DURHAM, N.H. - James van Riemsdyk and Mike Sislo each had a goal and an assist as No. 11 New Hampshire defeated Maine 4-1 Friday at the Whittemore Center.

Maine (11-13-3, 6-10-2 Hockey East) spotted the Wildcats a 2-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game, on goals by Danny Dries and Steve Moses, but cut the lead to 2-1 early in the second period on Matt Duffy's power-play goal.

Van Riemsdyk and Sislo each scored second-period goals, including van Riemsdyk's shorthanded tally at 5:07, to help seal the win for the Wildcats (13-8-4, 9-6-3).

Dave Wilson made 28 saves for Maine, while Brian Foster made 19 saves for UNH.

Maine and UNH conclude the season series at 7 p.m. Saturday at Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H.

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Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said it best - that his team was too tentative in the opening moments of Friday's loss. The Black Bears were too slow to create offense, too hesitant to commit on defense and unable to capitalize on special teams and on an Olympic-sized ice surface.

"They came out of the gate in the first period, and we left ourselves vulnerable," Whitehead said.

UNH took a 2-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game on goals by Danny Dries and Steve Moses, because the Black Bears weren't taking chances.

"UNH had some great chances early," Maine goalie Dave Wilson said. "They had some great counter sand we came out tentative. That hurt us. They kept plugging away."

Maine had 10 shots on goal in the second and nine in the third - more than six times their first-period output of three shots on goal.

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Tempers flared early in game, and late in the first period, and six of the game's 20 penalties were called in the final 3:37 of the first, including three against Maine. In the second, the Black Bears appeared to take advantage of the man-advantage and the extra ice surface (the Whittemore's ice surface is 200 x 100 feet, while most rinks are a regulation-sized 200 x 85), cutting the lead to 2-1 on Matt Duffy's power-play goal, but successive penalties against UNH - four in a row, Paul Thompson (hitting from behind at 2:10), Bobby Butler (hooking at 4:42), Danny Dries (high-sticking/contact to the head at 7:28) and Thompson again (contact to the head/roughing at 10:05) - still couldn't help Maine's cause.

"We took a bunch of penalties and that could have shot us in the foot," James van Riemsdyk said. "We've got to keep things simple and play smart out there."

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Held to one point in January after he returned from the World Junior Championships, van Riemsdyk had a goal and an assist in the win. Van Riemsdyk, whose rights are held by the Philadelphia Flyers, scored a shorthanded goal that gave UNH a 3-1 lead at 5:07 of the second, and assisted on Mike Sislo's goal at 16:04 of the third.

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