ORONO, Maine – The 17th-ranked University of Maine’s hockey team came 5.6 seconds away from a great win over the streaking ninth-ranked Providence College Friars.
But junior defenseman Andrew Centrella tied it with the extra attacker with 5.6 seconds left and sophomore right winger Logan Sawyer scored with 1:36 left in overtime as the Friars won their seventh straight game and 10th in 11 games.
Centrella took a pass from the corner in the left faceoff circle and beat UMaine goalie Mathis Rousseau with a wrist shot past his glove through a crowded goalmouth. Sawyer and Josh Mustard earned assists.
Sawyer dealt UMaine its first overtime loss with a wrist shot under the crossbar with Tanner Adams and Jonathann Fauchon picking up assists.
It was Providence’s only shot of the overtime compared to UMaine’s four.
UMaine had been 4-0-2 in OT.
Providence is now 16-7-2 overall and 11-3-1 in Hockey East while UMaine is 14-10-2 and 8-8.
UMaine was without third-leading scorer Josh Nadeau (illness) and fifth-leading point-getter Owen Fowler (broken finger).
“I can’t fault the effort of the guys. It was a tough way to end. Kind of heartbreaking,” said UMaine head coach Ben Barr. “The effort and the attitude of the guys for the most part all night was solid. So there are some positives there but it hurts right now.”
Jack Parsons made 23 saves for Providence and Rousseau had 20.
“Hockey can be the best game in the world and it can be the most evil game in the world,” said UMaine senior left wing and co-captain Thomas Freel. “I felt like we really deserved a win tonight. To give up that one with five seconds left and then for us to lose in overtime, that one really hurts.”
Freshmen scored the first-period goals with left wing Justin Poirier and defenseman Loic Usereau sandwiching goals around one by Friars defenseman Alex Rybakov.
Poirier opened the scoring 4:45 into the game, snapping a six-game goal-less drought.
Poirier gained the puck at the offensive blue line, took the puck wide of Friars defenseman Donovan McCoy and snapped a 25-foot wrist shot past the glove of Parsons into the far corner for his 18th goal of the season.
Brandon Chabrier and Max Scott earned assists.
Rybakov tied it with his third of the campaign.
Fauchon fed a diagonal pass to the blue line where Tomas Machu snapped a wrist shot to the net where a Friar and Black Bear were tangled up.
Rousseau made the save and the rebound spilled to his right where Rybakov swept the puck through the goalie’s legs.
Fauchon and Machu picked up assists.
Usereau’s second goal of the season and second in as many games came off a terrific individual effort.
After getting his one-timer blocked by a Friar he pounced on the loose puck, circled around the high slot with the puck and used his arm to ward off a Friar before cutting down the slot and flipped a backhander past Parsons.
There was no scoring in the second period with Rousseau and Parsons each coming up with important saves.
Parsons made two saves while the Friars were on the power play.
Max Scott chased down the puck behind the Providence net and tried to score with a wraparound. Parsons made the pad save and the rebound squirted over to Thomas Freel and Parsons extended his right pad to make a great stop.
“It’s been pretty frustrating recently if I’m being honest with you,” said Freel. “I feel like I’m putting myself in pretty good positions and just not getting across the line. He made a pretty crazy kick save there. It would have been nice for that one to go over and give us a two-goal lead.”
Rousseau made two point-blank saves off Mustard who carried the puck down the slot to the left of Rousseau. Rousseau kicked out the first shot and held his ground to stop the second one.