Maine 8, Boston College 6 (HE)
Friday, January 31, 1997, at Alfond Arena (Orono, Maine)
Score By Periods Shots on Goal Pen - Min Power Play
BC 1 - 4 - 1 -- 6 8 - 10 - 8 -- 26 8 - 16 1 - 3
ME 3 - 2 - 3 -- 8 19 - 7 - 9 -- 35 5 - 10 4 - 6
Records:
Boston College (10-13-3, 6-8-3 HE)
Maine (18-9-1, 10-6-1 HE)
SCORING
First Period
ME-1 Steve Kariya (15) (Cullen) PPG 3:29
BC-1 Blake Bellefeuille (10) (Harney) 6:12
ME-2 Cory Larose (7) (J. Mansoff) 6:51
ME-3 Dan Shermerhorn (11) (Cullen) PPG 12:57
Second Period
BC-2 Jeff Farkas (7) (Reasoner, Bellefeuille) 7:29
BC-3 Jeff Farkas (8) (Buckely) 11:24
ME-4 Cory Larose (8) (Guite, Vitorino) 13:03
BC-4 Chris Masters (7) (Wainright) 13:33
ME-5 Shawn Wansborough (12) (Kariya, Shermerhorn) PPG 13:51
BC-5 Marty Reasoner (15) (Farkas, Bellefeuille) 15:20
Third Period
ME-6 Scott Parmentier (19) (Roenick) PPG 1:30
ME-7 Dan Shermerhorn (12) (Cardinal) SHG 5:33
BC-6 Ken Hemenway (2) (Farkas, Harney) PPG 6:21
ME-8 Trevor Roenick (11) (Wansborough) 18:21
Goaltenders Saves by Period
BC - Greg Taylor (59:17) 16 - 5 - 6 -- 27
ME - Javier Gorriti (40:00) 7 - 6 - x -- 13
Alfie Michaud (20:00) x - x - 7 -- 7
OFFICIALS: Referee: Drew Taylor; Assistant referees: Jim Arnold, Mike Tuell
ATTENDENCE: 4,936
ORONO, Maine -- Hockey East got rid of the shoot-out after last season, but
Friday night Jan. 31 Maine and Boston College staged their own, as the Black
Bears won their sixth straight game 8-6 over the visiting Eagles.
PREGAME:
Boston College was without second line center Jamie O'Leary who was out with
the flu Friday night.
FIRST PERIOD:
The game would get off to a slow start as 26 seconds into the contest Brian
White was sent off for cross-checking, and then a lengthy discussion ensued
between captains Reg Cardinal, Joe Harney, referee Drew Taylor and both
Shawn Walsh and Jerry York.
Play eventually resumed with BC on the man advantage. The Eagles couldn't
put anything together and then Chris Masters ended the opportunity at the
1:33 mark when he was called for a hook.
When Maine the 4-on-4 was over, and Maine was on the power play, the Black
Bears went to work.
David Cullen brought the puck down on BC goaltender Greg Taylor. When two
BC defenders moved to cover him, Cullen slid a pass to a wide open Steve
Kariya on the other side of the net. Kariya had an easy redirection into an
empty net to make it 1-0 Maine with a power play goal at 3:29.
Boston College would tie the game not even three minutes later. Blake
Bellefeuille chose to shoot the puck as he carried in on a 2-on-1 off a
Maine turnover. Bellefeuille was stopped by Maine starter Javier Gorriti on
his first attempt, but lifted the rebound over Gorriti at 6:12 to make it 1-1.
In what is quickly becoming this Maine team's m.o., they answered quickly.
Just 39 seconds later Cory Larose had another easy put back as he was left
all alone in front and buried the rebound of a Jason Mansoff shot at 6:51 to
make it 2-1 Maine.
BC would put on some pressure though. Javier Gorriti made a stellar save at
the 10:09 mark of the period. After stopping a BC shot he was on his back
and picked the rebound out of the air as BC players celebrated what they
thought was a sure goal.
Then around the 12 minute mark, BC had a 2-on-1 but Tony Hutchins just lost
it off his stick before he could convert.
Not long afterwards Brendan Buckley would go off for hooking on a Maine
breakaway and put the power play unit back on the ice for the Black Bears.
Forty-eight seconds later the puck ended up in the back of the BC net again.
BC failed to clear the zone and turned the puck over. David Cullen made a
quick pass to Dan Shermerhorn who was all alone to make it 3-1 at 12:57 of
the first.
Greg Taylor made the lead hold up as he made some good saves, but none
bigger than when a sneaky pass from Shermerhorn allowed Steve Kariya to walk
out in front of Taylor. The BC netminder stoned Kariya's backhander to keep
the score at 3-1 after one period.
It was a period that Maine took over as time went on, outshooting the Eagles
badly 19-8 but only led 3-1. BC was struggling to generate offense as
players were trying to do things as individuals instead of as a team. Maine
was 2-for-3 on the power play in the period.
SECOND PERIOD:
The second period was a wild one that saw six goals, three of them in a 48
second span, and five goals in a four minute span.
BC out dome out well. They shortened their passes and played more as a
team. They forced the Black Bears to take two icings in the first 1:30 of
the period.
Gorriti came up big early as he cherry-picked a Chris Masters shot to keep
the game 3-1 Maine.
With the score 3-1, following a great penalty kill by Boston College, BC
freshman sensation Jeff Farkas, a member of the silver-medal Team USA World
Junior team. scored twice in a four minute span to even the game at 3-3.
