University of Vermont sophomore center Liam Coughlin had scored just one goal in 27 games this season and four in 62 career games.
But Coughlin scored the game’s first two goals Friday night as the Catamounts tallied three unanswered first-period goals en route to a 5-0 victory over the University of Maine in the first game of their best-of-three Hockey East first-round series at the Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington, Vermont.
Craig Puffer added a late first-period goal before Brendan Bradley added a second-period goal and Mario Puskarich closed out the scoring early in the third period.
Freshman Stefanos Lekkas made 31 saves in posting his second shutout of the season while UMaine sophomore Rob McGovern finished with 30 stops.
Lekkas had 17 saves off Grade-A (high-percentage) shots and his teammates blocked 18 shots. McGovern had 18 Grade-A’s and his Black Bear mates blocked eight shots.
Each team had 27 Grade-A scoring opportunities.
The sixth-seeded Catamounts (19-11-5) can advance to the Hockey East quarterfinals with a victory on Saturday night at 7.
It is the third straight season that coach Red Gendron’s UMaine team (11-20-4) has lost at least 20 games.
UMaine is 1-7-1 in its last nine games.
It was the second time UMaine has been shut out this season. Miami blanked the Black Bears 5-0 on Oct. 21 and Friday’s result matched that game and the 6-1 loss to Boston College at as the three most lopsided setbacks of the season.
UMaine had scored 16 goals in its previous four games.
UMaine had its road winless streak expanded to 21 games (0-17-4).
UMaine is 1-9-1 in its last 11 games at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
Coughlin opened the scoring just 3:27 into the game when he parked himself to the left of McGovern and deflected Ori Abramson’s point shot over McGovern’s shoulder.
He made it 2-0 at the 9:15 mark.
Travis Blanleil flipped the puck past UMaine defenseman Stephen Cochrane and Coughlin skated onto it, took a stride and beat McGovern.
Puffer scored his 10th goal of the season as he fired the puck past McGovern from the left circle.
“We didn’t start well and wound up chasing the game,” said Gendron. “The first period was an even period in terms of chances but we didn’t score and they did. We didn’t play well enough to win. End of story.”
The shots were 13-13 after the first period.
Bradley extended the lead at the 12:40 mark of the second period when he deposited the rebound of a Jake Massie shot into an empty net for his fifth of the season.
Puskarich tallied his 11th of the season 2:29 into the final period. It was his seventh career goal against UMaine.
“We didn’t play how we wanted to play,” said UMaine senior left wing and assistant captain Blaine Byron, who had his nine-game points streak and five-game goal streak snapped. “It came down to them wanting it more than we did. They won the little battles that resulted in scoring chances and they were able to capitalize.
“And their goalie played real well. He made a lot of big saves at key times,” added Byron.
“They outcompeted us, outworked us and outbattled us,” Black Bear senior center and captain Cam Brown said. “Their goalie played well but we didn’t make it very tough for him.”
“We need to go to the net harder and more often,” said Gendron.
The Black Bears expect a better performance on Saturday.
“Everything will be on the line. There’s no holding back. We’ll be ready to go,” said Byron.
“We have to compete more, win more battles and sacrifice ourselves,” added Brown.