BOSTON — The University of Maine’s seventh-ranked hockey team fell short in a Hockey East semifinal game against Boston University on Friday night at the TD Garden.
Junior goalie Mathieu Caron came up with an outstanding 32-save performance and the Terrier power play continued its prolific success at the expense of the Black Bears, scoring twice in three tries, to upend UMaine 4-1 and advance to Saturday night’s championship game against No. 1 Boston College, an 8-1 winner over UMass earlier Friday.
Boston College beat Boston University, 6-2, in the final thanks to four power play goals.
UMaine, playing in front of a large contingent of Black Bear fans, had its four-game winning streak snapped and fell to 23-11-2. But the Black Bears have earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament and will learn where they are going during the tournament selection show on Sunday night.
Second-ranked BU, which has 14 NHL draft choices including eight selected in the first three rounds, improved to 26-8-2 including three wins over UMaine.
Carolina Hurricanes first round draft pick Bradly Nadeau is UMaine’s only draft pick.
Sophomore center Ryan Greene scored a pair of goals and sophomore defenseman and Hobey Baker Award finalist Lane Hutson had another for BU. Sam Stevens scored an empty-net goal.
BU is now 6-for-11 on the power play in three games vs. UMaine this season.
“I thought our guys played hard. They play hard every night. I feel bad for them that they don’t get to play for a championship tomorrow night but hopefully we can use that to drive us for the big tournament next week,” said UMaine coach Ben Barr.
“Their goalie made some big saves and those power play goals were tough. If you give a team like that Grade A chances in the slot, whether it’s on the power play or five-on-five, it’s in the back of the net. There’s no margin for error against a team that talented,” said Barr.
UMaine outshot BU 33-18. UMaine freshman goalie Albin Boija made 14 stops.
UMaine senior Lynden Breen scored for UMaine early in the third period to pull UMaine within one after Greene’s first-period even-strength goal and Hutson’s second-period power play goal staked BU to a 2-0 lead. It was his ninth of the season.
Breen scored with a wrist shot from a difficult angle to the left of Caron but the Terriers answered on the power play 3:55 later after Liam Lesakowski was assessed a holding penalty when Hobey Baker Award finalist Macklin Celebrini fed Greene for a one-timer from the low slot after Shane Lachance retrieved a loose puck.
Greene opened the scoring at the 8:59 mark of the first period and Hutson extended the lead on the power play at the 9:21 mark of the second period.
Hutson’s goal was BU’s first shot on goal in the period.
The Black Bears had several glorious scoring chances over the final five minutes of the first period and in the second period but Caron stopped all 18 shots.
Greene’s goal came off a UMaine turnover.
Anthony Calafiore’s pass in the Maine zone landed on the stick of Quinn Hutson and he fed Greene in the middle of the low slot. Greene snapped a wrist shot through the pads of Boija for his 10th of the season.
A few minutes later, UMaine’s Donavan Houle pounced on the puck in the high slot after a BU player fell down but Caron made a blocker save off Houle’s snap shot from the inner half of the right circle.
Later in the period, he made a good stop off Cole Hanson from the slot and got his right skate on a screened shot from David Breazeale.
UMaine continued storming the BU net looking for an equalizer but Caron stopped a one-timer by Houle off a Thomas Freel feed and rejected another good bid by Houle moments later.
Hobey Baker Award finalist Hutson made it 2-0 when he took a pass between the top of the left faceoff circle and the blue line, faked a shot and maneuvered around a diving Black Bear before wristing a 30-foot shot past Boija to the glove side.
It was his 13th of the season.
Later in the period, Caron came up big again as he extended his right pad to reject a bid by Harrison Scott, who sliced across the crease from the right to left.
Moments later, he made another gem off a Freel one-timer.
“We played pretty good overall,” said Breen who noted that the BU power play has “done it to us all three games.
“We have had the better of the play five-on-five. It’s frustrating, especially when you’re taking it to them (five-on-five). But they have a lot of talent and they capitalized on their chances (tonight),” said Breen.
BU coach Jay Pandolo said his team didn’t play its best.
“You have to give Maine credit. But our power play was very good and our goalie was excellent,” said Pandolo. “At the end, we hung on and did a good job not giving them too many quality chances and when they had them, Caron was excellent.”