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.
***
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.
***
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."
***
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.
ORONO - Eighth place. That's where the University of Maine men's hockey team is right now in the 10-team Hockey East standings, entering tonight's game against UMass-Lowell.
The Black Bears (10-11-3, 5-8-2 Hockey East) are on a mission of sorts - several of them said earlier this week that starting this weekend, the final 12 games of the regular season might as well be the playoffs to them, if they want to be among the top eight teams that qualify for the Hockey East tournament.
UML (11-12, 8-8), meanwhile, is in sixth place in Hockey East entering tonight's game with 16 points, ahead of Massachusetts (13 points), Maine (12), Providence (eight) and Merrimack (6).
Here's one for history - UML is winless in its past 16 games at the Alfond. And here's another one for perspective - consider that the UML hockey program was on the chopping block two years ago, before the UMass Regents voted unanimously to keep the hockey program in June of 2007.
"That was a very difficult process that the program went through," Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said earlier this week. "I spent 10 years of my life there, I met my wife there and that was difficult to see. But, unfortunately, it wasn't surprising. Every five years the UML system goes through that, in that the UMass system evaluates all its programs."
Whitehead was head coach of the River Hawks for five years before joining the Black Bears in 2001.
Tonight's lineup:
Maine
Forwards
Robby Dee-Chris Hahn-Brian Flynn
Spencer Abbott-Tanner House-Gustav Nyquist
Kevin Swallow-Keif Orsini-Lem Randall
Theo Andersson-Glenn Belmore-Jeff Marshall
Defensemen
Josh Van Dyk-Matt Duffy
Ryan Hegarty-Simon Danis-Pepin
Mike Banwell-Jeff Dimmen
Goalies
Dave Wilson
Scott Darling
Josh Seeley
UMass-Lowell
Forwards
Kory Falite-Ben Holmstrom-Patrick Cey
Mark Roebothan-Scott Campbell-Mike Potacco
Sammy D'Agonstino-Matt Ferreira-Paul Worthington
Nick Monroe-David Vallorani-Michael Budd
Defensemen
Jeremy Dehner-Nick Schaus
Barry Goers-Maury Edwards
Ryan Blair-Steve Capraro
Goalies
Carter Hutton
Nevin Hamilton
Of note: Main defenseman Will O'Neill is out for the second straight game. Nyquist leads Maine with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) but has scored one point in the last five games. Banwell scored his first two career goals Saturday and Sunday in losses to BC.
Scratches for Maine: O'Neill, Nick Payson, Kyle Solomon (undisclosed illness), Mark Nemec, David de Kastrozza, Brett Carriere.
Sorkin, a senior at the Bullis School in Potomac, Md., plans to spend a year with the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs next season before joining Maine in the fall of 2010.
Division I coaches cannot discuss recruits until they have signed a National Letter of Intent with the program.
Goalies, explained Scott Darling, speak the same language - unintelligible to other position players in ice hockey. So it's no surprise that Maine's freshman goalie has been conversing with his teammate and road roommate, junior goalie Dave Wilson, about their trade.
"We talk about it all the time," Darling said. "It's nice to room with a goalie and goalies have a foreign language, so it's nice to be able to talk about it with someone who understands."
Darling was pulled from Saturday's 6-3 loss at No. 11 Boston College and his goals-against average has ballooned from 1.01 in early November to 2.18 entering this weekend.
"I think for me, it's between the ears right now," Darling said. "Which has been causing me, to, I think, to play a little bit deeper and I'm more worried. I think my problem was I was afraid to get scored on. You can't be thinking that as a goalie. You've got to focus on every shot and you've got to trust yourself that you're going to stop it."
In the past four games, Wilson and Darling have split time in the nets, and have done so on a team that's winless in its past eight and has scored only seven goals in the past four games. The Black Bears (10-11-3, 5-8-2 Hockey East) have averaged 2.29 goals a game this season - ninth in Hockey East.
"I'm not too worried about that," Darling said. "But for us, we can't afford any mistakes. We have to be sharp to get wins. I think it's all going to come around, eventually, if not this year."
As for the goalie situation for this weekend's games Friday against UMass-Lowell and Sunday against Massachusetts, Maine Coach Tim Whitehead has yet to make a decision with the starters, short-term or long-term..
"We haven't been told yet," Wilson said prior to Thursday's practice at Alfond Arena. "It's one game at a time, one week at a time. However it goes, I'll be ready."
***
These two captains are in disaccord - Maine defenseman Simon Danis-Pepin and Jeff Marshall have two different Super Bowl picks. Danis-Pepin's picking the Steelers to win Lombardi Trophy No. 6, while Marshall is picking underdog Arizona.
"I like the underdog," Marshall said. "But I think Pittsburgh's going to win."
Notre Dame hasn't played since Jan. 17 - a 3-3 tie at Lake Superior State - but it didn't stop the Irish from remaining No. 1. Notre Dame is undefeated in its last 20 games, and is still on top of both the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports top 20 poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey top 15 poll. No. 2 in the polls is Boston University.
Maine did not receive any votes in either poll this week.
***
BU Coach Jack Parker is one win away from earning No. 800, and can reach the milestone when BU plays Friday at Merrimack. If there's a team that's in bad shape in Hockey East (yes, Maine fans, it's possible), it's the Warriors. Merrimack has lost its last five games and is in 10th place in Hockey East. Merrimack lost 3-2 to UMass-Lowell on Saturday, its 10th one-goal loss of the season.
"We find ways (to lose)," Merrimack Coach Mark Dennehy told the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune. "It's unbelievable. We stop doing what we had success with the first two periods. Lowell didn't change how they played; they kept playing the same way. Whatever reason, we get some success and get going and we just stop."