Farkas' first goal came off a bad decision by the Black Bears. A Maine
defenseman had an open lane to clear the puck up ice and out of the zone,
but he choose to cycle back behind the net where he turned the puck over.
Farkas scored off a scrum out front to make it 3-2 at 7:29.
Less than four minutes after that, Buckley sent Farkas in alone on Gorriti.
The freshman went to his backhand to beat Gorriti make tie the score at 11:24.
BC had really taken over the second period to this point as they held the
Black Bears to just two shots in the first 11:24 of the period, and had tied
the game up at 3-3.
Again the Black Bears would answer quickly, this time under two minutes
later, to grab the lead back again. Ben Guite made a centering pass to Cory
Larose who scored his second of the game at 13:03 to make it 4-3 Maine.
This goal was the first of three that would be scored before the game made
it to the 14:00 mark.
It was BC's turn 30 seconds later as Chris Masters went five-hole on
Gorriti. Gorriti made the stop but the puck trickled through his legs and
into the net to make it 4-4.
When Farkas was sent off for interference at 13:39, Maine's power play went
back to work. Tweleve seconds after getting the man advantage, the Bears
had another power-play goal and the lead again.
In a Shawn Wansborough carried the puck into the zone and in tic-tac-toe
fashion, Dan Shermerhorn dropped the puck to Steve Kariya who fed it back
across the slot to Wansborough who converted the goal at 13:51 to make it
5-4 Maine.
Farkas would attone for his penalty. Farkas centered the puck from behind
the net to Marty Reasoner at 15:20 to make it 5-5. Reasoner, who won the
annual Len Ceglarski award for the best player in the BC/Maine series, was
left all alone in front on the play.
With less than four minutes left in the period a "situation" occured between
Maine's Jeff Libby and BC's Ken Hemenway. The two were tied up and roughing
when Hemenway dropped his gloves and started punching Libby. Libby had no
choice to defend himself but did not drop his gloves.
Hemenway received four minutes for roughing, Libby received two for holding
and two for roughing.
Maine couldn't have been happy with their second period performance, as they
surrendered four goals to their one, and a game Maine had control of had
turned into a 5-5 tie. BC outshot Maine 10-7 on the period, while Maine
held the two period edge 26-18.
THIRD PERIOD:
Alfie Michaud relieved Javier Gorriti of his duties in the Maine net to
start the period. Gorriti stopped 13 of 18 shots. This was a good move by
Shawn Walsh as Michaud is a better puck handler, and BC was forechecking
deep. Gorriti also was not having one of his best nights.
The Black Bears began the period with 1:43 left on a BC penalty for too many
men on the ice.
The power play clicked once again as Scott Parmentier let a quick wrist shot
go from the left circle that beat Taylor five-hole to make it 6-5 Maine 1:30
into the third period.
Maine came out hard in the third. Before Parmentier scored, Wansborough had
had ripped a good chance over the net, and then Maine continued the pressure
after Parmentier's 19th goal of the season. Taylor stuffed Jason Mansoff as
he walked in on the goaltender.
But Parmentier would get called for a trip and BC seemed poised to tie this
game back up.
As BC tried to move the puck out of the zone it deflected off a Maine player
right on net. Taylor was surprised by the play and couldn't find the
rebound. Dan Shermerhorn crashed the net and scored the short-handed goal
to make it 7-5 Maine at 5:33 -- a huge goal for Maine, and Shermerhorn's
second of the night.
But BC still had a power play, and they made it count. Michaud made two
saves before Ken Hemenway scored while the freshman goaltender was on his
back to make it 7-6 at the 6:21 mark. Hard to fault Michaud as no one tied
up the BC players in front. Farkas had an assist to give him four points on
the night (2-2--4) and the game's second star.
Maine seemed content to take the 7-6 win as they slowed the game down
through the mid point of the period, and when BC had chances Alfie Michaud
was there.
But Maine's defense had stiffened, and they didn't allow many top chances
from the 10 minute mark on.
Trevor Roenick iced the game for Maine when Wansborough came into the BC
zone outnumbered, and left a soft pass for Roenick who walked in on Taylor
to score his 11th goal of the year and give Maine the 8-6 victory.
COMMENTS:
A very entertaining game at the Alfond Friday night that saw both teams play
good physical, fast hockey. Boston College has a lot of talent up front and
they are quick. Usually the Black Bears are the fastest team on the ice,
but BC matched them all night.
The difference in this game might have been defense. Maine didn't play
terrific defensively, but they were able to shut BC down in the first
period, and over the last period when it counted. Both teams had trouble
tying up their players in front, but BC let a lot of Maine players have open
looks at the net. Greg Taylor didn't have much of a chance, but played a
good game.
As did Jeff Farkas. Farkas was very impressive in earning four points on
the night, and showing why he was such a factor in the World Junior
Championships.
Another large factor in the game was Maine's power play -- which has been
solid all year -- was 4-for-6 on the night, while BC was 1-for-3 on the man
advantage.
This was also a big win for Maine in the battle for third-place in Hockey
East. The Bears came in four points up on BC, and one point up on idol
UMass-Lowell. With the win the Bears moved to 18-9-1 overall, 10-6-1 in
Hockey East and three points up on UML, six points on BC. Maine also kept
their faint regular season title hopes alive as UNH and BU both won as well.
BC drops to 10-13-3 overall and 6-8-3 in Hockey East.
The win gives Shawn Walsh 298 on his career.
Maine will host Merrimack Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
---
Deron Treadwell ([log in to unmask])
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