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http://www.pressherald.com/sports/college/hockey/040124umaine.shtml
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Saturday, January 24, 2004
Maine does it short-handed
By KEVIN THOMAS, Portland Press Herald Writer
Copyright 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
COMING UP
COMING UP
Today: Maine at Boston University, 7 p.m. (FOXNE)
Friday, Jan. 30: New Hampshire at Maine, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 31: New Hampshire at Maine, 7 p.m. (Channel 8)
BOSTON -- In a thrilling, pounding game that epitomizes this Maine-Boston University rivalry, the Black Bears used stellar performances to beat the Terriers 8-4, before a Walter Brown Arena crowd of 3,163 Friday night. Colin Shields recorded a hat trick and five points, while Michel Leveille notched four points.
And the Black Bears were murder on the penalty kill. Maine scored three short-handed goals - two on the same shift. Leveille was responsible for all three, scoring on a breakaway and setting up Shields twice.
"Michel has great anticipation," Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said. "His hockey sense on the penalty kill really shines."
Maine also killed off a major penalty in the second period.
The Black Bears never trailed Friday, but had to continually hold off the Terriers. Both teams had 35 shots. Maine goalie Frank Doyle made 31 saves, including some huge stops in the third period. Beleaguered BU senior Shawn Fields made 27 stops. Fields has never beaten Maine at Walter Brown.
Third-ranked Maine improved to 17-5-1, 9-3-1 in Hockey East. Boston University (6-9-6, 3-8-2) is now 1-6-1 in its last eight league games
Maine took a 3-2 first-period lead thanks to those two short-handed goals. On the first, Leveille stripped BU forward Frantisek Skladany of the puck at the Terriers blue line, rushed in, faked once and wristed it by Fields at 7:10.
Thirty-two seconds later, Leveille got possession again and skated toward the right circle, waiting for Shields to arrive. He took Leveille's pass in the slot and whipped it past Shields for a 2-0 lead.
"Two horrible plays by us," BU Coach Jack Parker said. "We took ourselves out of the game by making unbelievable mistakes."
The BU student body, which normally counts down the end of an opponents' power play, counted down their own, and cheered at its end.
When the Terriers went on their third power play at 9:51, the students chanted, "We decline. We decline."
"It was a great day on the penalty kill," Leveille said. "Colin and I just lit it up."
But BU finally got a power-play goal on David Van der Gulik's easy poke into an open net at 11:31. The Brown Arena delight lasted only 66 seconds.
Leveille's shot was blocked and Greg Moore got a stick on it, while he was being pulled down, and scored at 12:47. BU closed to 3-2, capitalizing on a Maine turnover.
In the second period, Maine went on a short-lived power play as forward Derek Damon hit Van der Gulik from behind at 4:21. Referee Scott Hansen whistled, pointed to Damon and then pointed to the door. Hansen assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct to Damon.
After going 4-on-4 for two minutes, BU had a 3-minute power play but could not score. Shields gave Maine a two-goal lead again, rebounding his own shot with a bad-angle backhand at 11:02.
Shields got his hat trick at 12:42 on another penalty kill. Leveille stole the puck behind BU's net and fed Shields in the right circle for his blast and a 5-2 lead.
Bryan Miller closed BU to 5-3 with his goal at 15:25, but Maine pulled away in the third period with goals from Luciano Aquino and Dustin Penner.
NOTES: The three short-handed goals tied Maine record, set in 1992 against Army. . . . Sophomore John Laliberte of Saco played on the top line for BU.
Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at:
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