***
New Hampshire Coach Dick Umile is well-compensated. In fact, he's the highest-paid state employee in the Granite State. The Manchester Union Leader reported that Umile earns more than $382,000 a year in salary and deferred income.
More than 350 state and University System employees collected more than Gov. John Lynch's $113,537.88 pay in 2008, according to W-2 earnings requested by the New Hampshire Sunday News.
***
Denver Coach George Gwozdecky didn't go quietly into that good night. Saturday during a 2-2 tie with North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D., the DU coach argued with referee Todd Anderson about a check by Brett Hextall (yes, the son of former NHL goalie Ron Hextall) near the visitor's bench.
DU was called for a bench penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, and Gwozdecky was given a game misconduct. Gwozdecky left the bench, walked across the ice and had a few words with linesman Andy Carton before leaving the rink. If you don't believe it, here's some footage, via Fox Sports.
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Four different players scored as No. 14 Boston College defeated the University of Maine men's hockey team 4-1 at Conte Forum.
Barry Almeida, Tim Kunes, Joe Whitney and Brock Bradford scored for the Eagles (11-8-3, 6-7-3 Hockey East), who won the season series 2-1. BC goalie John Muse made 22 saves.
Mike Banwell scored for Maine (10-11-3, 6-8-3), and Dave Wilson made 22 saves for Maine, which is winless in the past eight games. Maine faces UMass-Lowell at 7 p.m. Friday at Alfond Arena.
***
Dave Wilson wants what any other guy on the Maine hockey team wants right now.
"Personally, I wish we were winning," said Wilson, who made 22 saves in a 4-1 loss Sunday at No. 14 Boston College.
Wilson made his third appearance in nine days in goal, Wilson stopped 20 shots in a 3-1 loss to Bentley on Jan. 16, and relieved Scott Darling on Saturday in a 6-3 loss at No. 14 Boston College. Prior to that, Wilson hadn't played in nearly two months, save for a 7-3 exhibition win over the US Under-18 team Jan. 2 in Portland.
"We're confident in front of Willie," Maine defenseman Mike Banwell said. "We've got two solid goaltenders and Willie played well tonight."
A goalie controversy might not be brewing yet, given that the Black Bears are winless in their last eight games, but it's possible that the Black Bears might go back to a platoon system. It's what they used in the first two months of the season, until it appeared to be a forgone conclusion that Darling was the team's No. 1 goalie.
The Black Bears still can't create traffic in front of the net. Banwell's goal came on a slapshot from inside the blue line, but Maine was unable to bury - or even create - those shots in front of the goal.
"We still missed out on opportunities to get pucks to the net and to generate second and third shots," Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said. "We passed up some of those chances and they didn't pass up too many of theirs."
"They get those second and third shots and they fight in front of the net," Maine forward Tanner House said. "We have to be better defensively, taking away their sticks and taking away their second and third opportunities."
***
In the end came a breakdown in discipline by both teams. Of the 21 penalties doled out Sunday, 12 came in the final 10 minutes of the game after a pair of skirmishes - including seven against BC: Brock Bradford, roughing; Benn Ferriero, roughing, grasping the face, cross-checking; Nick Petrecki, head-butting, game disqualification, roughing.
Maine's penalties were: Jeff Dimmen, roughing; Keif Orsini, roughing; Chris Hahn, hitting from behind, game misconduct; Orsini, high sticking.
"I'd like to have seen us be a little more disciplined," said Boston College Coach Jerry York, whose team was penalized 19 times in the weekend series.
***
Here's some food for thought from Bradford, who leads Hockey East with 16 goals. During the post-game press conference, Bradford was asked about his team's ability to "go for the jugular," in terms of successfully closing out a win.
"Andrew Orpik was talking about this after the game in the locker room," Bradford said. "We did a lot better job playing with a lead. We were a lot more confident. We weren't sitting back … We kept the pressure on them. It's tough to lose when you're in the offensive zone."
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Matt Price scored two goals as the Boston College men's hockey team defeated Maine 6-3 Saturday in a Hockey East game at Kelley Rink at Conte Forum.
Brian Flynn, Mike Banwell and Lem Randall scored for Maine, who trailed 4-3 less than 10 minutes into the second period before Barry Almeida scored a power-play goal at 10:22 to give the Eagles a 5-3 lead.
Matt Lombardi scored in the third for the No. 14 Eagles. Joe Whitney and Benn Ferriero also scored for BC, and John Muse made 25 saves.
Maine goalies Dave Wilson and Scott Darling combined for 25 saves, 16 for Darling. Wilson replaced Darling with 5:25 left in the second.
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Both Maine and Boston College need points. Badly. As of tonight, the Black Bears and the Eagles are tied for seventh and sixth, respectively, in the Hockey East standings. Someone can help their cause tonight with some points, and as of late, neither team has had much luck in getting those. In their last 12 combinedgames, BC and Maine are a combined 0-8-4 entering tonight's game - four points between the two. If anyone wants to start thinking about playoffs and/or playoff positioning, tonight's the night to start.
