The University of New Hampshire men’s hockey team wasted little time dispatching the University of Maine Black Bears on Wednesday night, receiving goals 15 seconds apart from freshmen Ara Nazarian and Marcus Vela in the first 2 minutes, 10 seconds en route to an easy 7-0 nonconference victory at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Seven players scored for UNH, which extended its unbeaten streak to six games (5-0-1) and improved to 8-6-4.
The streak includes three wins and a tie in four games against the Black Bears, including a 5-4 win Tuesday night in Portland.
Sophomore goalie Danny Tirone made 21 saves in posting his third career shutout and first of the season. It was the sixth time Maine has been shut out this season.
Maine is winless in its last four games (0-3-1), all against UNH, and fell to 4-11-4.
It is the worst loss suffered by a Maine team under third-year head coach Red Gendron.
“We were awful,” said Gendron. “That’s my responsibility. End of story.”
Gendron called it the team’s worst performance of the year “by far.”
Dan Correale scored a valuable power-play goal with 32 seconds left in the first period, his fourth power-play goal in the four games with Maine, to increase the lead to 3-0.
Maxim Gaudreault extended the lead just 1:56 into the second period, sophomore Michael McNicholas notched his first career goal 5:14 later to make it 5-0 and Kyle Smith expanded the lead later in the period.
Nazarian scored for the third consecutive game against Maine just 1:55 after the opening whistle.
Vela took a shot from the top of the right circle that was kicked out by Maine goalie Matt Morris. But the rebound spilled over to an unattended Nazarian in the bottom of the left circle and he swept it home before Morris could scramble over.
Fifteen seconds later, Nazarian and Vela converted a two-on-one as Vela one-timed a Nazarian pass behind Morris.
“Those early goals deflated us a little. But they shouldn’t have,” said Maine junior center Cam Brown. “They’re a good offensive team, they got some chances and they capitalized.”
Correale scored his eighth power play goal of the season and 13th overall by redirecting Matias Cleland’s shot from the point behind Morris.
UNH outshot UNH 11-6 in the first period and finished with a 39-21 edge.
Gaudreault converted a Kyle Smith rebound early in the middle period and McNicholas scored from a tight angle at the bottom of the right circle.
That ended the night for Morris, who finished with 11 saves on 16 shots.
He was replaced by sophomore Sean Romeo, who made his first appearance since Oct. 20 when he played the third period of a 4-0 loss to Quinnipiac.
Smith knocked in a pass from Gaudreault that deflected to him off Romeo.
Jason Salvaggio capped the scoring with a power-play goal in the third period.
Gaudreault had two assists to go with his goal. Salvaggio, McNicholas, Vela, Nazarian and Smith all had a goal and an assist.
Romeo wound up with 21 saves on 23 shots.
Maine will entertain ECAC team Colgate University on Jan. 8-9 in Orono.