Maine makes an early statement with its 2-1 win over Quinnipiac

UMaine's Harrison Scott tries out Quinnipiac's Charlie Leddy and Cooper Moore, who finish Friday night at Alfond Arena in Orono. Photo by Tony DelMonaco courtesy of the University of Maine

ORONO – For the University of Maine men's ice hockey team, Friday night's 2-1 win over Quinnipiac was a fall victory that could have big implications next spring.

If the Black Bears start the season playing as well as they think they can, and Quinnipiac does the same, Friday's win in front of 5,043 fans at Alfond Arena will be a quality victory that helps Maine in the Pairwise rankings System used by the Black Bears NCAA Tournament Selection Committee to determine bids and seedings. Maine entered the game ranked No. 9 in the USCHO.com poll, while Quinnipiac was ranked No. 7.

“I thought our third (period) was our best. We started to get a little bit of (offensive) zone time, which we didn't get very much in the first game. We had a lot of penalties in the first game,” Maine coach Ben Barr said. “I thought we got better over time and that was a good sign. It wasn't pretty. It was by no means a masterpiece.”

Maine (2-0) hosts Quinnipiac (1-1) again on Saturday night.

“Playoff hockey in October. That’s what you expect from college hockey and we’re excited to be back (Saturday),” said Maine senior defenseman and captain David Breazeale.

Maine secured the win by killing a Quinnipiacs power play in the final minutes. Black Bear defenseman Frank Djurasevic was whistled for tripping at 17:28, and on the ensuing faceoff in the Maine defensive zone, the Bobcats were able to beat goaltender Dylan Silverstein for a 6-on-4 lead. It didn't matter. Maine's defense held, and the Bobcats were unable to create scoring opportunities for Maine goaltender Albin Boija, who finished the game with 19 saves and took just five shots in the third period.

“It’s third period. They know they will challenge their goalkeeper for a penalty in the last three minutes of the game. The good thing about our team is there’s no panic,” Breazeale said. “Everyone out there will keep things calm. They will pile up in front of the net and when the shots come through, Albin will be there again to make the save.”

University of Maine goalie Albin Boija makes a save as Quinnipiac's Jack Ricketts and Maine's Brandon Holt look for a rebound Friday at Alfond Arena in Orono. Photo by Tony DelMonaco courtesy of the University of Maine

Boija was at his best midway through the second period as he held off the Bobcats on a 2-on-0 breakaway and stopped a shot from Tyler Borgula.

“Super calm,” Barr said of Boija. “Did what he had to do.”

Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold said he had to watch the replay of the final power play to determine what went wrong.

“I saw it live. It wasn't very good. We have people who can play. They didn't make any plays tonight. This is going to Maine. They worked hard. They competed,” Pecknold said. “I thought Maine was really good tonight.”

Although the Black Bears received a ten-minute penalty in the first period, they took a 2-0 lead into the first break. First, Nolan Renwick scored at 6:42. Renwick led a 2-on-1 break and fired a shot from the left circle that beat Silverstein (27 saves) to the glove side into the right corner of the net. It was Renwick's third goal of the season.

In the final minute of the quarter, at 7:15 p.m., Charlie Russell, a transfer from Clarkson, scored his first goal for Maine by sinking the rebound from a Harrison Scott shot.

“Scotty made a great play and put it in the net. I knew I had to get it done quickly and I was lucky it went in,” Russell said. “When you talk to guys you always hear how great it is to play at the University of Maine, but you don't really know that until you come here and see a game in person.”

The Bobcats cut Maine's lead to 2-1 at 18:40 of the second when Borgula scored a faceoff win on a one-timer from the left circle. It was the first goal allowed this season by Boija, who pitched a shutout in the season-opening 6-0 win over American International and played nearly two scoreless periods in the 5-0 exhibition win over Army last week.

Maine lost defenseman Grayson Arnott just over six minutes into the first period when he sustained a cut on his forehead while checking into the boards behind the Quinnipiac net. Barr said other than needing stitches, Arnott is doing well.

“It's one of those things that probably looked worse than it is,” Barr said.

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