University of Maine freshman left wing Justin Poirier was brought to Orono to help fill the goal-scoring void left by the departure of players who scored 64 of the 124 goals produced by the Black Bears last season.
So far, so good.
The nineteen-year-old Poirier, who scored 94 goals in 126 regular season games over his last two seasons in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, had a hat trick in his UMaine debut on Friday night to lead the Black Bears to a 5-2 victory over Holy Cross at a sold out Alfond Arena.
UMaine has now won four straight home openers.
Holy Cross fell to 0-2.
UMaine outshot reigning Atlantic Hockey America regular season champ Holy Cross 35-20.
The two teams will conclude their series on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
“Our work ethic was much better than it was last week,” said UMaine head coach Ben Barr, referring to the 2-2 exhibition tie with New Hampshire in which the Black Bears were outshot 38-18.
“That is a good sign. We scored some goals, made some nice plays. Got a hat trick. So that’s good,” Barr added.
Poirier, a native of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec who had 14 family members in attendance, said it was “fun” to start his career with a hat trick but quickly pointed out that “it was about the team work ethic.”
He credited his teammates after the win.
“I received a couple of great passes on my goals. It was a good start,” he said.
He added that it was “fun to have a great game” in front of his family.
The Black Bears built a 4-0 lead as sophomore right wing Thomas Pichette scored his third career goal in the first period before Poirier sandwiched his two goals around one by freshman center Jaden Lipinski.
Poirier capped his hat trick with a blistering one-timer from the slot off a Max Scott pass.
Poirier said he learned in the UNH exhibition game that “the guys are older and bigger and the play is faster,” which means he has to move his feet quicker to get open.
“I thought I did that pretty well tonight,” Poirier said.
Brody Gagno finished off the scoring for Holy Cross late in the third period.
After UMaine’s three-goal outburst in the second period, junior right wing Connor Welsh scored his first collegiate goal in his 45th career game to pull the Crusaders within three.
Pichette, who had two goals and three assists in 19 games as a freshman last season, opened the scoring 3:09 into the game by converting off a scramble.
With goalie Connor MacKenzie on his back in front of his goal, Bodie Nobes wristed the puck to the net from the point.
Will Gerrior and Pichette converged on the loose puck, and Pichette squeezed it home.
The Black Bears scored three goals in a span of 1:44 in the second period.
Poirier dove head first across the crease to tuck in a backhander off a Lipinski rebound to make it 2-0.
“My shot is my weapon but sometimes I just have to work hard and go in front of the net,” Poirier said. At first I tipped the puck on the pad of the goalie and then I dove for the rebound. Sometimes I have to score a goal like that to improve my game.”
Lipinski scored with a wrist shot through a crowded goalmouth that slid past MacKenzie’s left skate and Poirier made it 4-0 on the power play with a one-timer along the ice from a nifty cross-ice feed from Thomas Freel.
Welsh converted a nice pass from Joe Solimine with a wrist shot into the upper short side corner from just outside the crease.
Co-captain Freel said he felt the seven newcomers in the lineup “adjusted really well” to the atmosphere at Alfond Arena and it was “exciting to see us play the way we did.”
Albin Boija finished within 18 saves for Maine while MacKenzie and Louden Hogg combined for 30.