ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine’s seventh-ranked hockey team received a stiff test from the visiting Colgate University Raiders but freshman goalie Albin Boija made 30 saves and the Black Bears received goals from Bradly Nadeau, Harrison Scott and Ryan Hopkins to post their seventh straight win, 3-1, at Alfond Arena Friday night.
UMaine improved to 13-3-1 while Colgate fell to 6-9-2.
The seven-game winning streak is the first for UMaine since the 2006-2007 team won its first seven-game en route to the school’s 11th and last Frozen Four appearance.
Freshman right wing Nadeau gave UMaine a 1-0 lead with the only goal of the first period before junior center Scott and freshman defenseman Ryan Hopkins extended the lead in the second period.
Colgate head coach Mike Harder pulled goalie Carter Gylander midway through third period with the Raiders on the power play and junior center Ryan McGuire scored his 10th of the season and eighth in his last eight games.
But the Black Bears held on.
Boija, making just his second start, made a number of great saves including a pad stop on Daniel Panetta’s breakaway.
Gylander finished with 32 stops. The teams will play again on Saturday at 7.
Scott scored what proved to be the game-winner early in the second period.
It was fifth goal of the season and fourth in his last five games at the 4:57 mark of the free-wheeling middle period.
Harrison hunted down the puck behind the net and cut quickly out front to the right of Gylander for a wraparound shot. His shot appeared to hit the stick of Colgate defenseman Nick Anderson and slip between Gylander’s pads.
Hopkins scored his first collegiate goal off a face-off win by Lynden Breen with 51 seconds remaining in the period.
The puck came directly back to Hopkins at the left point. He took a few strides toward the middle and sailed a screened wrist shot past Gylander’s blocker.
The two teams combined for 34 shots on goal in the middle period with Boija and Gylander each making a number of high-quality saves.
Colgate’s Tommy Bergsland rang a wrist shot off the crossbar midway through the period.
Bradly Nadeau scored off a pass from his brother Josh just 5:26 into the game.
The puck pinballed around in the high slot before Josh Nadeau wheeled around and fired a pass to Bradly, who was alone in front of Gylander.
The younger Nadeau brother moved the puck from his backhand to his forehand and roofed a 12-foot wrist shot over Gylander’s glove and into the short side corner for his team-leading 13th goal of the season.
Brandon Holt also earned an assist on the goal.
The Black Bears had a glittering chance to expand the lead while shorthanded late in the period.
Harrison Scott carried the puck down the left wing in a two-on-one with Donavan Houle and fed the puck across to Houle, who shot from the top of the crease was stopped by the pad of Gylander.
UMaine outshot Colgate 10-4 in the first period but the Raiders did a good job defensively, protecting the front of their net and limiting UMaine’s odd-man rushes.
