The Merrimack College Warriors had three wins and a tie in their previous four games against the University of Maine women’s hockey team and they extended their unbeaten streak to five on Wednesday night in their preliminary round Hockey East playoff game.
Allison Reeb’s goal just 1:36 into overtime gave the ninth-seeded Warriors a 2-1 victory over the eighth-seeded Black Bears at Alfond Arena.
It is the third consecutive year that Merrimack won its opening playoff game.
Merrimack, 11-21-3 overall, will now take on second seed Northeastern (23-10-3) in a Hockey East quarterfinal game on Saturday.
UMaine, which had won three in a row coming into the game, wound up 15-18-2 and failed to win a playoff game for the second straight season.
It was ousted by Providence 5-2 in the quarterfinals last season.
UMaine had won at least one playoff game in the previous three seasons.
Ida Kuoppala gave the Black Bears a 1-0 lead with her 21st goal of the season coming at the 13:39 mark of the second period. It was a power play goal and Sam Morrison picked up the lone assist.
Former UMaine forward Celine Tedenby tied the game on the power play 1:40 into the third period with her eighth of the campaign. Hayley Chang and Ally Qualley assisted.
Tedenby scored 31 goals in 106 career games at UMaine before transferring.
Reeb decided it with her fifth goal with Raice Szott and Natalie Nemes notching the assists.
Calli Hogarth made 28 saves for Merrimack and posted a 1.71 goals-against average and .946 save percentage against UMaine while playing all four games this season.
Jorden Mattison turned aside 31 shots for the Black Bears.