A dramatic late rally by the University of Maine men’s hockey team went for nought on Saturday night.
The Black Bears scored goals 48 seconds apart in the final 3:27 to force overtime, but senior right wing Connor Welsh scored 1:33 into the overtime on a delayed penalty to give Holy Cross a 3-2 victory in the Cross City Classic at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Both teams are now 1-1 as UMaine had earned a 4-1 triumph on Friday night at the Hart Center on the Holy Cross campus in Worcester.
Goals by junior centers Matt Kursonis in the first period and Noah Eyre in the third period gave Holy Cross a 2-0 lead and a cross checking penalty on UMaine alternate captain Sully Scholle with just 4:30 left, his second penalty of the period, made a possible comeback a very slim proposition.
But Holy Cross’ Preston Lounsbury was assessed a tripping penalty just 30 seconds later and UMaine junior defenseman and Bemidji State transfer Isa Parekh scored on the four-on-four with 3:27 remaining before teammate Lee Parks, a junior right wing and UMass Lowell transfer, notched the equalizer on the power play 48 seconds later.
In the three-on-three overtime, UMaine was going to be assessed a penalty so Holy Cross was able to replace goalie Danick Leroux with an extra attacker. Welsh fired the puck past the glove side of UMaine goalie Petter Wickstrom Stumer to win it.
Will Elias and Owen Kim garnered assists. Canisius transfer Wickstrom Stumer was making his UMaine debut.
Leroux finished with 26 saves on 28 shots while Wickstrom Stumer wound up with 23 on 26.
Kursonis opened the scoring at the 8:57 mark of the first period by gathering in the puck between the face-off circles and snapping a shot past Wickstrom Stumer for his second goal of the weekend.
Anthony Biakabutuka and Lounsbury picked up assists.
Following a scoreless second period, Eyre expanded the lead on the power play as he swatted home a third rebound after Wickstrom Stumer had stopped his first two shots. Elias and Owen Kim earned assists.
UMaine took five consecutive penalties in the third period and had to kill off a two-man disadvantage that spanned 1:55.
Perekh, who had two assists on Friday night, flipped home a rebound for his first goal in a Black Bear uniform with Will Gerrior and Tanner Klimpke picking up assists.
Parks tied it by depositing a Lukas Peterson rebound behind Leroux.
Despite being shorthanded for a healthy portion of the third period, UMaine outshot Holy Cross 13-5 in the frame.
Lounsbury’s penalty was the only Crusader penalty in the period.
UMaine will face seventh-ranked Quinnipiac, the ECAC favorite in the preseason poll, for its home openers on Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. at the Alfond Arena.
Quinnipiac opened its season with a 10-2 thrashing of New Hampshire and a 6-3 win over defending Hockey East Tournament champion Merrimack.
Holy Cross will visit Arizona State for a pair next weekend.