Starting lineups:
Maine
Forwards
Robby Dee-Chris Hahn-Spencer Abbott
Brian Flynn-Tanner House-Gustav Nyquist
Kevin Swallow-Keif Orsini-Lem Randall
Nick Payson-Kyle Solomon-Jeff Marshall
Defensemen
Ryan Hegarty-Matt Duffy
Mike Banwell-Simon Danis-Pepin
Will O'Neill-Jeff Dimmen
Goalies
Dave Wilson
Scott Darling
Boston College
Forwards
Brock Bradford-Brian Gibbons-Benn Ferriero
Barry Almeida-Cam Atkinson-Ben Smith
Joe Whitney-Matt Price-Jimmy Hayes
Kyle Kucharski-Matt Lombardi-Andrew Orpik
Defense
Tim Filangieri-Malcolm Lyles
Nick Petrecki-Tommy Cross
Tim Kunes-Edwin Shea
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Both Maine and Boston College need points. Badly. As of tonight, the Black Bears and the Eagles are tied for seventh and sixth, respectively, in the Hockey East standings. Someone can help their cause tonight with some points, and as of late, neither team has had much luck in getting those. In their last 12 combinedgames, BC and Maine are a combined 0-8-4 entering tonight's game - four points between the two. If anyone wants to start thinking about playoffs and/or playoff positioning, tonight's the night to start.
Starting lineups:
Maine
Forwards
Robby Dee-Chris Hahn-Spencer Abbott
Brian Flynn-Tanner House-Gustav Nyquist
Kevin Swallow-Keif Orsini-Lem Randall
Nick Payson-Kyle Solomon-Jeff Marshall
Defensemen
Ryan Hegarty-Matt Duffy
Mike Banwell-Simon Danis-Pepin
Will O'Neill-Jeff Dimmen
Goalies
Dave Wilson
Scott Darling
Boston College
Forwards
Brock Bradford-Brian Gibbons-Benn Ferriero
Barry Almeida-Cam Atkinson-Ben Smith
Joe Whitney-Matt Price-Jimmy Hayes
Kyle Kucharski-Matt Lombardi-Andrew Orpik
Defense
Tim Filangieri-Malcolm Lyles
Nick Petrecki-Tommy Cross
Tim Kunes-Edwin Shea
UNH has lost defenseman Joe Charlebois for the semester. UNH suspended Charlebois earlier this month because of academic issues and the NCAA ruled Charlebois academically ineligible, ending his career with the Wildcats.
"He is ineligible based on NCAA standards," UNH Coach Dick Umile told the Concord Monitor. "He is in school at this time, and he's practicing with us, but he's ineligible to play. It's unfortunate, he's a great kid, and we'll move forward."
Charlebois was named Hockey East's top defenseman last season.
So far this season, the University of Maine men's hockey team has given up four one-goal leads in the third period, with three of those resulting in losses - a 2-1 loss to Northeastern in October, a 3-2 loss to Vermont after Thanksgiving, a 5-4 loss to New Hampshire after the new year and Sunday's 2-2 tie with Providence.
It's a far cry from the Black Bears' defensive glory days, when Maine was able to protect a third-period lead for nearly four years. Those days are gone. So are the days of clutching, grabbing and more physical defensive play, with the advent of changes in refereeing.
"We went through a stretch of four years without giving up a lead, and that's probably an NCAA record," Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said. "But for the first couple years of that, before the officiating initiative, you could clamp down and protect a lead pretty well, by interfering or playing good team defense. But the final two year of that streak, and as recently as last year, we did a good job of staying disciplined, being smart with the puck and defending the front of the net."
Those are the tangibles in playing sound defense with a lead. But there's no way to simulate the psychological aspect of those situations without actually being in them.
"You have to keep gaining experience in those situations, and having successful experiences," Whitehead said. "Once you have difficulty protecting a lead, it's in the back of your mind. You have to keep gaining experience and having successful experiences so that the positive memories replace the negative ones. That's going to take time for this team because we had some bad experiences. Some of it we brought upon ourselves and some of it was bad luck."
***
The flu bug seems to be going around the Pine Tree State, but the Black Bears say they're relatively healthy going into this weekend's series at Boston College.
***
Need a music recommendation? Today's informal poll asked the Black Bears what their last CD purchase or iTunes download was - Spencer Abbott, Robby Dee and Chris Hahn have all recently purchased Kanye West's "808s and Heartbreak," either electronically or on compact disc. Well, not quite. Hahn recently swapped Ne-Yo's "Year of the Gentleman" with teammate Simon Danis-Pepin in exchange for Kanye's fourth studio album.
***
When Claude Lemieux played in his first NHL game in 1983 with the Montreal Canadiens, none of the current Black Bears were even born. But Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup winner who carved his niche as an agitator made his comeback last night with the San Jose Sharks, at 43 years old and nearly six years after his last NHL game.
"I saw it on SportsCenter this morning," Dee said. "First game since 2003? Good for him. I think that's pretty sweet, at age 43 that you can come back and actually play. It shows the dedication he has to the game."
Hahn, it seems is a fan of hockey's iconoclasts.
"I hope he does well," Hahn said. "I thought he always played with an edge and he was a character. I like guys like that, like him and Sean Avery, because the NHL lacks some personalities."
Maine faces No. 14 Boston College on Saturday and Sunday in Chestnut Hill, Mass. - consider that since Dec. 5, Maine and BC are a combined 4-10-4, with Maine going 3-5-2 in the past six weeks.
The woes continued over the weekend for the Eagles, who lost 4-3 to UMass-Lowell on Friday in overtime, then lost 5-2 on Saturday to Boston University.
"We're in a funk, there's no question these last three or four weeks," BC Coach Jerry York told the Boston Globe after the loss to BU. "We're just a step behind the play. We have to play at a higher tempo. We're not quick and that's our trademark, quick and fast. BU was just better tonight."
In case you didn't know this, Notre Dame has a famous name in its lineup - Christian Hanson. He is the son of the inspiration for the Hanson brothers in the movie "Slap Shot."
Maine received 13 votes in the USCHO.com poll.
***
Nineteen players in Hockey East have been nominated for online fan voting for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the nation's top Division I college hockey player. Go to the official Hobey Baker Web site (www.hobeybaker.com to cast your vote. The first phase of fan balloting runs through March 8, and fan voting from the list of the top 10 finalists begins March 20.
