ORONO, Maine — This past weekend’s series with Notre Dame was a microcosm of the University of Maine’s hockey season.
On Friday night, the Black Bears turned in one of its finest performances of the season, outshooting the Fighting Irish 39-24, but could only pick up one point because the team failed to extend the lead despite a dominant second-period performance, made costly mistakes and received inconsistent goaltending.
It wound up being a 4-4 overtime tie.
Maine attempted 74 shots to Notre Dame’s 45 but missed the net 17 times and had 17 more attempts blocked by the Irish. Maine freshman goalie Sean Romeo was pulled after allowing three goals on seven shots and was replaced by Matt Morris, who surrendered the game-tying goal to Mario Lucia when he kicked a rebound into the slot.
On Saturday night, the Black Bears came out flat and fell behind 1-0 before tying it.
Notre Dame carried the play in the second period and popped three goals in a span of 84 seconds en route to a 5-1 triumph. The first goal in the three-goal outburst, by Sam Kerr, saw Notre Dame generate a sustain forecheck as the Black Bears couldn’t clear the defensive zone. The second was a clean break-in down the right wing by Vince Hinostroza that beat Morris to the short (glove) side, and the third was another clear path to the net off the right wing by Jake Evans and his centering pass deflected between Morris’ pads.
So after a promising three-game winning streak, the Black Bears team is mired in a four-game winless streak (0-2-2), which has put a crimp in its aspirations to finish in the top eight and earn a home ice-series for the Hockey East playoffs.
The Black Bears’ inconsistent play has left the team searching for answers.
“The last four games have been disappointing,” said senior center Stu Higgins. “It’s tough to put a finger on it. If we had the answer, we wouldn’t have these problems.
“On Friday night, we worked hard and turned in one of our better performances. We were outplayed on Saturday, and that’s not acceptable. We have to come back this weekend and make up for it,” he added, referring to the upcoming Friday and Saturday night games at Merrimack College.
Sophomore defenseman Eric Schurhamer said the team’s lapses, such as the ones that led to the three Notre Dame goals in 1:24, are a mental issue and not a physical one.
“We weren’t on top of things,” said Schurhamer. “We have to eliminate those going down the stretch. We can’t have them going into the playoffs. One little mental lapse can really hurt you. Sometimes we just don’t put together a full 60 minutes.”
Maine is tied with Merrimack for ninth place, two points behind UConn. Since UConn beat Maine 2-1 in overtime and tied the Black Bears 2-2 the following night, UConn would win a tiebreaker with Maine.
Maine is 5-9-2 in Hockey East play, while Merrimack is 5-8-2.
Every team plays 22 league games.
The top four teams will receive first-round byes, and teams that finish fifth through eighth will host a best-of-three quarterfinal series against teams that finish ninth through 12th.
Merrimack has a game in hand on Maine, having played 15 games to Maine’s 16.
But Merrimack is scheduled to visit UConn for a makeup game on Tuesday.
Northeastern is in seventh place, four points ahead of Maine, and will travel to Orono for a two-game set on Feb. 20-21. Maine finishes at fourth-place Providence College on Feb. 27-28.
“We’re playing the teams we’re fighting with in the standings. We control our own destiny. It’s up to us to get the outcomes we want. When we play a full 60-minute game, we can play with anybody in the country,” sophomore right wing Blaine Byron said.
Slow starts have been a problem for the Black Bears. In the team’s last seven losses, Maine has been outscored 6-2 in the first periods.
Irish enjoyed first visit
Notre Dame’s players enjoyed their first visit to Alfond Arena.
“It’s a lot of fun. It reminds me of Western Michigan. The student section was fun. There’s a great atmosphere. I wish I could come back,” said Irish senior right wing Austin Wuthrich.
“We had heard it was a lot of fun to play there, and it really lived up to expectations,” said sophomore center Vince Hinostroza.
Fighting Irish coach Jeff Jackson visited Maine for a two-game set during the 1988-89 season as an assistant coach at Lake Superior State University.
“I always have fond memories of Shawn Walsh. He was a good friend of mine,” said Jackson, referring to the late Black Bears head coach. “Obviously, [Maine coach Red Gendron] is an extension of Shawn and [assistant Jay Leach] is, too.”