ORONO – Josh Nadeau and Lynden Breen were the University of Maine hockey team’s second and third leading scorers last season but had combined for just two assists entering Friday night’s Hockey East game against visiting Merrimack College.
Each scored their first goals of the season and Harrison Scott, Thomas Freel and Brandon Holt also scored as the Black Bears posted a 5-0 victory at Alfond Arena.
UMaine, ranked sixth in one national poll and seventh in another, improved to 5-0-1 overall and 2-0-1 in Hockey East, while Merrimack fell to 1-4-1 and 0-2-1.
Goalie Albin Boija stopped 15 shots in earning the shutout for the Black Bears.
UMaine outshot Merrimack 33-15.
The teams will play again Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
“It was pretty complete as far as the effort,” said UMaine coach Ben Barr, who earned his 50th career win in his fourth season behind the bench. “We are still our own worst enemy at times. Turnovers at the end of shifts and that kind of stuff. We’ve got to clean that stuff up.
“There wasn’t a ton of ice but we were willing to play the grind it out in the (offensive) zone game with them. They didn’t give us a lot of rush chances so we had to earn what we got and, for the most part we did.”
The Black Bears limited the injury-riddled Warriors to very few high percentage chances as they hounded the puck and gave them very little time and space with it.
“Our back pressure was probably the best part of our game,” Barr said.
Goals early and late in the first period staked the Black Bears to a 2-0 lead.
Sophomore right wing Nadeau, an 18-goal scorer last season, notched his first of the season just 1:10 into the game and senior center Scott expanded the lead with 5:23 remaining.
Nadeau took a pass from Holt along the right wing side and appeared ready to shoot the puck.
Instead, he darted cleverly across the slot and slid a low backhander inside the far post.
“I was trying to find a lane and the lane wasn’t there so I waited with the puck and it opened up,” said Nadeau. “And I just put it in.”
He said the team did a great job playing on both sides of the puck, particularly the defensive side, and “that’s why we got the shutout.”
The Black Bears had the vast majority of possession and Scott made it 2-0 off a nifty play by Freel for his third of the season.
Freel took a pass from Jack Dalton in the right wing circle, stopped to create a shooting angle and shot the puck across to the far post where Scott directed it into the net.
In the second period, graduate student center and co-captain Breen had a Holt shot go off his body past Max Lundgren and junior left wing Freel shoveled home a Charlie Russell rebound on the power play for his fourth, all on the power play.
Sophomore right wing Russell scored a third period goal from the edge of the crease off a Taylor Makar pass. It was his second of the year.
Breen said it was a relief to score his first goal and Barr said Breen was fantastic.
“His game away from the puck was excellent,” said Barr. “Backtracking, creating turnovers on the backcheck. His leadership, his game away from the puck as a captain was awesome.”
“I’ve been battling it a little bit and the worst thing you can do when you’re fighting it is let it get into your head and play the wrong way and cheat on pucks and cheat the game. The key for me is to start from the defensive zone, play the right way and good things happen,” said Breen who added that Holt’s shot went into the net off his rear end.
Russell and Scott each had a goal and two assists.
“It was a really good game for Maine,” said Merrimack coach Scott Borek. “I love their [competitiveness]. I love how hard they play.”