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Sunday, January 18, 2004
In a defensive struggle, Maine comes up short
By KEVIN THOMAS, Portland Press Herald Writer
Copyright 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
ORONO -- On Friday night, the University of Maine hit Massachusetts hard. On Saturday, the Minutemen hit back.
UMass prevailed in a physical, defensive game at Alfond Arena, beating Maine 1-0 before a sellout crowd of 5,641.
The Minutemen's defense was stifling, especially in the third period, yielding only one shot on goal. It was Maine's first shutout loss at home in four years.
It was a game of hard checks, a few too many punches and crowded penalty boxes. When the second period ended, seven Minutemen skated out of the box along with eight Black Bears.
"That was a hard-fought series," UMass Coach Don Cahoon said. "These teams went at it, tooth and nail.
"They totally took us out of our game Friday night (a 3-0 Maine win). (Saturday night) I thought we stayed with the effort."
Maine outshot UMass 22-16, but the Minutemen made a first-period power-play goal stand. Black Bears goalie Jimmy Howard, returning from a sprained knee, made 15 saves.
Maine dropped to 16-5-1 overall, 8-3-1 in Hockey East. UMass improved to 11-7-5, 7-5-2.
Halfway through the Hockey East season, Maine is three points behind conference leader Boston College (9-1-2), a 3-2 winner over Boston University Saturday night.
UMass scored at 8:56 of the first period. With Prestin Ryan in the penalty box for high-sticking, the Minutemen came out in a diamond formation - "a little wrinkle," Cahoon said - that had the Black Bears skating late toward open players.
The Minutemen needed only 14 seconds on the power play as Marvin Degon got a clear shot from the high slot, slapping it over Howard's glove.
"I didn't see it until the last second," Howard said.
The goal was not a good sign for Maine, which was 4 for 4 on the penalty kill Friday night. The defense-minded Minutemen are 10-0-3 in games where they score first.
UMass goalie Gabe Winer, now 3-2 at Orono, looked in control. Maine outshot the Minutemen 11-7 in the first period but Winer was there every time, including a quick block on Michel Leveille in close and a nifty glove save on Dustin Penner's wrister from the slot.
The Minutemen took just four shots in the second period. They were content to play it safe, eliminating rushes and pounding anyone who skated near the crease.
"They battled well," Maine forward Ben Murphy said. "They won a game that they deserved to win. We played hard but they got that bounce."
Near the end of the second period, with two players from each team already in the penalty box, tempers broke out when a UMass player skated into the boards, followed by Leveille. Players paired off, tussling in front of the UMass bench.
When order was restored, the Alfond crowd taunted referee Jeff Bunyon, chanting, "You lost control." Bunyon handed out 42 minutes in penalties following the fracas.
Ryan, who was involved in the brawl, picked up four penalties to become the career leader in penalty minutes at Maine with 289, breaking the mark of 287 by Scott Smith (1982-86). Ryan is in his third season.
In the third period, Winer did not need to make a save for 17 minutes. Howard was pulled for an extra skater at 18:43 but Maine could not penetrate the UMass defense.
"Both teams played real strong defensively," Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said. "They happened to get one and we didn't."
NOTES: Maine had not lost a game at Alfond Arena since UMass beat the Black Bears in the Hockey East playoffs last March.
Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at: [log in to unmask]
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