The University of Maine mascot was dressed up like Santa on Sunday, and the Black Bear men’s hockey team ended up delivering plenty of gifts for the home fans.
In a week that the UMaine offense came alive with 17 total goals over three games, the Black Bears beat Lindenwood University 7-2 on Sunday evening to complete a much-needed weekend sweep.
UMaine entered this week reeling after getting swept at home last weekend by arch-rival University of New Hampshire.
But it was a different story at the Alfond Arena in Orono this weekend against Lindenwood.
The sweep over the Lions moves UMaine to 11-7-1 on the season and gives the No. 15 ranked team in the country some momentum heading into its holiday break.
The Black Bears won all three of their games this past week, including a 5-4 overtime victory over UMass-Lowell in Portland on Wednesday night, and bounced back in a big way before they get two weeks off over the holidays.
UMaine will head to top 10 team Denver in early January for its next set of games.
After notching two goals against Lindenwood on Saturday night, UMaine freshman and top scorer Justin Poirier wasted no time picking up where he left off. Poirier scored to put the Black Bears up 1-0 about 30 seconds into the game.
That first goal was assisted by freshman wing Miguel Marques and senior defenseman Brandon Chabrier.
The Black Bears needed a couple of steely saves from freshman goalie Mathis Rousseau to keep the one goal advantage through the end of one period.
But the Lions eventually broke through to tie the game when Lindenwood junior defenseman Michael Bevilacqua beat Rousseau high just 22 seconds into the second period.
Rousseau then made a nice save on a two-on-one and cleaned up Lindenwood’s follow-up attempt to keep the game knotted at 1-1.
UMaine started to run away with things later in the second period, starting with a shorthanded goal from senior wing Owne Fowler to beat Lindenwood sophomore goalie Owen Bartoszkiewicz five-hole. That put the Black Bears up by one 12 minutes into the second period with assists by junior wing Josh Nadeau and Chabrier.
Then a well-placed wrist shot from near the faceoff circle by freshman center Jaden Lipinski gave UMaine a 3-1 lead, with assists from Poirier and freshman defender Loic Usereau.
The Black Bears then got a helpful home ice bounce to close out the productive second period. A loose puck caromed off the boards straight to Sophomore Thomas Pichette right in front of net, and he didn’t miss the short-range chance just before the period expired. That put UMaine up by a commanding 4-1 heading into the third.
UMaine senior co-captain Thomas Freel piled on about halfway through the third period, collecting a rebound and hammering the puck home to put the Black Bears up 5-1.
Poirier got his own rebound after shooting the puck past the goal and off the boards, then turned around and bounced it off Bartoszkiewicz and into the net for the freshman’s second goal of the game, and fourth of the weekend. He now has
Lukas Peterson scored moments later to make it 7-1, before Lindenwood’s Jacob Fletcher added a second goal shortly after to make it 7-2.