Maine 5, New Hampshire 1 (HE)
 
Tuesday, February 18, 1997, at Alfond Arena (Orono, Maine)
 
       Score By Periods     Shots on Goal    Pen - Min   Power Play
NH      0 - 1 - 0 -- 1     3 - 10 - 8 -- 21   10 - 20      1 - 5
ME      3 - 1 - 1 -- 5    16 - 18 - 5 -- 39    7 - 14      3 - 8
 
Records:
        New Hampshire (24-8-0, 17-5-0 HE)
        Maine (21-10-1, 13-7-1 HE)
 
SCORING
First Period
 ME-1 Steve Kariya (18) (Libby, Cullen)                   PPG    3:52
 ME-2 Scott Parmentier (20) (Kariya, Shermerhorn)               10:18
 ME-3 Dan Shermerhorn (14) (Kariya, Wansborough)          PPG   15:51
 
Second Period
 NH-1 Tom Nolan (21) (Murray, Krog)                       PPG   13:19
 ME-4 Trevor Roenick (14) (Larose, Cardinal)              PPG   19:16
 
Third Period
 ME-5 Shawn Mansoff (6) (Wansborough)                           13:56
 
      Goaltenders                       Saves by Period
NH - Sean Matile (60:00)                13 - 17 - 4 -- 34
ME - Alfie Michaud (60:00)               3 -  9 - 8 -- 20
 
OFFICIALS: Referee John Gravellese; Assistant referees James Brown,
Brian Sullivan
 
ATTENDANCE: 5,123
 
ORONO, Maine -- Steve Kariya had a goal and two assists and Dan Shermerhorn
and Shawn Wansborough each added a goal and an assist as the Maine Black
Bears (21-10-1, 13-7-1 HE) knocked off the short-handed #3 New Hampshire
Wildcats (24-8, 17-5 HE) by a final of 5-1 Tuesday night.
 
PREGAME:
 
New Hampshire was without seven players who were in the lineup Saturday
against Providence.  After the game was over, which Providence upset UNH
3-2, a large brawl broke out forcing 14 players from both teams to be
suspended for the next game.
 
Eric Boguniecki, Dan Enders, Jayme Filipowicz, Erik Johnson, Rob Gagnon,
Joey Moran and John Sadowski all sat out the game for UNH.  Boguniecki and
Filipowicz will also miss UNH's Feb. 28 game against Providence.
 
The suspensions forced UNH coach Dick Umile to dress Brendon McEniry and
Craig Gwinn at defense who had a combined five games of experience between
them, four of those games belonging to McEniry.
 
FIRST PERIOD:
 
A good Tuesday night crowd showed up, and contrary to previous games the
crowd came prepared to support their team and they were loud and into the
game from the very start.  This has not been typical for Maine home games
this year, but it was a pleasant surprise to Maine fans to see such a good,
loud crowd turn out on a Tuesday night.  Officially, the game was just below
a sellout as 5,123 people filled the 5,200 seat arena.
 
Maine came out Tuesday and caught the UNH Wildcats flat, and simply jumped
them.  Sophomore winger Chad Onufrechuk was sent to the box for holding at
3:26 of the first period, and Maine's red hot, nation leading power play
(29.9 percent in NCAA games) cashed in on the opportunity.
 
Steve Kariya had severl whacks a a puck down low as UNH goaltender Sean
Matile made the first save or two but surrendered a backhand goal at 3:52 to
make it 1-0 Maine.
 
The goal not only got the crowd in the game, but added even more jump to
Maine's step.  The Black Bears picked up the pressure, especially the line
of Reg Cardinal, Trevor Roenick and Marcus Gustafsson who were able to have
success down low against the Wildcats.
 
The two teams traded shortened power plays without any change in score when
Maine added to the lead just past the halfway point of the period.  With a
delayed penalty call coming on UNH, Scott Parmentier shot one through a huge
crowd in front of Matile for the goal.  Matile had little chance, but
disagreed with the call.  Matile made his case to referee John Gravellese by
lifting the net off its moorings and onto the ice.  Matile was lucky he
didn't receive a misconduct penalty.
 
Parmentier said about six bodies were in front of the net, and Matile likely
believed that he was either interfered with or that someone in the crease.
In Gravellese's defense, with so many bodies it was probably difficult for
him to tell who was doing what.
 
Maine was shutting down one of the nation's top offenses on the other end of
the ice.  UNH did not register a shot-on-goal in the first 13:50 as they
allowed 10 shots and two goals on the other end.
 
Maine extended the lead to 3-0 when they were put on the power play once
again when Eric Nickulas was sent off for a hold.  Shawn Wansborough through
the puck down low to Kariya who one-touched the puck to Shermerhorn on the
near post, Shermerhorn stuffed the puck short-side catching Matile by
surprise.  It was a goal that Matile might have liked to have back as he was
not expecting it and almost made the save as Shermerhorn banked it off the
back of his leg.
 
