ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine men's ice hockey team dropped a 6-2 decision to Providence College on Friday night at Alfond Arena in Orono, Maine. Matt Taormina led Providence with two goals and three assists, while Maine rookie Andrew Sweetland (Bonavista, Newfoundland) scored a pair of goals.
Providence opened the scoring 3:58 into the game when Pierce Norton (South Boston, Mass.) passed the puck up ice and Nick Mazzolini (Anchorage, Alaska) shot the puck just past the blue line. Mazzolini took a quick wrist shot that beat Ben Bishop (Des Peres, Mo.) blocker side. Greg Collins (Hingham, Mass.) then found John Rheault (Deering, N.H.) who walked in uncontested and beat Bishop at the 10:53, giving the Friars the 2-0 lead.
The Black Bears cut the lead in half less than two minutes later when Andrew Sweetland scored his first career goal. Sweetland took the puck on a wrap around after Jeff Marshall (Kyle, Saskatchewan) taken a shot from the point on a pass from David de Kastrozza (Toms River, N.J.). Providence goalie Tyler Sims made the save but the puck came right back to Sweetland at the bottom of the right circle and he buried it over the short side of Sims for the goal at 12:25 into the first period.
Sweetland had his second career goal on the power play 9:36 into the second period. Billy Ryan (Milton, Mass.) passed the puck from the left point to Rob Bellamy who was at the top of the right circle. Bellamy quickly passed it to Sweetland who was down low to Sims' right blocker side. Sweetland had an open net and buried the puck.
Providence took the lead at 10:47 of the second period when it developed a three on two, and Mazzolini dropped a pass to Matt Taormina (Wash. Township, Mich.) and Taormina took a quick wrist shot from above the right circle that beat Bishop over his blocker. The Black Bears had a great opportunity a few moments later on an odd-man rush, but were unable to capitalize.
Maine had a great chance to tie the game early in the third when Simon Danis-Pepin (Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec) had a chance in front of the net but Sims made a nice save in the butterfly.
Providence scored at 6:03 into the third period. Mazzolini shot the puck from inside the blueline and beat Bishop. The Friars added to their lead just 1:10 later when Cory Wild (North Providence, R.I.) beat Dave Wilson (Toronto, Ontario), who had replaced Bishop. Taormina closed out the scoring for the Friars at 15:49 with his second goal of the game. He finished with a goal and three assists.
Maine, which falls to 4-3-1 on the season and 2-1-1 in Hockey East play, was outshot 39-17 in the game. The Friars improve to 2-5-1 overall and 2-2-1 in conference play.
Bishop made 24 saves for the Black Bears in 46:28. Wilson finished the game with nine saves. Tyler Sims stopped 15 shots in goal for the Friars.
The two teams return to action on Saturday, November 10 with an 8 p.m. puck drop at Alfond Arena.