ORONO - Chris Hahn scored his first goal in 14 games as the University of Maine men's hockey team salvaged a 2-2 tie with Providence.
Hahn's second-period goal gave the Black Bears (10-9-3, 5-6-2 Hockey East) a 2-1 lead, but Providence tied the game 2:35 into the third on Nick Mazzolini's goal. Maine is winless in its last six games, but got its first point in Hockey East competition since Dec. 7, a 3-2 win at Merrimack.
Scott Darling made 20 saves for Maine, while Alex Beaudry made 41 saves for Providence (6-12-2, 3-8-2).
Providence is on a tear. Maine's not. This afternoon, we'll find out whether or not Maine can snap a five-game winless streak against the surging Friars, who have won four games in a row, including three with Alex Beaudry in goal.
Today's game comes two days after Maine Coach Tim Whitehead labeled a 3-1 loss to Bentley "embarrassing."
Here's something to chew on: Of Maine's four losses and one tie, only two of those losses have come against Hockey East teams. Maybe there's some hope for the stretch, but a loss to Providence today could make postseason hopes murkier.
But right now, Maine's clinging to eighth place in today's Hockey East standings. A win over Maine could bring the Friars within striking distance of eighth place.
***
Lineups for today:
Providence
Forwards
Ian O'Connor-John Cavanagh-Matt Bergland
Austin Mayer-Kyke MacKinning-Pierce Norton
Andy Balysky-Nick Mazzolini-Rob Maloney
Jordan Kremyr-Matt Germain-Chris Eppich
Defense
Matt Taormina-David Brown
David Cavanagh-Eric Bayer
Daniel New-Mark Fayne
Goalies
Alex Beaudry
Justin Gates
Chris Mannix
Maine
Forwards
Brian Flynn-Chris Hahn- Spencer Abbott
Robby Dee-Tanner House-Gustav Nyquist
Kevin Swallow-Keif Orsini-Lem Randall
Nick Payson-Kyle Solomon-Jeff Marshall
Defense
Ryan Hegarty-Matt Duffy
Mike Banwell-Simon Danis-Pepin
Will O'Neill-Jeff Dimmen
Goalies
Dave Wilson
Scott Darling
Josh Seeley
Scratches: Theo Andersson, Glenn Belmore, Mark Nemec, David de Kastrozza, Josh Van Dyk, Brett Carriere.
***
Here's a little more on Maine defenseman Jeff Dimmen, and some video of Dimmen in action from the Boston College game earlier this season.
Maine faces Bentley on Friday and Providence on Sunday in a pair of games at Alfond Arena, and when the Black Bears face the Friars, they'll face a brand-new goalie who's already on a tear.
Alex Beaudry joined the Friars earlier this month and has won his first two starts, including Providence's 4-2 upset Tuesday of No. 2 Boston University. It appears Beaudry may have appeared out of nowhere - to Providence via the Gloucester (Ontario) Rangers, to be exact - but Providence Coach Tim Army said this morning his team wasn't planning for the possibility of picking up a new netminder until after the season began. Ryan Simpson, the projected starter at the beginning of the season, has been injured and Kevin Gates and Chris Mannix combined for a goals-against average of 4.14 in Providence's first 16 games.
"If you look at the goals-against average, it was reflective of some shoddy play on our part," Army said. "Ryan Simpson has been hurt for 2 1/2 years and is still hurt. If we could find the right guy that could come in and upgrade us, but also who could fit academically, we would try to matriculate him. We looked at a lot of goalies and things just fit, that Alex was equipped to come in as a student-athlete. It was at the right stage of his development."
But again, a goalie - or any athlete, for that matter - just can't show up and sign a contract. Consider that Beaudry had to go through admissions, go through the NCAA for academic compliance, obtain a student visa ... just to show up on campus and join the team. The process, Army explained, had to be expedited.
The term "new look" is becoming somewhat passé for the University of Maine men's hockey team.
When Maine plays two games at Alfond Arena this weekend - Friday against Bentley and Sunday against Providence - Black Bears Coach Tim Whitehead said he'll continue to shake up the lineup, in hopes of resurrecting the chemistry that helped the Black Bears to a 10-5-1 record in the first two months of the season.
"Most of the guys that didn't play against BU will have an opportunity to play this weekend," Whitehead said.
Among those who are expected to be back in the lineup are co-captain Jeff Marshall, defenseman Ryan Hegarty and possibly goalie Dave Wilson. Wilson started Maine's exhibition against the U.S. U-18 team on Jan. 2, but hasn't played since a 2-1 win Nov. 21 against Merrimack.
With all the juggling going on, even one of Maine's top-line players wonders what's in store for the weekend.
"I'm not sure if our line's even going to stay together," said Brian Flynn, who usually plays the left wing on a line with Tanner House and Gustav Nyquist, but who skated on a line in today's practice with Chris Hahn and Kevin Swallow. "We've been mixing up guys all season, trying to set lines to come down the home stretch. We're struggling to find a couple scoring lines so far. I'm sure lines are going to be juggled today, and hopefully this weekend we'll find some combinations that are going to work for the rest of the season."
***
On Tuesday, the Black Bears held a players-only meeting to address their recent winless stretch (0-3-1 in their last four games). Flynn hopes the meeting and the days following it will be cathartic for the Black Bears.
"After Florida and then those two tough losses, some guys might have been getting down on themselves," Flynn said. "I think today's practice is going to be big. Hopefully this team will start a better second half."
***
A day after Providence College announced the signing of goalie Alex Beaudry, the freshman goalie made 19 saves in a 4-2 win over UMass-Lowell on Jan. 10, then made 39 saves in Providence's 4-2 upset Tuesday at No. 2 Boston University.
