ORONO, Maine – University of Maine junior right wing Josh Nadeau and senior left wing Owen Fowler each scored a pair of goals and the Black Bears scored three power play goals en route to a 5-2 Hockey East victory over Merrimack College on Seniors Night at Alfond Arena Saturday night.
The win completed a weekend sweep as UMaine had won Friday’s game 5-3 behind Nadeau’s hat trick.
It was UMaine’s seventh straight win over Merrimack.
UMaine improved to 16-12-3 overall and 10-10-1 in Hockey East while Merrimack fell to 15-15-1 and 8-12-1, respectively.
It was UMaine’s first Hockey East sweep at home since it took a pair from Boston University on Oct. 31-Nov.1.
Freshman right wing Miguel Marques scored the other UMaine goal while Merrimack received goals from sophomore left wing Caelan Fitzpatrick and junior right wing Michael Emerson.
Freshman goalie Mathis Rousseau made 21 saves for UMaine while Merrimack junior Max Lundgren finished with 27 stops.
Power play goals by Marques and Nadeau sandwiched an even-strength goal by Fowler as the Black Bears scored three unanswered second-period goals to take a 4-2 lead into the intermission.
Fowler sewed up the win by tipping a Nadeau wrist shot past Lundgren in the third period while the Black Bears were enjoying a five-minute power play courtesy of a cross-checking penalty on Nick Pierre.
Fowler was one of five seniors honored after the game along with defensemen Brandon Holt, Grayson Arnott and Brandon Chabrier and left wing Thomas Freel.
Holt had a career-high four assists.
“It feels good, that’s for sure. It was a huge weekend for our culture. I think we took really big strides this weekend and really came together down the stretch,” said Fowler, who does have a year of eligibility remaining. “You could see that in the third period. Playing mature and just getting the pucks in (deep into the Merrimack zone).”
Nadeau said the recent three-game break he had due to illness “really helped me get my mind right” and come back strong this weekend.
Nadeau had two assists to go with his two goals and Fowler had one assist.
UMaine’s three power play goals represent the first time the Black Bears had scored multiple power play goals in a game since they scored three in a 5-0 win over Lindenwood on Dec. 13.
UMaine had trailed 2-1 after the first period.
The Black Bears outshot Merrimack 16-1 in the decisive second period.
“It feels really good to end Senior Night on a high note,” said Holt. “I really appreciate being able to play in this place for the last four years. It’s something I will cherish so to be able to end it like that, the right way, means a lot to me and all the other seniors.”
Marques tied the game 2-2 at the 1:15 mark of the period.
Following a wild flurry around the Merrimack net, Holt passed the puck from the middle of the ice to Marques in the left faceoff circle and his one-timer beat Lundgren to the upper short side corner.
It was his ninth goal of the season and third in his last five games.
Fowler gave UMaine its first lead of the game at the 15:47 mark off a three-on-two rush.
Jaden Lipinski slipped the puck to Fowler, who was cruising down the middle of the slot unattended and he snapped a wrist shot past Lundgren.
It was his eighth goal of the season.
Nadeau extended the lead 2:14 later.
Marques fed him the puck in the middle of the high slot and his wrister beat Lundgren, who was screened by Thomas Freel.
Fitzpatrick opened the scoring with his ninth goal of the season and second in as many games. It came two seconds after a Merrimack power play had ended.
His goal came just 3:49 into the game.
Nadeau answered 4:24 later but Emerson restored the one-goal lead at the 12:06 mark.
Merrimack outshot UMaine 13-5 with four of those shots coming on the Warriors’ two power plays.
“The first period wasn’t very good. Give the guys a lot of credit for finding it in the second and third periods,” said UMaine coach Ben Barr. “Give Merrimack credit. They played really hard and they’re a really good team.”
Barr said the Black Bears power play stepped up.
“And some guys obviously stepped up and had some great nights,” Barr added.
He said the power play had more pace and credited assistant Rick Bennett for the work he has done with the power play units.
“Rick has worked with them a lot. We’ve spent a lot of time on that the last few weeks. We haven’t seen the fruits of it until tonight. They just kept it simple and got Merrimack running around and they didn’t complicate things. They got pucks to the net,” Barr said. “It was just simplification.”
Fitzpatrick scored after taking a pass from Nolan Flamand along the extended goal line to the left of Rousseau. He took a few steps and slid the puck along the ice past the right skate of Rousseau.
Nadeau’s 14th goal of the season and fourth of the weekend came about when he tipped Holt’s wrist shot from the point past Lundgren.
But a costly turnover enabled the Warriors to regain the lead as UMaine freshman defenseman Loic Userau had the puck poked off his stick as he tried to stickhandle out of the defensive zone.
Flamand passed the puck to Emerson and he took a wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle that squeezed through the pads of Rousseau.
UMaine will play a pair of games against Northeastern next weekend, Friday night in Portland and Saturday night in Lowell. NU’s Matthews Arena is being demolished.
Both games start at 7.
Merrimack hosts Vermont for a pair next weekend.