No question about it, Maine dominated the first period.  UNH came out flat,
Maine came out on fire and the results were devastating to the Wildcats.
Maine scored three times, but put 16 shots-on-goal while only giving up
three on the other end.  Maine couldn't have scripted a better beginning --
UNH a worse.
 
SECOND PERIOD:
 
Maine started the second on the power play, but the Wildcats had a good
kill, but almost dug themselves another hole as Mike Souza took a penalty
just six seconds after the previous call expired.
 
But Sean Matile was keeping UNH in the game.  UNH's defense was severely
depleated by the suspensions, and they were clearly struggling against Maine
forwards healthy and improved since the last time UNH saw them.  Maine had
the chance to turn this game into a laugher, but Matile played well, despite
the score.
 
On the other end of the ice, UNH had started to crank the offensive machine
up and Alfie Michaud, who had a goals against average of over 7.00 in three
games versus the Wildcats this year, was showing his improvement.  He played
a huge second period for Maine has UNH had seven very good scoring chances,
scoring only once.  Tom Nolan raced down the right wing and got the puck
down low to Jason Krog.  Krog got the puck back to Nolan at the far post for
a tough angle score just before the net came off it's moorings.
 
UNH then would get a goal waved off with 5:12 to go in the period as a
player was in the crease, bringing the draw outside the zone.
 
Maine, was still putting immense pressure on Matile.  Maine registered 18
shots-on-goal in the second for a two period total of 34.  Matile was
playing well, but couldn't stop the power play unit.  Trevor Roenick scored
off a scrum in front with Eric Fitzgerald in the box when he took a penalty
breaking up a 2-on-1 -- a good penalty by Fitzgerald.
 
Once again, Matile complained the call and came dangerously close to
receiving another misconduct.  This time, apparently for the same reasons as
before, chased Gravellese to the blue line, didn't like the response he
received from the referee and slammed his stick into the glass.
 
The second period was by far a much closer period, even though Maine had an
18-10 shots lead, UNH might have played a better period.  They had good
chances, and Alfie Michaud and Matile played well in nets.
 
THIRD PERIOD:
 
With the score at 4-1 Maine going into the third period, it was clear that
Maine was going to focus on preserving the lead and making sure that UNH
didn't get a few quick goals and get back into the game.
 
UNH for their part didn't give up.  The Wildcats came out and took shots
from all over the ice.  Whenever a Wildcat was open, he took a shot trying
to generate anything to help get back into the game.  UNH only registered
eight shots on goal, but took 16 had three blocked and five missed.  Not a
lot of attempts, but that is a credit to the "in-your-face" defensive style
Maine had employed against the Wildcats.
 
Gravellese put his whistle away in the third, and both sides got away with
some minor infractions.
 
But Maine would ice teh game with just about six minutes left in the game.
Shawn Mansoff made a good hustle play and scored off a rebound to make it
5-1 Maine, the eventual final score.
 
Maine had a goal waved off this period as well with 1:56.  The puck had
clearly hit the top corner of the net, drawing the red light, but Gravellese
seemed to have missed the play and did not allow the goal.  Instead, he
chose to call a penalty on Steve O'Brien.
 
Maine outshot UNH 39-21 for the game, but most of that occured in the first
period and a half as Maine had total control of the game.
 
COMMENTS:
 
UNH was hurt by the suspensions, defensively.  That played a role in the
game, but UNH's forwards did not show up at all.  They lost only one of
their top eight or nine scorers, but could not generate any offense.  While
the defense might have cost UNH the game, they were never in a position to
win because their offense didn't do the job.
 
Maine's defense deserves some credit for that as well.  Whenever a UNH
forward touched the puck a white jersey was in his face.  Maine didn't let
UNH skate around and use their great speed and play-making ability.
 
In short, it was a game that Maine executed their strategy and UNH did not.
 
Maine's power play continued to role with a 3-for-8 performance.  Maine has
scored 16 PPG in their last 31 chances, and will likely improve their nation
leading stats to over 30 percent against NCAA teams.
 
UNH now needs some help to win their first Hockey East Regular Season title.
They lead BU by just two points, while BU has two games in hand.  Those two
games will be played Feb. 21 and 22, ironically, at Maine.
 
Maine has played better than all other Hockey East teams since Christmas.
The Bears are 11-2 in the league since Walsh returned to the bench and have
22 points.  The next closest is Merrimack at 7-3, who Maine lost two games
to.  UNH ranks fourth at 7-5.
 
UNH will get five of seven players back and try to get revenge on the Friars
Feb. 28 before closing the year out with BU, who UNH fans hope hasn't
clinched the league title by then.
 
Maine hosts BU this weekend before closing out their 1996-97 season against
UMass on March 1.
 
---
Deron Treadwell ([log in to unmask])