***
If it was up to the Black Bears, it would be an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl. In an informal poll regarding this weekend's NFL playoffs, Whitehead, Danis-Pepin, Robby Dee and Jeff Dimmen all picked Pittsburgh to defeat Baltimore for the AFC title and Philadelphia to beat Arizona for the NFC title. Get your cheesesteaks and Primanti sandwiches ready.
Despite a new team taking over the top spot in the PairWise Rankings, Notre Dame is still the nation's top team, according to this week's national polls. The Irish (18-3-2) have been No. 1 in the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Top 20 poll since Dec. 1, and are No. 1 in this week's USA Today/USA Hockey Top 15 poll.
After a 4-1 win Saturday over Maine, Boston University is atop the PairWise Rankings, a mathematical system that mimics the formula used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee. (PWR will become more important, say, in about two months, when Division I teams are anticipating whether or not they have a chance to qualify for the 16-team NCAA Tournament.)
Maine received 15 votes in the USCHO.com poll and four votes in the USA Today poll.
BOSTON - Chris Higgins scored the go-ahead goal with less than one second left in the second period as No. 2 Boston University defeated Maine 4-1 Saturday at Agganis Arena.
Higgins' shot crossed the goal line as time expired, and after the play was reviewed, officials ruled that the goal was scored with .8 (eight-tenths) seconds left and stood, giving the Terriers a 2-1 lead going into the second.
Chris Connolly scored two goals and Brandon Yip scored for BU (14-4-1, 7-4-1 Hockey East). Robby Dee scored the lone goal for Maine (10-8-2, 5-6-1), which put 16 shots on goal and only three in the third period.
Maine goalie Scott Darling made 22 saves, while BU goalie Kieran Millan made 15 saves.
Three stars:
1. Chris Connolly, BU
2. Chris Higgins, BU
3. Brandon Yip, BU
***
Don't expect the Maine lineup to look the same next weekend. Maine Coach Tim Whitehead shuffled once, and he said after a 4-1 loss to BU that he won't hesitate to shuffle the lineup again, given the Black Bears are winless in their past four games. Entering Saturday's game, the Black Bears were in sixth place in Hockey East with 11 points, one point ahead of UMass-Lowell and two ahead of Massachusetts.
"We've got to keep trying different guys in key situations," Whitehead said. "We're not playing at our very best yet on a consistent basis.
"I really didn't like how we played. But BU was a big reason for that because they play great defense. I thought they did a great job defending and as a result, they were able to get the counter opportunities. It was a combination of us not being sharp enough in the neutral zone, and they defended well, forced us to turn it over and they ended up capitalizing."
Probably the most notable scratch tonight was co-captain Jeff Marshall, who watched from the stands for the first time since Maine's season opener in Alaska in October.
"We're going to play the players that play well," Whitehead said. "Jeff had a tough game (against UNH) and he's had a tough couple games in a row and we're a young club and we've got to put out the guys who are performing the best. We're going to continue to recognize good performances. Hopefully the next one is his and he stays in. He's a tough competitor and we need him in the lineup."
The players aren't anticipating a static lineup, either.
"It shows how, every day, you've got to bring it as hard as you can," said Robby Dee, who scored Maine's lone goal. "If you screw up and you don't do what you're supposed to do, you won't play. That just shows you how you need to work."
***
Whitehead put BU's go-ahead goal in perspective. Higgins scored with .8 seconds left in the period when he picked up Scott Darling's clearing attempt and beat the freshman goalie out of position.
"It was a freshman mistake," Whitehead said. "He's been tremendous for us. He makes one mistake and meanwhile every guy on the team makes one mistake. Unfortunately, he's had some tough luck where, he makes a mistake and it ends up in the net. That was unfortunate. I felt for him there. The clock was ticking off and he thought that if he shoveled it to the corner … and it ends up going right to their guy, of course, and it's in. But that was a tough goal to give up."
BOSTON - Things have been shaken up, as one look at tonight's lineup for Maine will tell you. Maine's top line of Brian Flynn, Tanner House and Gustav Nyquist is the only line that has remained intact for tonight's game against No. 2 Boston University, less than a week after a 5-4 loss to No. 13 New Hampshire.
While defense and discipline are top priorites for Maine tonight against the Terriers, a shakeup might also send a message to the team - that it's time to get serious about things. Maine might have 10 wins, but the Black Bears haven't won a Hockey East game in more than a month, after a 3-2 win Dec. 7 at Merrimack.
Consider the nonconference schedule, which includes games against Niagara, Union and Bentley. Quality Hockey East wins are critical. There's no such thing as a "quality" loss.
Lineups for tonight:
* = starters
Maine:
Forwards
Robby Dee-Chris Hahn-Kevin Swallow*
Brian Flynn-Tanner House-Gustav Nyquist
Spencer Abbott-Keif Orsini-Lem Randall
Nick Payson-David de Kastrozza-Brett Carriere
Defense
Josh Van Dyk-Matt Duffy
Mike Banwell-Jeff Dimmen
Will O'Neill-Simon Danis Pepin*
Goalies:
Dave Wilson
Scott Darling*
Scratches for Maine: Forwards - Jeff Marshall, Glenn Belmore, Theo Andersson, Kyle Solomon; defense - Ryan Hegarty, Mark Nemec.
