New Hampshire 7 Maine 2 (NC)
Saturday, November 30, 1996 at Gutterson Fieldhouse (Burlington, VT)
Score By Periods Shots on Goal Pen - Min Power Play
UNH 2 - 4 - 1 -- 7 10 - 12 - 8 -- 30 12 - 24 2 - 13
ME 2 - 0 - 0 -- 2 8 - 11 - 6 -- 23 16 - 32 1 - 9
Records: New Hampshire (11-2-0, 8-0-0 HE)
Maine (6-6-0, 1-4-1 HE)
SCORING
1st Period
UNH-1 Mark Mowers (Boguniecki) :59
ME-1 Shawn Wansborough (Kariya, Larose) PPG 2:53
UNH-2 Eric Nickulas (Krog, Murray) 10:27
ME-2 Scott Parmentier (Wansborough) 17:43
2nd Period
UNH-3 Steve O'Brien (Murray, Bekar) 5x3 PPG/GWG :56
UNH-4 Mark Mowers (Bekar) SHG 7:03
UNH-5 Eric Boguniecki (Bekar) 4x4 10:08
UNH-6 Derek Bekar (Mowers, Murray) PPG 11:03
3rd Period
UNH-7 Mark Mowers (Bekar, Boguniecki) 9:43
Goaltenders Saves by Period
UNH - Brian Larochelle (60:00) 6 - 11 - 6 -- 23
UM - Alfie Michaud (31:03) 8 - 3 - x -- 11
Jovier Gorriti (28:57) x - 5 - 7 -- 12
BURLINGTON, VT -- Mark Mowers had a hat trick, earning him Most Valuable
Player Honors, as New Hampshire won their 10th straight game, and the second
annual Governor's Cup Tournament with a 7-2 win over the University of Maine
Saturday November 30.
FIRST PERIOD:
It didn't take long for UNH to get on the board in the first period, as Mark
Mowers lit the lamp just 59 seconds into the contest. Maine defenseman
Jason Price did not take the body on Mowers who was able to move right in on
Maine starting goaltender Alfie Michaud and beat him for the 1-0 lead.
But Christian Bragnalo would help Maine get back into the game as he took a
slashing penalty at the 2:32 mark of the period. Twenty-one second later
Shawn Wansborough tallied his fifth goal of the season.
Just seconds earlier, UNH forward Eric Boguniecki raced down the ice
short-handed only to hit the post. On the ensuing rush up ice, Wansborough
crosses the blue line and rips the shot past UNH netminder Brian LaRochelle
to tie the game at 1-1 just 2:53 into the contest.
UNH put a lot of quality pressure on, but Maine wasn't folding and were
getting some high percentage opportunities of their own. UNH is so talented
offensively that it was important that Maine weather the storms when the
came, and be able to counter offensively.
UNH would catch Maine puck staring again though. This time it was Eric
Nickulas who took the faceoff after a UNH icing, and moved all the way up
ice and scored at the 10:27 mark of the period.
Maine struggled for the next few minutes at getting shots on net, especially
on the power play as UNH kept Maine on the perimeter and didn't allow much
of anything down low. Maine would increase their pressure, and right after
Scott Parmentier hit the post, he'd get another chance and convert.
Just like the shot that hit the post, Parmentier took the puck around the
net and moved into the slot where he went five-hole to beat LaRochelle with
2:17 left in the first period to tie the score at 2-2.
Seventeen seconds later, Parmentier went to the box and it started to fall
apart for Maine. While UNH was on the power play, Matt Oliver took an
ill-advised penalty behind the play, slashing a UNH player. That came with
only eight seconds left in the period. Then with only two seconds left in
the period, Maine defenseman Brian White took a UNH player into the net and
was called for a penalty. The result was that UNH would have a 5-on-3
advantage for almost two minutes to start the second period, and it was a
turning point in the hockey game.
Overall the first period was not a bad period. Maine generated some good
offense at times and stayed with the powerful Wildcats. The score was tied
2-2 and Maine was still in the game.
SECOND PERIOD:
Fifty-six seconds into the second UNH converted on their 5-on-3 advantage to
take a 3-2 lead. It was a bad goal for Michuad to let up, as O'Brien was
right in front of him and Michaud got beat to the short-side. When you
consider that Maine was two-men down, Michaud has certain responsibilities
and making that save was one of them.
The goal clearly broke any confidence Michaud had, and the team didn't seem
to respond well either. Michaud hung his head after the goal, and the team
had to be demoralized as it was a 5-on-3 that should have been killed.
Maine would rebound slightly, and even carried the play for several minutes
following the UNH power play, but had trouble putting the puck on the net.
Twice Maine shots went wide and out of the offensive zone.
When Tim Murray went to the box, Maine had a golden opportunity to once
again stay in the game and pull even. But Derek Bekar and Mark Mowers
victimized David Cullen and went in 2-on-1 short-handed against Michaud.
Mowers converted the short-handed chance and UNH led 4-2 at the 7:03 mark of
the second, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back.
About two minutes later, Maine would get another power play after Ryan
Harris pulled down Trevor Roenick. But Jeff Libby gave Mark Mowers a little
extra with the elbow after the whistle and was whistled for a penalty,
quickly ending a Maine man-advantage.
