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http://www.pressherald.com/sports/college/hockey/030302umhock.shtml

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                     Sunday, March 2, 2003

                                            UMaine continues trend by earning split with BU


                        By   KEVIN THOMAS, Portland Press Herald Writer

                      Copyright  2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.





 ORONO  --  The University of Maine hockey team continued its trend of inconsistency Saturday night, beating Boston University 4-2 before a crowd of 5,088 at Alfond Arena. Lucas Lawson scored two power-play goals, Martin Kariya added two assists and goalie Jimmy Howard made 27 saves.

   The Black Bears finished the regular season without losing a second game of a two-game weekend set. Of course, they also lost their last five weekend series' openers, including an agonizing 4-2 loss to the Terriers Friday night.

   That down-and-up play leaves the Black Bears 4-5-2 in their last 11 games. They enter the postseason 24-7-5 overall, 14-6-4 in Hockey East.

   Maine's victory, combined with New Hampshire's 4-2 win over Boston College, left the Black Bears third in the league standings.

   Maine will play host to No. 6 Massachusetts (17-16-1, 10-14-0) in a best-of-three first-round series starting Thursday at Alfond Arena.

   Boston University (21-12-3, 13-10-1) will be the No. 5 seed and will play at No. 4 Providence in the first round.

   Saturday was promoted as "Senior Night" at Orono, as seven Maine players skated in their last regular-season game. Senior Gray Shaneberger started the celebration with a blistering blast between BU goalie Sean Fields' pads at 7:25 of the first period. Senior Chris Heisten got the assist.

   BU had a season-low two shots in the first period, which was penalty-free until Brian McConnell hooked down Kariya at 19:56.

   Maine took advantage of the power play, scoring 14 seconds into the second period. Kariya won the faceoff back to Francis Nault, who passed ahead to Lawson. Lawson skated unchecked down the slot and beat Shields past his blocker for a 2-0 lead.

   The Terriers got on the board at 5:14 by freeing up a forward on a rush. Kenny Magowan skated in on Howard, faked a shot to Howard's left and had an open net for an easy score, closing the gap to 2-1.

   BU went to a neutral-zone trap and got more opportunities, eventually outshooting Maine, 28-26.

   Howard, who had allowed 14 goals in his previous three games, looked sharp, stopping three point-blank chances and twice also stopping the rebounds.

   Maine had two golden short-handed chances in the second period. Heisten fired a shot on net and Shaneberger knocked in the puck, but it was ruled that Shaneberger kicked it in, negating the score. Kariya got a breakaway seconds later, but Shields stopped his backhander.

   The second period ended like the first, with a penalty on BU. And the third period started like the second, with Lawson wristing in a power-play goal, this one 35 seconds into the period for a 3-1 lead.

   "We were playing the game we wanted to play," BU Coach Jack Parker said. "They had a couple of great individual goals. Lawson is a great player. He can really shoot a puck."

   BU picked up its forecheck and kept the puck in Maine's zone. It finally paid off when Frantisek Skladany gathered a rebound and slid it under Howard at 6:57.

   Maine regained its two-goal lead when Derek Damon led a three-on-one rush and dropped a pass to the trailing Todd Jackson, who blasted it in at 11:50.

   Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at:

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