The University of Maine men’s hockey team had a potential game-winning goal by Devin Shore overturned by video review with 21 seconds left in regulation so the Black Bears had to settle for a 2-2 overtime tie with the University of Connecticut at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, on Sunday.
The Black Bears had built a 2-0 lead on Cam Brown’s first-period goal and Jake Rutt’s second-period tally but the Huskies received goals 34 seconds apart from Ryan Tyson and Trevor Gerling later in the middle period to earn the tie.
Maine is now 7-13-6 overall, 5-8-1 in Hockey East while UConn is 8-12-6 and 5-6-3, respectively.
Maine is 1-4-2 in overtime while UConn is 1-1-6 including Friday night’s 2-1 win in Orono.
Shore scored during a scramble but the referees reviewed the goal and ruled that a Black Bear player had interfered with UConn goalie Rob Nichols.
“The official said that we bumped into the goalie,” said Maine coach Red Gendron.
Shore said the rebound of a Ben Hutton shot popped out to him “and I poked it in with the tip of my stick.”
Gendron and Shore said that call wasn’t the reason they didn’t win the game.
“We had other opportunities during the 65 minutes to put it away. It’s too bad we didn’t get the win. But we didn’t get the job done,” said Shore.
Gendron said “we played better than we did on Friday night. We played well enough to win. We played well in spurts and not good enough in other spurts. We had pportunities to score and opportunities to not allow them to score.”
Brown opened the scoring with 48 seconds left in the first period when he pounced on a Conor Riley rebound and fired the puck behind Nichols. It was his seventh of the season and second in three games.
The Black Bears expanded the lead at the 8:21 mark of the second period when Rutt followed up a breakaway by Blaine Byron.
“The goalie slid past the net to make the save but Blaine slid the puck over to me and I was able to bang it in,” said Rutt whose goal was his third of the season and second in the last four games.
Tyson scored his first goal of the season at the 12:16 mark when he slotted home a loose puck from the edge of the crease after Romeo had stopped Joona Kunnas, who had cut in tight across the crease.
“[Kunnas] bumped me and took me with him,” said Romeo.
The goal was reviewed and it was upheld.
Gerling’s tying goal came off the rebound of a Shawn Pauly shot. It was his eighth of the year.
“[Pauly] shot it off my helmet and it went to the left side. [Gerling] shot it glove side,” said Romeo, who finished with 30 shots as did Nichols.
“We played a pretty decent game defensively and we created a lot of chances,” said senior defenseman Rutt. “They played pretty well, too.
“We made two mistakes defensively and they cashed in on them,” added Rutt. “We aren’t happy with the tie.”
Romeo thought his team played well in front of him.
“The guys did a good job clearing the front of the net. They made it easy for me,” said Romeo who felt he played “pretty well.”
“Sean played great. It’s too bad he didn’t get the win. He deserved it,” said Shore.
Maine went 0-for-2 on the power play while UConn went 0-for-4.
Maine will entertain Notre Dame on Friday and Saturday nights at 7 at Alfond Arena in Orono.