Once again, a lack of disipline would hurt the Black Bears. This time with
the play 4-on-4 and UNH really rolling, they caught the Bears flat-footed
again and Eric Boguniecki scored the goal at 10:08 to extend the Wildcat
lead to 5-2. Less than a minute later, with UNH now on the power play as a
result of the Libby penalty they scored again. Dan Shermerhorn got fancy as
he tried to carry the puck into the UNH zone and he dropped a pass back to
nobody. Mowers picked it up and UNH went 3-on-1 the other way. Bekar lit
the lamp and UNH led 6-2 and Maine interim coach pulled Alfie Michaud -- for
the second straight night -- in favor of Javier Gorriti.
UNH scored four times in the second, three of those goals coming exactly in
a four minute span. Alfie Michaud saw seven shots, and let four of them go
by. By contrast Gorriti made five saves and allowed no goals in his half of
the period.
THIRD PERIOD:
Very little of the third period was played at even strength as both sides
were whistled for several power plays. Maine played an incredibly
undisiplined period as UNH unoffically had seven power plays in the period,
including another two-man advantage. More on this later.
The teams traded power plays and shooting themselves in the foot in the
first half of the third period. UNH got the early advantage when Price
pulled down Mike Souza, but then Bekar went off for holding. Neither power
play amounted to much. Libby would go off for elbowing (again) and then
Bekar for tripping this time. When Maine got the power play back,
Wansborough tripped LaRochelle and got pulled off ending the Maine power play.
When play finally got back to 5-on-5, UNH scored another goal. Boguniecki
and Mowers went into the zone and Mowers scored his 10th goal of the year as
he beat Gorriti, notching a hat trick, and extending the UNH lead to 7-2.
UNH scored on Maine in practically every way Saturday night. They scored
5-on-3, 5-on-4, even strength and short-handed. It was a dominating
performance offensively for UNH.
Gorriti made some good plays as the team in front of him degenerated
completely. Overall Gorriti allowed one goal while facing 13 shots. The
numbers are not overwhelming, but Maine spent a great amount of time
short-handed during the third period so he was forced to come up big, and
did on several occasions.
By contrast LaRochelle was forced to only make six saves in the third, and
23 saves overall.
COMMENTS:
It would not be fair to comment on this game without making mention of the
poor sportsmanship some of the Black Bears showed by the end of this game.
I'm not going to mention names or single anyone in particular out, but to
anyone who saw and listened to the call of the game on the radio, that some
Maine players took cheap shots at the UNH players in the third period of
this contest. In fact things started to get so out of hand that Cronin
called a timeout, and referee Frank Cole told both benches that they would
call everything,and reminding the teams that this was a non-conference game
and they wouldn't want to miss any Hockey East games. They kept their word
to their credit. This poor show of sportsmanship reflects badly on a
school, and a program, that is already maligned with the problems of the
last three years of NCAA investigations. Not every player on the ice
Saturday took these liberties, but some clearly did, and as frustrating as
I'm sure this game was, they did a disservice to their university by their
actions.
Clearly the undisiplined play which started late in the second and spilled
over into the third took away any chances Maine had to win. Maine gave UNH
13 power plays on the night, but held the Wildcats to only the two power
play goals. This game could have been far worse given the power play time
UNH had. Maine players spent 32 minutes (of a 60 minute game) sitting in
the penatly box as they received 16 penalties overall.
There is no question that Javier Gorriti should get the start in net for
Maine Friday at Boston College. Gorriti played solid enough in two relief
roles to earn the shot, and after 13 starts for Michaud he is only 5-6-1
(Gorriti has the sixth Maine win -- Friday night's 4-3 win over UML). I
agree with former Maine goaltender Blair Marsh who said that there comes a
point in time when a goaltender has to step up and make some big saves, and
backstop his team. We've almost played half a season and Michaud isn't
doing that, Gorriti deserves his shot.
Maine really did play a pretty good first period Saturday night. They were
outshot 10-8, but had a couple bad defensive plays, but rebounded. Michaud
did let in some weak goals in the second, but the team didn't rebound after
UNH scored like they did in the first.
UNH has won games by scoring in bunches. On November 15-16, they swept
Maine by scoring five goals in the second period on Nov. 15, and four goals
in the first on Nov. 16. Friday night against No. 7 Vermont, they scored
five goals in the second, and Saturday against Maine they used four in the
second to distance themselves.
UNH is now 11-2-0, and with BU losing twice this weekend to ECAC teams will
likely move up in the ranks. UNH is the team to beat in the East right now,
and with such a talented group of forwards, and an improving defensive corps
coupled with solid goaltending, they could do some really good things.
Maine falls to 6-6-1 and must regroup as they play two huge games with
Boston College this weekend. Maine is still only 1-4-1 in Hockey East and
is tied for last place. Maine needs to have a solid performance on the road.
This weekend will also mark Cronin's last two games as head coach of Maine.
Maine takes the following weekend off before the J.C. Penney Classic on Dec.
20 and 21. Cronin will be gone during that time to coaching a team for Jeff
Jackson at USA Hockey, and Grant Standbrook will be in charge before Shawn
Walsh returns on Christmas.
---
Deron Treadwell ([log in to unmask])
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