BOSTON — It defied logic.
They were coming off another heart-breaking loss, their 11th one-goal loss of the season, and found themselves staring at a 3-1 deficit against the nation’s top-ranked team in a game they had to win to extend their hockey season.
But the University of Maine Black Bears, with 13 freshmen and sophomores in the lineup, displayed a remarkable resilience as they scored five unanswered goals to stun the Boston University Terriers 6-3 and force Sunday’s deciding game in their best-of-three Hockey East quarterfinal series.
It was the most goals scored by the Black Bears since a 6-3 win over Cornell in the Florida College Classic on Dec. 30, 2007, and the most goals allowed by the Terriers since Nov. 30, 2007. Maine posted its first-ever win at Agganis Arena in eight tries. It had been 0-6-1, and the Bears and snapped a 13-game winless streak at the hands of BU (11-0-2).
BU came back to eliminate Maine Sunday night 6-2.
Maine, a 2-1 loser to BU on Friday night, snapped an overall seven-game losing streak and nine-game winless skein (0-8-1). BU had a 17-game unbeaten streak (14-0-3) go by the wayside. The Terriers were 21-1-4 since Nov. 25.
Maine had also been 0-5 vs. BU in Hockey East quarterfinal play.
Maine’s four power-play goals were the most in a game for the Bears since a 5-1 victory over Vermont on Feb. 9, 2007, and was the most allowed by BU in the last two seasons.
“We’ve been practicing our power play a lot,” said freshman right wing Gustav Nyquist, who scored two of the power-play goals.
“After [Friday night’s] game, we got a lot of confidence,” said Maine junior right wing Kevin Swallow, who assisted on Keif Orsini’s tying goal in the first period. “There was no doubt we could beat them. We wanted to keep our season going. And we had nothing to lose.”
Maine senior center Chris Hahn, who scored the game’s first goal, said he was impressed with his team.
“After falling behind 3-1 on a shorthanded goal [by John McCarthy] and having such a young team, I didn’t know what to expect. But we kept going at them,” Hahn said.
McCarthy’s breakaway goal off a Jason Lawrence pass capped a flurry of three goals in a span of eight minutes, one second to erase a 1-0 deficit. Brandon Yip and Luke Popko scored BU’s first two goals.
But Nyquist’s power-play goal 26 seconds after McCarthy’s goal and Orsini’s score 31 seconds later tied it at the 12:38 mark of the first period.
BU coach Jack Parker said Maine’s two quick goals that tied it 3-3 represented the game’s turning point.
“We played OK at times, but Maine played great. We picked it up, but they picked it up even more,” said Parker. “Their defense played very well. They blocked shots, they got pucks out of the [defensive] zone. And Nyquist was great.”
Freshman right wing Spencer Abbott’s power-play goal 10:11 into the second period proved to be the game-winner and third-period power-play goals by Nyquist and Robby Dee iced it.
Freshman goalie Scott Darling held BU scoreless over the final 48:19 and finished with 29 saves, including 14 Grade-A (high-percentage) stops. BU freshman goalie Kieran Millan wound up with 20 saves, nine of the Grade-A variety. It was just Millan’s second loss in 27 decisions (22-2-3).
“I felt confident,” said Darling. “And the defense did a great job.”
Maine blocked 14 shots and held the nation’s top-ranked power play scoreless in five chances. BU had just five shots on goal on the power play and is 1-for-18 in its last three meetings with Maine with the only goal coming on a five-on-three.
“You’ve got to give them credit. They played well. They played hard,” said BU senior left wing and co-captain McCarthy.
Nyquist began the comeback by roofing an angled backhander to Millan’s left off a Matt Duffy rebound.
Orsini’s tying goal came off a quick transition rush. Swallow slid it over to him and his snap shot from the high slot trickled across the line off Millan’s glove. There was an extensive video review that upheld the goal.
Abbott gave Maine the lead for good with a quick shot from the faceoff dot to Millan’s right off a short diagonal pass from Simon Danis-Pepin.
“The pass was a little ahead of me, so I had to adjust. I didn’t get a lot on it, but it went over [Millan’s] pad into the short side. Hahn set a great screen, and [Brian] Flynn was there, too,” said Abbott.
Nyquist expanded the lead 6:16 into the third period with a high wrist shot from a difficult angle near the extended goal line to Millan’s left after he had circled away from a checker.
Dee sewed it up with 8:56 left by stuffing home a rebound from the edge of the crease off another Duffy rebound.
Nyquist had an assist to go with his two goals with House, Duffy and Danis-Pepin picking up two assists each. Dee and Hahn had an assist each to go with their goals.
“Maine should be on the way home preparing for the Garden right now,” said Parker, implying the Bears could have won Friday night’s game as well and advanced to the Hockey East semifinals.
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