University of Maine senior left wing Connor Leen picked a perfect time for his first career two-goal game.
Leen scored a pair of second-period goals, including the game-winner with 3:44 left in the period, to lead the Black Bears to a 4-2 Hockey East playoff win over the University of Vermont at the Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington, Vermont, Saturday night to square the best-of-three series.
Vermont won Friday night’s game 4-2.
The deciding game will be played at 7:05 p.m. Sunday.
The Black Bears are now 14-21-3 while Vermont fell to 19-13-4.
Vermont had won the last eight meetings including five this season.
“I couldn’t be happier,” said Leen who was playing in his 119th career game. “This was a great time for [my first two-goal game].”
“He wants to keep playing,” said Maine coach Red Gendron.
Leen’s second goal of the game broke a 2-2 tie at the 16:16 mark of the second period and sophomore right wing Brian Morgan gave the Black Bears some important breathing room by scoring with 8:19 left in the third period.
Cedric Lacroix staked Maine to a 1-0 lead just 55 seconds into the game but Colin Markison answered on a five-on-three power play at the 7:46 mark.
Leen scored 36 seconds into the second period before Brendan Bradley equalized 7:39 later.
Leen broke the deadlock thanks to a fortuitous bounce.
Billy Norman, playing in place of the injured Eric Schurhamer, took a shot from the left point that deflected in on UVM goalie Mike Santaguida. Santaguida pushed the puck with his stick and the puck tumbled in the air before glancing off Leen into the net. Leen was being tied up by a Catamount at the edge of the crease.
“The shot came up. It may have been tipped by Blaine Byron. It hit my shoulder, went over [Santaguida] and trickled in,” said Leen. “I’ll take a goal like that any night.”
Morgan extended the lead following a net drive by Lacroix.
Lacroix made a nifty move to evade a Catamount along the extended goal line to Santaguida’s left and tried to jam the puck into the short side.
Santaguida held the post and made the save but the puck squirted behind the net to Steven Swavely.
Morgan, parked in the low slot to the right of Santaguida, took a few steps back to create a better shooting angle and one-timed Swavely’s pass into the upper short-side corner past Santaguida’s blocker.
“It was a great pass by Steven and a great net drive by Cedric,” said Morgan.
“By taking a few stops back, that gave me an angle to put the puck upstairs,” said Morgan. “Once I got the shot off, I felt it was going in. The three of us have been together five or six games now and we’re playing pretty well together. Being able to extend the lead was huge.”
Vermont coach Kevin Sneddon pulled Santaguida with 3:17 remaining but Vermont couldn’t cut into the lead.
Lacroix opened the scoring by positioning himself at the edge of the crease and getting his stick on a wrister by Swavely, who spun around and fired the puck toward the net from the high slot.
Markison tied it when he anchored in front of the net and tipped Mike Paliotta’s wrister past Maine goalie Sean Romeo.
Leen made it 2-1 by finishing off a beautiful passing sequence.
Dan Renouf passed the puck to Leen and he left it for Blaine Byron.
Byron dropped the puck for Cam Brown, who threaded the needle to Leen. Leen had busted to the net front and directed the puck past the helpless Santaguida.
“It was a great play by my linemates,” said Leen. “Cam took his time, found me back door and I put it in the open net. It was a great pass from Cam.”
But Bradley, who scored the game-winner on Friday night, answered off a neat little touch pass from Brady Shaw, who launched him down the left wing.
Bradley’s 17-foot wrister beat Romeo to the short (blocker) side.
Freshman Romeo, making his first playoff start, finished with 21 saves while Santaguida had 24.
“We were solid in all phases of the game and deserved the win,” said Gendron. “It was a nice effort by the kids with their season on the line. Everyone contributed.”
Vermont was without third leading scorer and 2013-14 Hockey East Rookie of the Year Mario Puskarich (lower body injury), who has six career goals vs. Maine including four this season.