ORONO, Maine — Freshman goalie Albin Boija made 27 saves, including a Tanner Adams breakaway with just over six minutes left in the game, to lead the University of Maine to a 2-1 Hockey East victory over Providence College in front of a sellout crowd at Alfond Arena.
PC goalie Philip Svedeback finished with 21 stops.
Seventh-ranked UMaine improved to 18-5-2 overall and 10-4-1 in Hockey East while the Friars fell to 15-9-2 and 8-6-2. The teams will play again Saturday night at 7.
Freshman right wings Josh Nadeau and Anthony Calafiore staked UMaine to a 2-0 lead with second-period goals 5:39 apart but Providence graduate student defenseman Luke Krys sliced the lead in half at the 12:49 mark.
Nadeau’s 14th goal of the season came on the power play at the 4:49 mark.
His brother, Bradley, kept the puck in the offensive zone at the left point by gloving down a Friar clearing attempt, dropping it to his stick and pushing it ahead to his brother.
Josh Nadeau sprinted to the bottom of the left faceoff circle and snapped a wrister into the upper short side corner past Svedeback’s blocker.
It was his team-high seventh power play goal.
Calafiore made it 2-0 with his first collegiate goal.
Cole Hanson broke down the middle of the slot before sliding the puck over to an open Grayson Arnott in the right circle. Rather than shoot it, Arnott fired it across to the far post and Calafiore simply had to tap it in from the edge of the crease.
But Providence College answered.
Liam Valente wristed the puck from the right point through a crowded goalmouth.
Boija made the save but the rebound spilled across to the far past.
Krys dashed toward the net and fired a one-timer that hit Boija and deflected off him and rolled over the goal line for his fifth of the season.
The Friars carried the play for the rest of the period and well into the third period but Boija made a number of good saves including the breakaway when he pushed across the crease to get his right pad on Adams’ backhander.