New Line Scores Big as #4 Maine Rolls, 7-1
 
Friday December 18, 1998
by Deron Treadwell
 
ORONO, MAINE --- Sophomore forward Dan Kerluke notched his first career
hat trick and freshman Niko Dimitrakos had a four-point night as the
No. 4 Black Bears cruised past the Dartmouth College Big Green Friday
night 7-1.
 
Maine found itself suddenly faced with depth problems in this game.
Two of Maine s most prized freshmen  defenseman Doug Janik and forward
Barrett Heisten  are not with the team while they play for the U.S.
Junior National Team and on top of that, junior Brendan Walsh and
senior alternate captain Bobby Stewart both are out with knee injuries.
 The lack of depth forced Maine coach Shawn Walsh to place Kerluke and
Dimitrakos on the same line against the Big Green.
 
The pair paid dividends immediately for Walsh s Black Bears as the new
linemates scored three goals in the first period alone as Maine jumped
out to a quick 4-0 lead after one.
 
 They are a good team, I give them credit,  said Dartmouth coach Bob
Gaudet.   We made some mistakes in the first period and they jumped all
over us.  Then it is a case of stemming the tide.
 
It didn t take long for Maine to establish itself in this game.  Just
1:24 into the period, Dimitrakos lobbed a pass over the Big Green
defense to send Kerluke in all alone.  The sophomore sniper beat
Dartmouth netminder Eric Almon with a backhand to make it 1-0.
 
Just 30 seconds later Shane Ness took an ill-advised elbow to put Maine
on the power play.  The Black Bears came into the game clicking on 22
percent of their power plays, while the Big Green were allowing
power-play goals 25 percent of the time.  That was a match-up problem
coming into the game for Dartmouth and Ness  penalty cost them.
 
Again it was Dimitrakos that set the table for Kerluke for the goal.
Dimitrakos made a nice wing-to-wing pass to Kerluke at the far post.
Almon stopped the first point-blank shot from Kerluke, but couldn t
hold out the second as the Black Bears extended to 3-0.
 
Two minutes later the Black Bears pulled away.  Marcus Gustafsson, who
was set up at the far post by Cory Larose, fanned his first attempt,
then roofed a tough-angled shot over Almon.
 
Dartmouth was never in this game.  Maine led by three goals just five
minutes into the game on only five shots.
 
 We don t want to lose the game 7-1, obviously, we don t want to lose
the game period,  Gaudet said.   But what the hell can you do? When you
get down 4-0 in the first period the chances of getting a  w  out of it
against this team are slim.
 
 Maine would extend the margin to 4-0 by intermission.  Dimitrakos
picked up his second goal of the season off a fortunate bounce.
Kerluke took the original shot through a screen, but Gustafsson
deflected the puck, which went right to Dimitrakos for the goal.
 
 To come out and play the way we did was encouraging, but we got our
focus back on defense,  said Maine head coach Shawn Walsh.
 
Steve Kariya became the first Black Bear to break into double-digit
goal totals three minutes into the second period as he beat Almon from
the top of the slot to make it 5-0.
 
The Big Green finally lit the lamp at the 5:12 mark of the second
period.  David Risk took a backhand and went top-shelf to beat Maine
netminder Alfie Michaud.  Michaud made 12 saves for Maine and was
replaced after the second period by freshman Mike Morrison.
 
Kariya scored his second of the night with just over five minutes to go
in the second on a nice power-play passing exhibition.  Peter Metcalf
threw the puck point-to-point to David Cullen who zipped a crossing
pass to Kariya cutting through for the goal.
 
Kerluke completed his hat trick when he converted a breakaway with 23
seconds remaining in the game.  Kerluke squeezed the puck inside the
right post for his 9th goal of the year.
 
 We are starting to develop more than one gun,  Walsh said.   Kerluke
is turning into a bona fide scorer.
 
Almon made 27 saves in net for the Big Green and Gaudet said he didn t
think of pulling him.
 
 He s the best we ve got and he played hard,  Gaudet said.   It wasn t
a situation where I was going to change, but if it got out of hand a
little bit more, maybe.
 
Dartmouth falls to 4-5 overall and will face Air Force next Sunday in
the first-round of the Auld Lang Syne Classic.  Maine is now 11-1-2
overall and will face Colgate in Hartford, Conn. in the ECAC-Hockey
East Holiday Doubleheader.
 
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