The University of Maine men’s hockey team snapped a 16-game winless streak and a 14-game losing streak at Northeastern University’s Matthews Arena on Friday night as second-period goals 1:19 apart by Thomas Freel and Taylor Makar gave UMaine a 2-0 lead en route to a 4-1 victory.
UMaine hadn’t won at Matthews Arena in Boston since Feb. 25, 2012.
The Black Bears are now 4-0 on the season while the Huskies fell to 1-3.
The teams will conclude their series at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Freel scored his third goal of the season with 7:07 left in the middle period when he capitalized on the rebound of a Brandon Holt shot, swiping the puck past NU goalie Cameron Whitehead while the Black Bears were on the power play.
It was the junior left wing’s third goal of the season and all three have come on the power play.
Charlie Russell also picked up an assist.
Senior left wing Makar expanded the lead with his fourth of the year as the UMass transfer fired home the rebound of a Russell shot. Jack Dalton also notched an assist.
The Black Bears protected the lead in the third period and sandwiched empty-net goals by Harrison Scott and Nolan Renwick around a goal by NU’s Cam Lund.
Scott’s was his second of the campaign and Renwick’s was his fourth.
Lund’s was his third.
Albin Boija finished with 24 stops in net for UMaine and Whitehead had 30 saves for NU.
