ORONO, Maine — Junior center Harrison Scott collected a hat trick, including two goals just 23 seconds apart in the second period, to lead the eighth-ranked University of Maine’s hockey team to a 7-2 victory over UMass Lowell and a sweep of the weekend series.
UMaine improved to 16-4-2 overall and 8-3-1 in Hockey East while the River Hawks fell to 7-14-2 and 3-8-1, respectively.
UMaine won Friday night’s game 5-3. It is the first time UMaine has won eight of its first 12 Hockey East games since the 2003-04 season.
UMaine’s 16 wins are one more than all of last season, with 12 games remaining.
Freshman Albin Boija made 18 saves for the Black Bears while junior Luke Pavicich had 20 stops on 27 shots for UMass Lowell before Edvard Nordlund came on and stopped all five shots he saw.
San Jose native Scott scored his first goal at the 13:12 mark of the middle period to snap a 2-2 tie, and he extended the lead 23 seconds later before Brandon Holt made it 5-2 at the 15:19 mark to cap a three-goal flurry in 2:07.
Scott completed his hat trick on the power play in the third period, giving the Bentley University transfer a career-high 10 goals on the season.
“Harrison Scott had a big-time game,” said UMaine head coach Ben Barr. “He has been a beast for us this year. It’s good to see him get rewarded. He plays as hard as anyone.”
“What a pickup he has been this year. He came in and embodied everything it is to be a Maine hockey player,” said sophomore defenseman Holt. “He plays so hard every night, he brings energy and he’s being rewarded for it.”
Bradly Nadeau passes set up Scott’s first two goals.
On the first one, Pavicich made a great save off Nadeau from the low slot, but Nadeau tracked down the rebound at the outer half of the right circle and made a short pass to Scott, who settled the puck and beat Pavicich with a quick wrist shot to the near side past the goalie’s glove.
Josh Nadeau also assisted.
“That was a good shift for us,” said Scott, who is flanked on a line by the Nadeau brothers. “This is what’s going to be the formula for success: just being relentless, attacking the net and throwing pucks on net.”
Seconds later, the Black Bears converted off a three-on-two rush.
Josh Nadeau carried the puck down the right wing and was checked by a River Hawk.
Bradly Nadeau swooped in to collect the loose puck and fired a pass to the edge of the crease where Scott directed it off Pavicich into the net.
“I think Brad broke his stick, went to the bench and got a new stick, made the pass and I was at the back door. That was crazy,” Scott said. “It was an unbelievable play by Bradly. Getting to the puck and squeaking [the pass] in behind the defenseman. It was awesome.”
Holt extended the lead by taking the puck along the right boards, spinning around to the middle of the ice and flipped a wrist shot through a crowded goalmouth past the screened Pavicich.
“There was a guy coming out at me and he was going to take away the wall. So I faked, got my feet moving, went to the middle of the ice and just threw it on net and [Donavan Houle] and [Thomas Freel] were taking away the goalie’s eyes,” said Holt. .
UMass Lowell had a golden opportunity to get back into the game when Parker Lindauer was assessed a five-minute major for slew footing (kicking an opponent’s legs or feet from under him).
But the Black Bears killed it off and added insurance goals by Scott and freshman left wing Sully Scholle.
UMass Lowell went 0-for-4 on the power play while UMaine went 1-2.
“Our penalty kill was really good today. It gave us a lot of juice,” said Holt.
Scott said the Black Bears played a complete game.
“All of our lines were buzzing and once we broke [UMass Lowell] down, we kept flooring it and the game opened up. And you see the results,” said Scott.
Nick Rheaume staked UMass Lowell to a 1-0 lead just 1:48 into the game with a wrist shot from the right circle, but Ben Poisson tied it up with UMaine’s third shorthanded goal in its last four games as he backhanded home his own rebound.
Donavan Houle supplied UMaine with a 2-1 lead early in the second period off a rebound, but Owen Cole tied it by jamming the puck past Boija from a scramble in front.
“It wasn’t a very good game for us. Maine deserved the sweep and they got it,” said UMass Lowell coach Norm Bazin. “They hustled, they were on pucks and it seemed like everything they shot went in. You can’t give up shorthanded goals and you have to stop a few pucks.”
UMass Lowell was without No. 1 goalie Henry Welsch, who was sidelined by an injury.
Barr said UMass Lowell “plays hard and they make it really difficult. I thought the guys fought through it better tonight. Our defensemen moved their feet on the breakout better and, in the neutral zone, we took the red line when we could and got the puck deep.
“We didn’t turn as many pucks over tonight and that’s a big part of it,” he added.
Bradly Nadeau had three assists and brother Josh, Freel and Houle had two assists each.
The Nadeau brothers have become the first UMaine freshmen duo to reach the 30-point plateau in their first seasons since the 1994-95 season when Shawn Wansborough notched 35 points and Scott Parmentier had 33.
Josh Nadeau currently has 32 points and Bradly has 31.
UMaine will return to action for games at Northeastern and UMass at 7 p.m on Feb. 2 and 3.
UMass Lowell will host Providence at 7:15 p.m. Friday and travel to Providence the next night for a 6 p.m. contest.