The University of Maine men’s hockey team took a step forward with last Friday night’s impressive 4-1 home win over Boston College.
UMaine first-year head coach Ben Barr said in Friday night’s 4-0 loss at Boston University’s Agganis Arena his team took a “step back.”
Logan Cockerill scored a power play goal just 1:47 into the game and the streaking Terriers never looked back en route to their 10th win in 12 games (10-1-1).
No. 19 BU is now 14-10-3 overall, 10-6-3 in Hockey East, while UMaine fell to 4-15-4 and 2-11-2, respectively.
It was the sixth time UMaine has been shut out this season.
Cockerill’s goal was his fourth of the season and Wilmer Skoog made it 2-0 with his ninth at the 11:49 mark of the first period.
Robert Mastrosimone, who had assisted on Skoog’s goal along with Joseph Campolieto, collected his team-leading 10th and 11th goals of the season in the second period.
Sophomore backup goalie Vinny Duplessis — filling in for Drew Commesso, who is playing for the U.S. Olympic team in Beijing — made 27 saves in posting the shutout.
“We got outplayed in every facet of the game,” Barr said. “They were playing chess and we were playing checkers.”
BU outshot UMaine 39-27 including a whopping 26-3 edge in the second period.
UMaine sophomore goalie Victor Ostman finished with 35 saves including 24 in the middle period.
“We didn’t touch the puck in the second period,” Barr said. “The score would have been worse tonight if it wasn’t for Victor. He played well. He was the only one who played up to his ability.”
Cockerill opened the scoring after UMaine defenseman Dawson Bruneski was called for hooking just 45 seconds into the game.
He was set up by Luke Tuch and Case McCarthy.
Skoog made it 2-0 with a lacrosse-style goal. It’s referred to as “the Michigan goal” after former University of Michigan Wolverine Mike Legg, who scored with that move against Minnesota in a 1996 NCAA West Regional Tournament game.
Skoog put the puck on the blade of his stick behind the net, skated in front with it and flipped it past Ostman.
Mastrosimone made it 3-0 at the 5:21 mark of the second period off assists from Max Kaufman and Ty Amonte, and capped the scoring 5:11 later with Domenick Fensore and Matt Brown earning assists.
Barr said BU played a terrific game.
BU has 12 NHL draft picks on its roster compared with UMaine’s one.
The Black Bears will travel to North Andover, Massachusetts, to take on Merrimack College at 7 p.m. Saturday at Lawler Arena.