a 2-2 tie with No. 11 Boston College on Friday, closing the gap between eighth and ninth place in Hockey East to three points.

While the space behind the Black Bears got tighter, the space ahead of them got wider. Massachusetts, Maine's opponent on Sunday, upset No. 3 Northeastern 6-4 in Amherst, to earn two points. The Minutemen are in seventh place with 15 points, three points ahead of eighth-place Maine.

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Maine goalie Dave Wilson made his third start in two weeks, finishing with 35 saves.

"They had a lot of shots so I just tried basically tried to save as many as I could and try to stay in the game," Wilson said. "I basically tried to keep the puck out of the net as much as possible."

That's kind of the purpose of being a goalie.

"He's been playing really well," Maine forward Robby Dee said. "The past month, he's been great for us, he's kept us in every game. He's given us a chance to win."

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Penalties. There were lots of them in this game # 27, to be exact # but the Black Bears took their most inopportune penalty at 5:51 of the third, when Lem Randall was called for elbowing, which set up Kory Falite's game-winning goal at 6:26 of the third.

Falite returned to the River Hawks' lineup after being benched last Saturday in a 3-2 win at Merrimack.

"He got a big goal, and that's what he does," River Hawks Coach Blaise MacDonald said.

Maine finished 2 for 7 on the power play, while UML finished 1 for 6.

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