University of Maine
Providence
Men's Ice Hockey Explodes for 7-1 Win at New Hampshire
2/25/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
BOSTON, Mass. -- The University of Maine men's ice hockey team exploded for seven goals as it defeated Northeastern 7-1 on Saturday night at Matthews Arena in Boston, Mass. Joey Diamond (Long Beach, N.Y.) led the Maine offense with two goals and two assists, while Spencer Abbott (Hamilton, Ontario) added two goals and an assist.
Maine improves to 19-11-3 on the season and 14-10-2 in Hockey East play. Northeastern falls to 12-15-5 overall and 8-12-4 in conference play.
Maine took a 1-0 lead just 4:14 into the first period on a three-on-one rush. Joey Diamond got the puck ahead to Kyle Beattie (Avondale, Ariz.) who skated it into the zone. He then passed to Adam Shemansky (Robbinsville, N.J.) who fired the puck into the empty-net, as Chris Rawlings had committed to Beattie.
Maine extended its lead to 2-0 at 5:26 when Jon Swavely (Reading, Pa.) got the puck from Ryan Hegarty (Arlington, Mass.) along the boards and found Theo Andersson (Gothenburg, Sweden) in the slot. He wristed a shot past Rawlings for his second goal of the season.
Northeastern answered back with a power play goal by Vinny Saponari at 8:46 when his shot from just inside the blueline beat Maine goalie Dan Sullivan (York, Pa.). Ludwig Karlsson and Steve Quailer each assisted on the goal.
Maine, which entered the game leading the nation in power play percentage, got a power play goal at 9:52. Matt Mangene (Miller Place, N.Y.) had the puck on the blueline and fired it to Shemansky behind the net. Shemansky then passed to Mark Anthoine (Lewiston, Maine) on the post who one-timed the puck into the back of the net. For Anthoine, it was his team-leading 10th power play goal of the season.
Maine added to its lead early in the second period. Diamond carried the puck up the ice and found Mangene on the blueline. He made the pass to Mangene and then headed to the net. He received a pass back from Mangene and directed it into the net while crashing into Northeastern goalie Clay Witt and a Husky defender. For Diamond, it was his team-leading 21st goal of the season.
The Black Bears extended their lead to 5-1 late in the second period. Brice O'Connor (Londonderry, N.H.) got the puck to Jake Rutt (Scarborough, Maine) on the blueline. Rutt fired a shot that Spencer Abbott (Hamilton, Ontario) redirected past Witt. For Abbott, it was his 18th goal of the season.
Maine added to its lead 2:39 into the third period. Diamond got the puck to Brian Flynn who skated it into the Maine zone and had a shot that was saved. The rebound went right to Abbott who fired it into the back of the net for his second goal of the game.
Diamond got a power play goal at 7:00 of the third period when he got a pass from Flynn behind the net and beat Witt. Mangene also assisted on the power play goal for the Black Bears.
Maine goalie Dan Sullivan played 55:19 and and made 21 saves. He improves to 18-8-3 on the season. He was replaced by Josh Seeley (Howland, Maine) making his first appearance of the season. Seeley played 4:25 and made one save.
Chris Rawlings played 9:52 and made one saves while allowing three goals. He was replaced by Clay Witt who played 36:58 and made 14 saves. He allowed four goals. Bryan Mountain played the final
The Black Bears return to action when they play the regular season finale on Saturday, March 3 against UNH. The puck will drop at 4 PM. Limited tickets remain and can be purchased by calling the Maine ticket office at 207-581-BEAR or 1-800-756-TEAM. Fans can also purchase tickets online at www.goblackbearstickets.com(.)
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