Boston U:
Forwards
Chris Higgins-Colin Wilson-Jason Lawrence*
John McCarthy-Nick Bonino-Brandon Yip
Chris Connolly-Corey Trivino-Vinny Saponari
Zach Cohen-Luke Popko-Joe Pereira
Defense
Brian Strait-Matt Gilroy*
Colby Cohen-Kevin Shattenkirk
David Warsofsky-Eric Gryba
Goalies
Kieran Millan*
Adam Kraus
Grant Rollheiser
Of note: Marshall is a healthy scratch for tonight's game, after playing the past 18. Brett Carriere, Marshall's usual linemate on Maine's third line, has been moved to the fourth line. Swallow, who played on Maine's fourth line against UNH, has been moved to Maine's second line, replacing Lem Randall. … Danis-Pepin returns to the blue line tonight. He missed the past four games after spraining his left ankle during the holidays.
ORONO - Defenseman Simon Danis-Pepin said this afternoon that he believes he'll be ready to play Saturday when the University of Maine men's hockey team plays at No. 2 Boston University.
"I'll be in," said Danis-Pepin, who sat out of Maine's last four games. Danis-Pepin sprained his left ankle during the holidays, when he slipped on a patch of ice, and has been skating since last week. However, he sat out of Maine's last four games.
From the stands, Danis-Pepin got a different perspective of the game.
"It's part of hockey, stuff like that happens," Danis-Pepin said of his injury. "It was hard to see that loss against UNH, they're our biggest rival. That was a heartbreaker but at the same time you've got to live with it and cheer the team on. I saw things up there that you don't see when you're playing. We've got things to work on for this weekend and for the rest of the season, to make sure we have a winning team."
The Black Bears anticipate his return. Danis-Pepin has five assists in 16 games and can play in all situations.
"It's going to be huge for us," forward Tanner House said. "He makes things happen and a guy his size (6-foot-7) makes it so hard to play against, even in practice today I was frustrated. He's great on the PK (penalty kill) and he's so effective because he's got such a long reach."
***
While one big game is being played tonight - Oklahoma vs. Florida for the BCS championship in football - consider that a Canadian tradition is also being carried out tonight. The Montreal Canadiens host the Toronto Maple Leafs, an Original Six NHL rivalry.
In an informal poll, four of the Black Bears - Danis-Pepin, House, Jeff Marshall and Chris Hahn - picked the Canadiens to win. (Canadians for Canadiens.)
But as far as a national championship prediction goes, House broke ranks. He was the only one of the four to pick Oklahoma.
"That's actually the second time I've seen someone bit in a hockey fight," Marshall said. "The first time was back in juniors. I just hope the guy went and got a tetanus shot."
Added Danis-Pepin, "Shed the mitts and do something, but don't start biting. That's not good for your self-image, either."
House believed Peters - or at least his digits - were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Peters shouldn't have had his fingers in his mouth," House said.
If you find yourself on the couch on Friday night, NESN will begin its Hockey East television schedule with Boston College at Vermont at 7:30 p.m.
Here's NESN's television schedule for Hockey East games for the remainder of the season:
Jan. 9 Boston College at Vermont, 7:30pm
Jan. 16 UMass-Lowell at Boston College, 7:30pm
Jan. 23 UNH at Boston University, 7:30pm
Jan. 30 Boston College at Providence, 7:30pm
Feb. 6 Maine at UNH, 7:30pm
Feb. 20 Boston College at UNH, 7:30pm
Feb. 27 Boston U. at Massachusetts, 7:30pm
Feb. 28 Merrimack at UNH *, 7:30pm
Mar. 6 Boston College at Northeastern, 7:30pm
Mar. 13 Select Quarterfinal Game, TBA
Mar. 20 Hockey East Semifinal #1, 5pm
Mar. 20 Hockey East Semifinal #2, 8pm
Mar. 21 Hockey East Championship Game, 7pm
The Maine hockey team didn't practice Monday, but in today's Hockey East teleconference, Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said that the 5-4 loss to No. 13 New Hampshire may have been a blessing in disguise for the young Black Bears, who are learning on the fly this season. Maine led 4-2 in the third period but gave up three goals in the final seven minutes, two on special teams.
"We have to be careful that we don't sacrifice team defense and penalties, and that's what kind of bit us in the UNH game," Whitehead said. "We didn't get a couple pucks deep. We might have gotten away with it (the win) but it might be good in the long run that we didn't get away with it."
Maine begins preparing for No. 2 Boston University later this week.
"We have to get back to work," Whitehead said. "There's no magic wand that you wave, and you suddenly have experience and composure under pressure. I told the team, unfortunately, our youth and inexperience showed in that third period. We're trying to put it in perspective, but at the same time, we have to be honest wtith them. With experience, we're going to make better plays under pressure."
Whitehead said senior defenseman Simon Danis-Pepin's status is still uncertain for this weekend. Danis-Pepin has missed the past four games with a sprained ankle, but practiced before the UNH game. If Danis-Pepin does not play this weekend, he will most likely be back next weekend, when Maine hosts Bentley on Jan. 16 and Providence two days later.
***
If you've become a fan of watching outdoor hockey games, two Hockey East teams almost followed suit. Three years ago, Boston College and Boston University nearly took the Green Line Rivalry to the Green Monster, as both schools were in talks to play an outdoor game at Fenway Park.
"The cooperation was great, but Fenway Park was closed for reconstruction," BC Coach Jerry York said. "But I'd like to pursue it hard. If we can promise that there's no rain, we'll promise it will be a good, clean, cold day."
While York was enthusiastic about the possibility of an outdoor game, BU Coach Jack Parker was concerned about the novelty of such an event, particularly how soon the novelty might wear off. Consider that several outdoor games have already been played, including two NHL Winter Classics (Buffalo-Pittsburgh at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., and Detroit-Chicago at Wrigley Field in Chicago) and Michigan State-Michigan in the "Cold War" at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich.
"I don't think we could do it more than once," Parker said. "It will get overdone. The Buffalo-Pittsburgh game was something, but I don't think the Wrigley game was as romantic. The Michigan State-Michigan game was a show. But if you don't do it soon, it will be worn out."
