The University of Maine hockey team snapped its five-game losing streak against Hockey East opponents at Alfond Arena, rallying from three one-goal deficits to tie 11th-ranked UConn 3-3 on Saturday night.
UConn earned the second Hockey East point by winning the shootout 2-0.
UMaine had 53 shots on goal compared to UConn’s 23 and attempted 97 shots to UConn’s 53 but UConn received 50 saves from senior goalie Tyler Muzselik and it took a goal from seldom-used senior defenseman Grayson Arnott with 6:34 remaining to earn the tie.
It was just Arnott’s sixth game of the season.
UMaine is now 14-12-3 overall and 8-10-1 in Hockey East while 11th-ranked UConn is now 17-7-4 and 11-5-2.
UConn had won Friday’s game 2-0 behind Muszelik’s 32 saves.
UMaine junior goalie Albin Boija made 20 stops.
Junior right wing Joey Muldowney staked UConn to a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal just 2:44 into the game but UMaine freshman right wing Miguel Marques tied it up on the power play at the 14:05 mark.
Junior left wing Jake Richard restored the one-goal lead for UConn with 4:13 left in the second period but UMaine freshman left wing Will Gerrior got the equalizer 1:29 into the third period.
Senior center Ryan Tattle supplied UConn with its third one-goal lead at the 6:40 mark on the power play before Arnott tied it.
“I was extremely proud of the effort and how hard the guys fought back the whole game,” said UMaine head coach Ben Barr. “I can’t fault the effort at any point this weekend. Their kid played unbelievable in goal in both games. He was the difference.
“There’s a lot of things we can build on from that. That was the kind of work ethic we want to make a hallmark of our team and has been at times in recent years,” added Barr. “It’s good to see we have it in us when we find a little extra.”
UMaine senior defenseman and co-captain Brandon Holt agreed with Barr.
“I really liked the way we played. The whole weekend we played a brand of Black Bear hockey that has worked here. We didn’t really get rewarded for it,” Holt said. “At times we were still making little mistakes and giving them opportunities to score.
“But, for the most part, I really liked our juice and the way that we played and if we play like that going forward, we’re going to get different results,” Holt added.
Arnott’s goal was his first of the season and seventh of his career.
Jaden Lipinski followed up the rebound of his own shot with a pass to Arnott at the edge of the crease and Arnott tucked it around Muszelik.
“It felt good to contribute and be a part of it,” said Arnott who credited freshman Lipinski with making a “great pass.”.
Freshman right wing Marques snapped UMaine’s 0-for-16 streak on the power play at the 14:05 mark of the first period with his eighth goal of the season.
Max Scott had the puck at the left point and his pass down the left wing boards hit Marques in the mask and dropped at Marques’ feet.
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Marques passed it to an open Thomas Freel in the middle of the low slot and he snapped a one-timer that was saved by Muszelik. But the rebound spilled to the goalie’s right and Marques flipped it past him.
Muldowney had opened the scoring with his 15th of the season while the Huskies were shorthanded.
The puck squirted out of the UConn zone into the neutral zone where Ryan Tattle corralled it and took a few strides to create a two-on-one with Muldowney. Tattle slid the puck over to Muldowney who was streaking down the right wing.
Muldowney took the pass in stride and snapped a 20-foot wrist shot over Boija’s glove.
It was his sixth goal in his last three games at Alfond Arena.
The Black Bears had an even more pronounced advantage in the second period, generating 20 shots on goal to UConn’s seven.
But Muzselik was immense and Richard broke the tie after missing an open net earlier in the period after Boija raced out to play the puck only to have the puck land on Richard’s stick after Boija got a piece of it.
Richard was at a tight angle but had the open net at his disposal and he sailed it wide.
The Black Bears dodged another bullet when a Frank Djurasevic turnover was rolling to the far post where Ryan Tattle was waiting to deposit it into the empty net.
But the puck bounced over Tattle’s stick.
Richard notched his eighth goal when Muldowney wheeled around the fired the puck across the crease and the puck eventually landed on his stick to the right of Boija and he swatted it home.
Gerrior tied it in the third when he scored from in close after Thomas Pichette and Holt teamed up to get the puck to him. It was his fifth of the season.
Tattle regained the one-goal lead on UConn’s first power play chance when a faceoff win wound up on his stick at the point and his 45-foot wrist shot somehow found its way past Boija.