The University of Massachusetts Minutemen managed only 14 shots on goal on Saturday night in the Seniors Night game against the University of Maine at Alfond Arena.
But four of them got past Black Bears goalie Victor Ostman. Meanwhile UMass’s Cole Brady, an Arizona State University transfer, made 35 saves as the Minutemen completed a weekend sweep with a 4-3 victory.
UMass won 5-2 on Friday night.
Ostman finished with 10 saves.
Despite the two losses, UMaine, 15-15-5 overall and 9-11-4 in Hockey East, earned the sixth seed for the Hockey East playoffs and will entertain 11th-place Vermont, 10-19-5, 5-16-3 in a Hockey East first round game at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
UMass, 13-6-5 and 7-14-3, wound up ninth and will visit No. 8 Boston College, 13-15-6 and 8-11-5.
Senior left wing Cal Kiefiuk scored a pair of goals and sophomore defenseman Scott Morrow had one as the Minutemen took the 3-0 lead by finding the net with three of their first seven shots on goal.
But sophomore center Nolan Renwick’s second-period power play goal and senior right wing Ben Poisson’s early third-period goal pulled UMaine within 3-2.
Sophomore center Lucas Mercuri restored the two-goal lead for UMass 8:53 into the third period, but UMaine captain Jakub Sirota, a graduate student defenseman, answered 21 seconds later.
UMaine stormed the net looking for an equalizer, but Brady made good stops and his teammates blocked shots and swatted loose pucks out of danger.
“I can’t fault anything we did tonight,” UMaine head coach Ben Barr said. “Everyone played pretty well. We played much better than last night. The results stink but if we bring that kind of work ethic, we can beat anybody on any given night.
“We had a hard time getting second opportunities,” Barr said. “There were a lot of pucks laying around [the UMass net] that we just couldn’t get to. And it seemed every chance they had went in. UMass has a good team with some highly-skilled guys.”
Ostman took responsibility for the loss. All four goals came on initial shots.
“We played well. The only reason we didn’t win was I didn’t play well,” Ostman said.
“He knows he has to be better. But he has been a rock for us all year. He didn’t have a great weekend but, hopefully, he got that out of his [system] and will be ready to go against Vermont,” Barr said.
UMass coach Greg Carvel said Brady “stole the game for us.
“Maine played really well,” Carvel said. “We got outshot badly but I thought we kept a lot of their shots to the outside and took care of second shots like we did last night.”
Kiefiuk opened the scoring 6:13 into the game when a stiff check behind the net freed the puck to Reed Lebster and he made a quick pass to Kiefiuk, who one-timed it past Ostman from the edge of the crease.
Kiefiuk expanded the lead 7:33 later with a 40-foot wrist shot that Ostman missed with his glove.
Those were Kiefiuk’s sixth and seventh goals of the season.
Morrow scored his ninth and second in as many games on the power play with a wrist shot from the right circle that beat Ostman glove side.
Renwick notched his ninth with a one-timer from the middle of the slot off assists from Sirota and Poisson.
Poisson’s ninth of the season opened the scoring 4:04 into the third period as he was set up by David Brezeale and fired the puck past Brady from the slot.
Mercuri’s third game 4:49 later when he redirected an Aaron Bohlinger pass over Ostman’s glove side shoulder.
But Sirota responded quickly when he was set up nicely by Lynden Breen and snapped a 20-footer past Brady.
UMaine outshot UMass 13-3 in the third period.
“Our team was unbelievable,” 6-foot-5 goalie Brady said. “We battled hard. We knew what we were going to get from them. They were competing really hard. The guys did everything right, blocking shots and getting pucks out.”
Breen said the team took a “step [forward] compared to [Friday] night.
“There was a little lack of detail here and there that they capitalized on early. Again we showed glimpses when we took over the game and they couldn’t play with us.
“We didn’t get the job done so it sucks but we still got sixth place and got home ice for Wednesday so we’re fortunate for that. It’s the best time of the year right now. Everything comes down to Wednesday and we will be ready for that,” Breen said.
UMaine had six seniors/graduate students who were honored after the game in Sirota, Poisson, Dawson Bruneski, Matthew Fawcett, Justin Michaelian and Didrik Henbrant, and Sirota proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Dominika Ivanicka, in front of what was left of the sell-out crowd of 5,043.
Sirota said he decided after Christmas that he would propose to her on Seniors Night.
“We had discussed it a few times the last couple of months. But she had no idea [it was going to happen on Seniors night],” Sirota said.
He had hid the engagement ring from her and then gave it to his mother, who brought it to him on the ice when he was introduced in post-game ceremonies. His family had flown in from Czechia.
“I told him you better hope she says yes because it will be weird if she doesn’t,” Barr said with a grin.
UMaine was without two defensemen who suffered upper body injuries in Friday’s game, Bruneski and freshman Grayson Arnott. Freshman defenseman Brandon Holt remains sidelined with a broken finger.
