ORONO, Maine — Freshman goalie Albin Boija made 27 saves, including a Tanner Adams breakaway with eight minutes left in the game, to lead the University of Maine to a 2-1 Hockey East victory over Providence College in front of a sellout crowd at Alfond Arena.
Providence goalie Philip Svedeback finished with 21 stops.
Seventh-ranked UMaine improved to 18-5-2 overall and 10-4-1 in Hockey East while the Friars fell to 15-9-2 and 8-6-2 in Hockey East. The teams will play again Saturday night at 7.
It is the first time UMaine has won 18 of its first 25 games since the 2003-04 season when it went 18-6-1.
UMaine is now 8-0-2 at Alfond Arena and the sellout was its eighth of the season.
Providence was ranked 10th in one poll and 13th in the other.
Freshman right wings Josh Nadeau and Anthony Calafiore staked UMaine to a 2-0 lead with second-period goals 5:39 apart but Providence graduate student defenseman Luke Krys sliced the lead in half at the 12:49 mark of the middle period.
Nadeau’s 14th goal of the season came on the power play at the 4:49 mark.
His brother, Bradley, kept the puck in the offensive zone at the left point by gloving down a Friar clearing attempt, dropping it to his stick and pushing it ahead to his brother.
Josh Nadeau sprinted to the bottom of the left faceoff circle and snapped a wrister into the upper short side corner past Svedeback’s blocker.
It was his team-high seventh power play goal.
Calafiore made it 2-0 with his first collegiate goal.
Cole Hanson broke down the middle of the slot before sliding the puck over to an open Grayson Arnott in the right circle. Rather than shoot it, Arnott fired it across to the far post and Calafiore simply had to tap it in from the edge of the crease.
“It was a great pass from Grayson. I was in the right place at the right time. Good things happen when you go to the net,” said Calafiore, who added that scoring his first collegiate goal felt “awesome.
“To score your first goal at home in front of the greatest fans in college hockey [was great],” said Calafiore.
But Providence College answered.
Liam Valente wristed the puck from the right point through a crowded goalmouth.
Boija made the save but the rebound spilled across to the far past.
Krys dashed toward the net and fired a one-timer that hit Boija and deflected off him and rolled over the goal line for his fifth of the season.
The Friars carried the play for the rest of the period and well into the third period but Boija made a number of good saves including the breakaway when he pushed across the crease to get his right pad on Adams’ backhander.
“He almost fooled me,” said Boija. “I thought he was going to shoot. But I was able to get back across.”
The Friars hit three posts and the Black Bears blocked 18 shots including 10 in the third period when the Friars attempted 32 shots to UMaine’s 12 with 11 going on net compared to UMaine’s five shots on goal.
“We had good energy, but Providence pushed back in the third and we have to find a way to simplify our game and push back,” said UMaine head coach Ben Barr. “They have a very good hockey team. Albin was great tonight.”
Barr added that he was proud of his team’s effort.
UMaine killed all four Friar power plays and went one-for-two with the man advantage.
“It was disappointing to lose the special teams,” said Providence coach Nate Leaman. “You aren’t going to win a game on the road if you lose the special teams.”
He thought his team played well in the second and third periods, executing their game plan by getting the puck deep in the UMaine zone and sustaining their forecheck with their size advantage and physicality..
“We hit three posts and had three breakaways. We had chances but we couldn’t capitalize,” said Leaman.
“Albin stood on his head,” said Calafiore. “Without him, it could have been a different outcome.”
Boija said his teammates did a great job in front of him.
“We were able to grind it out and that’s all that matters,” said Boija, who is now 5-1-1 and lowered his goals-against average to 1.28 and elevated his save percentage to .944.
He was pleased with his performance, calling it “pretty solid.”