ORONO, Maine - Mark Nemec (Rouses Point, N.Y.) scored the lone goal for the Black Bears, but it was not enough as the University of Maine men's ice hockey team fell to St. Lawrence 5-1 on Saturday night at Alfond Arena.
St. Lawrence jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Greg Carey stole the puck from a Maine defender and unleashed a shot that beat Maine goalie Dan Sullivan (York, Pa.). For Carey, it was his second goal of the season. The Saints added to their lead just under seven minutes later. Kyle Flanagan got a step on his defender and beat Sullivan glove side. Carey and Justin Baker both assisted on the goal.
St. Lawrence extended its lead to 3-0 at 12:21 of the second period. Gunnar Hughes sent a pass into the slot that Carey redirected past Maine goalie Matt Morris (Ridgewood, N.J.), who replaced Sullivan after the first period.
Maine got on the board at 4:29 of the third period. Devin Shore (Ajax, Ontario) carried the puck along the boards and found Joey Diamond (Long Beach, N.Y.) behind the goal. He then passed to Nemec just inside the blueline. Nemec wristed a shot past Saints goalie Matt Weninger. For Nemec, it was his first goal of the season.
Maine grabbed the momentum after Nemec's goal, but St. Lawrence dashed all comeback hopes when Flanagan scored a power play goal at 11:09. Carey and Baker both assisted on the goal.
St. Lawrence capped the scoring at 16:16 when Gunnar Hughes sent a pass that Kyle Essery redirected into the back of the net in transition.
Maine falls to 1-4-0 on the season, while St. Lawrence improves to 3-1-0.
Maine finished the game with a 37-19 edge in shots on goal. The Black Bears were scoreless on five power play chances, while St. Lawrence finished 1-for-5.
Sullivan made four saves in the first period for Maine. He falls to 0-4-0 on the season. Morris made 10 saves in the final 40 minutes while allowing three goals.
Weninger stopped 36 shots for the Saints and improves to 3-1-0.
Maine returns to action on Friday, Oct. 26 when it travels to Providence for a pair to open Hockey East play. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM on Friday night.