The University of Maine men’s hockey team’s penchant for taking penalties has been problematic and it cost them dearly on Saturday night.
Willie Brooks’ power-play goal with just 3:54 remaining in the game enabled the Colgate Raiders to overcome a two-goal UMaine rally in the third period and post their first-ever win at their new Class of 65 Arena, a 5-3 victory on Saturday night in Hamilton, New York.
The Raiders’ victory extended UMaine’s winless streak to five games (0-3-2).
Brooks scored 37 seconds after UMaine sophomore defenseman Rob Michel had been assessed a hooking penalty. The penalty came only three seconds after UMaine (3-3-2) had killed off a Nolan Vesey tripping penalty.
It was Colgate’s second power-play goal of the night on seven chances.
Jake Kulevich added an empty-net goal.
Brooks scored with a screened shot from the high slot after a collision between two players resulted in the puck popping in the air and landing in front of him. Tim Harrison and Sebastian Weberg picked up assists.
UMaine fifth-year senior goalie Matt Morris, making his season debut after being sidelined by a lower-body injury, said the traffic in front of the net prevented him from getting a good look at the shot.
“I didn’t get a good read on it,” said Morris, who turned in a solid, 37-save performance. “It was a bad bounce (back to Brooks). There was nothing our penalty-killers could do. It found its way into the net.”
“It was bad luck. It was a broken play. Nobody made a mistake on it,” agreed UMaine head coach Red Gendron.
However, he said the mistake that was made was taking penalties and players who continue to take unnecessary penalties will be punished.
“They won’t play,” said Gendron, whose Black Bears killed off a full two-minute 5-on-3 in the second period.
“Penalties have been killing us all year. We’ve got to find a way to stop taking them,” said UMaine senior center and assistant captain Blaine Byron, whose third-period goal triggered the comeback.
Colgate (1-3-3) took a 2-0 lead 6:10 into the game on goals by Hunter Racine and Adam Dauda (power play).
Freshman Ryan Smith’s shorthanded goal at the 11:22 mark of the first period cut the deficit in half but Andrew Black restored the two-goal lead 4:04 later.
After a scoreless second period, Byron gloved down an attempted clearout, skated into the slot and fired the puck past Charlie Finn 2:55 into the third period. Chase Pearson scored 2:58 later by converting a Smith pass.
Finn made 20 saves for the Raiders.
Racine and Smith each had assists to go with their goals for their respective teams.
“We didn’t play well early. We played better late. We dug a hole for ourselves, dug ourselves out of it and then we took a couple of penalties. That’s that,” said Gendron. “We did a good job not taking unnecessary penalties on Friday night (in a 2-2 tie). Tonight we did and it burned us.”
UMaine accorded Colgate just four power plays on Friday.
Gendron said Morris played well in his first game of the season.
“He wasn’t the issue,” said Gendron.
Morris said he was a “little shaky at the start” and would have liked to have had at least one of the first three goals back.
“I felt I played decent but we didn’t win and I’m not pleased about that,” said Morris.
“He was huge for us. He made some big saves and gave us a chance to come back,” said Byron. “We didn’t come out strong in the first half of the game and we let them take it to us. We came out real strong in the third period and made a good comeback but we let it slip away.
“It shows you have to play a full 60 minutes,” said Byron.
Maine was without injured captain Cam Brown and Colgate was without ECAC Rookie of the Week Jared Cockrell, who was suspended by the ECAC for one game for his hit on Michel late in Friday night’s game. There was no penalty call.
Maine will open its Hockey East schedule against 6-2-1 Boston College (2-0-1 in Hockey East) on Friday night at 7 at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland and Saturday night (7:30) at Alfond Arena in Orono.