ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine men’s hockey team jumped out to a 3-0 lead and held off the nationally ranked University of Massachusetts Lowell for a 5-3 Hockey East victory at Alfond Arena Saturday night.
UMaine improved to 9-10-2 overall and 3-6-1 in Hockey East while UMass Lowell fell to 12-9-1 and 6-5-1.
The Black Bears snapped a string of seven-straight UMass-Lowell victories at their expense.
UMaine played one of its best periods of the season in the opening period and took a deserved 3-1 lead into the intermission.
David Breazeale, Brandon Holt and Aidan Carney staked UMaine to a 3-0 lead before Brian Chambers pulled one back for UMass-Lowell with 4:54 left in the period.
Chambers scored again in the second period to cut the lead to 3-2 before Lynden Breen restored the two-goal lead at the 7:16 mark.
But Matt Crasa scored a power play goal with 2:07 remaining in the middle period to set the stage for a dramatic third period that was capped by Ben Poisson’s empty-net goal to sew up the win.
UMaine outshot the River Hawks 16-3 over the first 20 minutes.
Breazeale’s goal, his first of the season, was initially waved off.
But UMaine head coach Ben Barr challenged the call and, upon video review, the call was reversed and the goal stood.
UMaine had a sustained forecheck, and a UMass Lowell player pushed Michael Mancinelli into Grigals and the goalie was knocked down to the ice.
The puck rolled into the slot, and Breazeale swept it past Grigals, who was laying on the ice.
Freshman defenseman Holt’s fourth goal of the season snapped an 0-for-15 power play drought. He took a pass from Luke Antonacci and wristed a shot from the right faceoff circle through Grigals’ pads.
Freshman left wing Carney, son of former UMaine All-American defenseman and long-time National Hockey Leaguer Keith Carney, made it 3-0 by shoving home the puck after Felix Trudeau slid it across the crease to the far post off a three-on-one.
Senior center Chambers scored with a one-timer from the high slot off pass from out of the corner by Ben Meehan. It was his fourth of the season.
Chambers’ second-period goal came off a high wrister from the point that sailed by Ostman’s glove.
Junior center Breen collected his eighth of the season after Didrik Henbrant passed it across to him at the far post. He just had to direct it into the empty net.
Sophomore right wing Crasa scored his second of the season when he came out of the corner to the right of Ostman and beat Ostman to the short side from a tight angle.
UMaine captain Jakub Sirota received a five-minute major with 15 seconds left in the middle period but the Black Bears were able to kill it off with the help of a two-minute minor penalty on UMass Lowell’s Scout Truman.
After a shaky first two periods, Ostman was immense in the third period as he stopped all 16 shots he faced to finish with 25 saves for the game.
Grigals wound up with 30 stops.
