ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine turned in an impressive performance on Friday night but junior left wing Mario Lucia’s 18th goal of the season, coming with 59.2 seconds left in the second period, supplied the University of Notre Dame with an entertaining 4-4 tie at the Alfond Arena Friday night.
Maine, playing its third straight overtime game, is now 10-16-3 overall and 5-8-2 in Hockey East. Notre Dame is 11-14-4 and 6-5-4, respectively.
The two teams will play again at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Maine completely controlled the second period, generating the first 14 shots on goal and finishing with an 18-6 edge.
And the Black Bears were rewarded for their play as goals by Brady Campbell and Devin Shore transformed a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead.
But Lucia tied it for the Irish against the run of play and neither team could score in the third period or five-minute overtime.
“We played well enough to win but that’s hockey,” said Maine senior center and captain Devin Shore. “I consider it a point gained.”
Maine coach Red Gendron also liked the performance from his team.
“If we play like that, the odds are in our favor [to get a win],” said Gendron. “We aren’t happy unless we get a win but, at the same time, we played well.”
Maine appeared as though it was going to take the lead into the second intermission but Vince Hinostroza burst down the right wing and tested Matt Morris with a lively wrister from the right circle.
Morris kicked it out with his right pad but Lucia was able to get loose from Maine defenseman Mark Hamilton, spin around and sweep the rebound past Morris,
Hinostroza finished with three assists.
The teams played on equal terms in the third period and overtime.
Morris and Cal Petersen, who were the back-ups at the start of the game, each made some timely saves.
Petersen replaced starter Chad Katunar after two periods and Morris took over for Sean Romeo in the first period.
“Chad was fighting it and was leaving rebounds which produced chaos,” said Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson. “Cal settled us down.”
Jackson called it a “chaotic game.
“We played much better in the third period,” he said.
“We got back to playing our game,” Notre Dame junior center Steven Fogarty said. “We were able to sustain our forecheck and we stopped turning the puck over like we did in the second period and parts of the first.”
Sophomore Campbell’s first career goal tied it 3-3 at the 4:04 mark. Stu Higgins had a pair of shots that were blocked but the rebound rolled across to the near post and Campbell scooped it into the short side from a tight angle.
Shore made it 4-3 at the 16:06 mark when he drove the net and chipped the rebound of a Hamilton point shot over Katunar’s right pad. Hamilton’s shot from the right point hit Katunar in the chest and spilled to the goalie’s right into the path of Shore.
Notre Dame’s Peter Schneider capped the scoring in the wild five-goal first period by snapping his 10-game pointless streak at the 13:17 mark.
Maine’s Blaine Byron had opened the scoring 4:02 into the game, ending a 10-game goalless drought.
Anders Bjork answered 3:11 later and Jordan Gross gave Notre Dame its first lead on the power play.
Will Merchant netted the equalizer on the power play but Schneider scored 2:38 later to end Romeo’s evening.
“I didn’t want to give up a fourth goal,” explained Gendron. “Matt came on and did a good job.”
He also praised the line of Higgins, Campbell and Merchant, saying they have “been playing well ever since we put them together.”
Byron started the scoring by poking the puck away from a Notre Dame player, slipping the puck to Connor Leen and receiving a return pass from Leen before beating Katunar with a snap shot into the far corner from the top of the left circle.
Bjork answered off a three-on-two as he took a pass from Hinostroza in the middle of the ice and fired a 16-foot wrist shot into the far corner past Romeo’s blocker.
Gross broke the tie by positioning himself in the middle of the slot and tipping Andy Ryan’s wrist shot from the point slowly past the left pad of Romeo.
Merchant broke an eight-game pointless streak when he shoveled a backhander past Katunar off the rebound of a Cam Brown shot.
Schneider recaptured the lead for Notre Dame with a rising wrist shot from the left faceoff dot that beat Romeo into the upper short side corner.
Maine outshot Notre Dame 39-24.