ORONO, Maine -- Five different Black Bears scored in the University of Maine men's ice hockey team's 6-2 victory over Merrimack College on Friday night in the Alfond Arena.
First Goal (Maine 1-0): Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup found Adam Dawe for Maine's first goal of the first period. Ben Poisson won the puck in the corner, forced it out to Schmidt-Svejstrup. The sophomore found his classmate, Dawe, waiting patiently for the pass. The Newfoundland native buried the puck and gave the Black Bears a very early 1-0 lead.
Second Goal (Maine 2-0): After chaos ensued in front of the Merrimack net, Tim Doherty managed to corral and score the puck. Eduards Tralmaks and Mitchell Fossier each had a shot saved by Kobryn, but third time was the charm for the Black Bears. Half way through the first period, Maine held a 2-0 lead.
Third Goal (Maine 2-1): Ben Brar scored on the power play for the Warriors with 7:31 remaining in the opening frame. Tyler Irvine set up the play for Merrimack, as Brar did not waste his opportunity. At the end of the first period, the Warriors trailed by a goal.
Fourth Goal (Maine 3-1): As was the case with the first goal, Dawe and Schmidt-Svejstrup combined to find the back of the net. Schmidt-Svejstrup forced a turnover in Merrimack's end and left the puck for Dawe. Dawe did as he did before and gave the Black Bears some insurance. The forward's were credited with their second goal and second assist of the night.
Fifth Goal (Maine 3-2): The Warriors pulled to within one with another goal on the power play. Sami Tavernier took his time and picked his spot. Firing the puck over Jeremy Swayman's shoulder, Tavernier narrowed the deficit to one.
Sixth Goal (Maine 4-2): On a rush led by Kevin Hock, Samuel Rennaker extended Maine's lead to two goals once again. Simon Butala deflected a puck to Hock, who played it ahead to a streaking Rennaker. With just over 15:00 remaining in the Hockey East contest, the Black Bears held a 4-2 advantage.
Seventh Goal (Maine 5-2): Kevin Hock scored his first career goal in the final minutes of the third period. Left all alone with a wide open net, Hock did not miss his opportunity. It was not the final Black Bear goal of the night.
Eighth Goal (Maine 6-2): Eduards Tralmaks added an empty net goal. Maine held onto the lead for a 6-2 Hockey East victory.
Notes:
- Jeremy Swayman finished with 19 saves for the Black Bears, while Troy Kobryn tallied 29 for the Warriors.
- Maine went 0-3 on the power play, as Merrimack was 2-7 on their man advantages.
- The Black Bears blocked nine shots as a team.
Next:
The two Hockey East foes will face-off once again tomorrow, February 1st. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