Right behind the Irish in both polls is Boston University (13-4-1), Maine's opponent on Saturday. The Terriers are undefeated in their last seven games, including two wins over RPI and Denver at the Denver Cup. Forward Colin Wilson and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk will return to the lineup this weekend after playing for Team USA in the World Junior Championships.
ORONO - Bobby Butler scored the go-ahead goal with 2:21 left as No. 15 New Hampshire defeated Maine 5-4 Sunday at Alfond Arena.
After Matt Duffy gave Maine a 4-2 lead early in the third period, the Wildcats responded with three goals in the final seven minutes, including Butler's goal on a 5-on-3 power play.
Scott Darling made 26 saves for Maine, while Bobby Foster made 24 saves for New Hampshire.
Maine (10-7-2, 5-5-2 Hockey East) plays at No. 3 Boston University at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Three stars:
1. Bobby Butler, UNH
2. Greg Collins, UNH
3. Jeff Dimmen, Maine
***
Tim Whitehead summed up the aftereffects of Sunday's loss in one statement.
"This one's gonna sting for a long time," the Maine men's hockey coach said.
Agreed. This one's gonna leave a mark. With a potential win over No. 15 New Hampshire on Sunday, the Black Bears had a chance to leapfrog in the Hockey East standings and possibly crack the national rankings.
Instead, the Black Bears were left to dwell on their inexperience after a 5-4 loss Sunday at Alfond Arena.
With only three seniors in Sunday's lineup (Matt Duffy, Jeff Marshall and Chris Hahn), the Black Bears were better suited to be called bear cubs. Maine took four of their 10 penalties in the third period, which allowed UNH to come back from a 4-2 deficit. The Black Bears also made some critical defensive errors in the final moments of the game, including lack of defensive coverage. A prime example was UNH's game-winning goal; Butler was untouched on the far side of the crease, and pushed the puck into a virtually empty net, behind Darling.
****
The Black Bears appeared to tie the game at 1-1 in the second period when Tanner House picked up his own rebound from from off the glass behind UNH goalie Brian Foster, but his second shot hit the post to Foster's left. Maine hit the post three times in the loss.
***
Gustav Nyquist was called for two penalties, including a second-period penalty for diving.
Nyquist had taken seven penalties for 14 minutes in Maine's first 18 games.
***
UNH handled adversity well. The Wildcats played their first game in nearly four weeks, and won without forward James van Riemsdyk, Hockey East's leading scorer with 26 points, and defenseman Blake Kessel. Van Riemsdyk and Kessel are playing for Team USA in the World Junior Championships in Ottawa, and are expected to rejoin the Wildcats this week.
"We definitely came back after the break andtrained hard this past week," Butler said. "It showed. We came back with those three big goals in the third."
Back to the Hockey East schedule. Maine (10-6-2, 5-4-1 Hockey East) starts the New Year today against New Hampshire, one of its traditional rivals and a team that is looking to rebound after nearly four weeks off and after a November with one win. The No. 14 Wildcats (8-6-3, 5-4-2 Hockey East) closed the year with three wins against UMass-Lowell and Holy Cross, while Maine is playing its fourth game in two weeks.
Lineup for Maine:
* = starters
Forward
Robby Dee-Chris Hahn-Lem Randall
Brian Flynn-Tanner House-Gustav Nyquist*
Spencer Abbott-Kyle Solomon-Jeff Marshall
Nick Payson-Kevin Swallow-Brett Carriere
Defense
Josh Van Dyk-Matt Duffy*
Ryan Hegarty-Mike Banwell
Will O'Neill-Jeff Dimmen
Goalies
Dave Wilson-Scott Darling*-Josh Seeley
Lineup for New Hampshire:
Forwards
Jerry Pollastrone-Phill DeSimone-Mike Sislo*
Greg Collins-Peter LeBlanc-Bobby Butler
Danny Dries-Thomas Fortney-Steve Moses
Alan Thompson-Mike Borisenok-Kevin McCarey
Defense
Kevin Kapstad-Mike Beck
Nick Krates-Damon Kipp
Jamie Fritsch-Joe Charlebois*
Goalies
Brian Foster*-Matt DiGirolamo
Of note: Payson scored a goal in a 7-3 exhibition win over the U.S. U-18 team Friday night, and plays in his first game since Nov. 15, a 3-0 win at Providence. The Black Bears will go back to using six defensemen after using eight Friday. The Wildcats will be without forward James van Riemsdyk and defenseman Blake Kessel, who are playing for Team USA in the World Junior Championships in Ottawa. Foster, UNH's goalie, has been nursing an ankle injury.
Scratches for Maine:
Defense: Simon Danis-Pepin (sprained ankle), Mark Nemec
Forward: Theo Andersson, Glenn Belmore, Keif Orsini, David de Kastrozza.
Spencer Abbott scored two goals and was one of six different players to score goals in the University of Maine's 7-3 win over the United States National Under-18 team Friday at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
Maine's top line of Gustav Nyquist, Brian Flynn and Tanner House combined for eight points, including individual goals by each player.
Nick Payson and Kevin Swallow also scored for the Black Bears in the exhibition game. Dave Wilson made 14 saves for Maine, which resumes its Hockey East schedule Sunday against No. 14 New Hampshire at Alfond Arena in Orono.
***
The Black Bears scored three of their seven goals in the second period, and two of those three # Nyquist's goal at 1:36 and Flynn's goal at 8:12 # came on the doorstep of the Under-18 team's goal.
It's a critical area if you are intent on creating offense. And prior to Friday's game, it wasn't very familiar territory.
