Cedric Lacroix scored a shorthanded goal with 5:03 remaining in the third period on Friday night, lifting the University of Maine men’s hockey team to a 3-2 Hockey East victory over the University of Massachusetts at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass.
LaCroix’s game-winner helped coach Red Gendron’s Black Bears rally from a 2-1 deficit to earn two important Hockey East points in the first game of a two-game series.
“In the third [period] it was anybody’s hockey game and we finished one play and that was it,” Gendron said.
Freshman goaltender Jeremy Swayman came up with 28 saves to backstop the win for UMaine, which improved to 13-9-4 overall and 7-6-3 in league play.
The Minutemen slipped to 11-13-1 and 5-9-1, respectively.
UMass outshot UMaine 30-24 and both teams went 1-for-6 on the power play.
Matt Murphy finished with 21 saves for the hosts.
The Minutemen had a chance to break the 2-2 deadlock when Canon Pieper took a boarding penalty at 13:55 of the third period.
However, Rob Michel forced a turnover on the penalty kill and raced down the right side. He unleashed a shot on Murray and the rebound caromed to Lacroix, who fired a shot into the net for his third goal of the season to put the Black Bears on top for good.
Swayman made a couple of nice lead-preserving saves during the ensuing portion of the UMass power play.
With the score tied 2-2, the Black Bears went on the power play at 4:34 of the third period after an interference penalty against Mitchell Chaffee. UMaine could not generate many chances and instead surrendered two shorthanded opportunities by the Minutemen.
Swayman made sure the score remained tied late in the man advantage when he stoned Jake Gaudet on a shorthanded breakaway chance.
UMaine had tied the game at 2-2 with 6:14 remaining in the second period. The Black Bears were on the power play after a UMass penalty for too many men on the ice.
Chase Pearson rang a shot off the goalpost that ricocheted out to the right circle, where Rob Michel pounced on it and fired it into the net to even things up. Mitchell Fossier also registered an assist on the tally.
The Minutemen took a 2-1 advantage into the first intermission, bouncing back after an early goal by the Black Bears to regain the lead with two unanswered goals.
UMaine scored on its first shot of the contest at the 3:43 mark of the period when Eduards Tralmaks converted a feed from Fossier with a one-timer to make it 1-0.
UMass, which outshot UMaine 12-6 in the period, equalized less than 4 1/2 minutes later with Alexis Binner in the penalty box for hitting from behind. Austin Plevy scored for UMass, cashing in on assists from Josh Couturier and Jake McLaughlin.
The Minutemen posted the go-ahead tally just 41 seconds after killing off a penalty. This time, Griff Jeszka scored on the rebound of a Mario Ferraro shot and Plevy also provided an assist.