"It's huge," said House, who assisted on Nyquist's second-period goal. "That's the key for us, we're trying to get better at being closer around the net, to get traffic and we're burying chances and getting those garbage goals."
That's right, Maine's taking out the trash.
"That's where you score the most goals," Nyquist said. "We've been working hard in practice to get to the net a little bit better and we did a good job of that. It turned out good."
***
There were a couple new faces in Maine's lineup for the exhibition game, including defenseman Mark Nemec, who dressed for the first time this season, and David de Kastrozza, who moved from forward to defense to give the Black Bears an eighth defenseman.
"This is a very important opportunity for those guys to get in and help the team in a game situation and really get their feet wet," Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said.
Former Bangor High standout Nick Payson scored a goal in the win, and Whitehead said Payson provided the Black Bears a physical presence on the fourth line.
"He set the tone physically and got a few chances on net," Whitehead said. "Physically, he made an impact on the game."
***
As of this afternoon, only obstructed view seats were available for Sunday's game against UNH. If you can't get tickets, the game will be televised on ESPNU.
Fans are slowly trickling into the Cumberland County Civic Center for tonight's exhibition game between the Maine men's hockey team and the U.S. National Under-18 team.
Maine forward Gustav Nyquist was named Hockey East's Pro Ambitions Hockey Rookie of the Month for December. Nyquist, a freshman, scored three goals and three assists in six games in December. Teammate Scott Darling was a runner-up for the monthly honor. Darling was Hockey East's rookie of the month for November.
***
Starters:
Forward: Robby Dee-Chris Hahn-Lem Randall
Defense: Matt Duffy-Josh Van Dyk
Goalie: Dave Wilson
Of note: This is Wilson's first start since a 2-1 win Nov. 21 against Merrimack. Maine will dress eight defensemen tonight, including Mark Nemec, who hasn't dressed this season, and David de Kastrozza, who has primarily played at forward in 10 games this season.
Scratches for Maine include: defenseman Simon Danis-Pepin (sprained ankle) and forwards Jeff Marshall, Glenn Belmore and Keif Orsini.
***
In preparation for Sunday's Hockey East contest between Maine and New Hampshire at Alfond Arena, here's something to chew on:
Wildcats Coach Dick Umile told the Manchester Union-Leader that when it came to the league's preseason coaches poll, he didn't pick the Black Bears as low as their predicted ninth-place finish.
The Black Bears lost a ton from a team that missed the Hockey East playoffs and went 13-8-3 last season, a year after losing in the NCAA semifinals for the second straight season. Maine was picked to finish ninth in this year's Hockey East pre-season coaches' poll.
"Not me, I didn't pick them that low," said UNH coach Dick Umile on Wednesday. "I would never pick Maine ninth. Never."
The United States National Team Development Program is a USA Hockey program made up of players that are selected from a tryout pool and who are groomed for college and professional hockey. Several notable names have come out of the USNTDP, including Boston Bruins forward Phil Kessel, who played for the NTDP's U-18 team in 2005 when it faced the Black Bears at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
Tomorrow night at the Civic Center, a new group of "the nation's best and brightest" will face the University of Maine, which has also benefitted the Black Bears.
"Originally it was set up as a temporary situation, set up as a five year program that was to dissolve into the USHL," Maine Coach Tim Whitehead explained. "But USA Hockey has been very pleased with what it's done, so they maintained it and now it's become a permanent fixture with the Under-17 team and the Under-18 team. It's given players from all over the country the opportunity to train at an elite level, with elite coaches and play against very good competition."
Current Black Bears Ryan Hegarty and Kevin Swallow played in the USNTDP, as did Maine recruit Kelen Corkum, whom Whitehead said is expected to join the Black Bears next season. Former Black Bears Greg Moore, Todd Jackson and Jimmy Howard also played in the USNTDP.
"It's a great way for elite young players to speed up their development," Whitehead said.
***
Among the USA U-18 NTDP's lineup are a pair of familiar names: Ryan Bourque, the son of former Boston Bruins defenseman Ray Bourque, and John Ramage, the son of former NHLer Rob Ramage.
Bourque is the third in his family to skate at the CCCC, joining his father and his older brother, Chris, who played for the Portland Pirates in 2005 and who scored his first NHL goal with the Washington Capitals earlier this week.
***
Maine resumes its Hockey East schedule on Sunday against New Hampshire at Alfond Arena. When the Wildcats take the ice, it will be their first game in nearly a month. But don't think UNH will be completely stale. UNH forward Peter LeBlanc said that in the past four weeks, the Wildcats coaching staff has scheduled several intrasquad games.
"Individually, the players have to take it upon themselves to stay in shape," said LeBlanc, who has seven goals and seven assists. "When you haven't played in four weeks it can be a shock, but it's been spirited."
UNH will be without James Van Riemsdyk, Hockey East's leading scorer (nine goals, 17 assists) and defenseman Blake Kessel (Phil Kessel's brother) this weekend. Both are playing for Team USA at the World Junior Championships in Ottawa.
Rachel is in her fifth year as a sports reporter at the Portland Press
Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. A former college soccer and softball player,
she covered sports at newspapers in Pennsylvania, Texas and Colorado before
joining the Press Herald/Sunday Telegram staff in June of 2004.
Rachel takes over coverage of the University of Maine hockey team and was
introduced to Maine hockey as a seventh-grader in Annapolis, Maryland, after
reading a 1988 Sports Illustrated story about Shawn Walsh's impact on the
program. Nearly 20 years later, she still has the four-page article in her
possession.
She and her husband, Tommy (who also works for MaineToday Media, Inc.)
are avid sports fans who root for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh
Penguins and Kansas Jayhawks. After a year of marriage, their next step in
life is to find a bigger house!
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