ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine hockey team hadn’t scored more than three goals in a game since Dec. 8, when the Black Bears beat Stonehill 4-2.
It finally erupted on Saturday night, scoring four goals in a span of 9:07 in the third period to erase a 2-1 deficit and beat archrival New Hampshire 5-2 at a soldout Alfond Arena.
Sophomore right wing Charlie Russell tied the game with 11:53 remaining and sophomore left wing Sully Scholle notched the game-winner with 5:06 remaining.
Junior left wing Thomas Freel expanded the lead just 12 seconds later and sophomore right wing Josh Nadeau sewed up the win with a shorthanded wraparound goal after coming out of the penalty box with 2:46 remaining.
All four snapped out of goal droughts as Russell, Freel and Nadeau had each scored just one goal in their last 12 games and Scholle had gone 23 games without a goal, although he has scored three in shootouts that don’t count on the statistics.
Brandon Holt opened the scoring for UMaine in the second period but Ryan Conmy’s power play goal and a fluke goal by Kristaps Skrastins later in the period supplied UNH with a 2-1 lead entering the third period.
Fifth-ranked UMaine improved to 19-5-5 overall and 11-3-5 in Hockey East while UNH fell to 11-13-4 and 3-12-3.
Albin Boija made 22 saves for Maine and Jared Whale had 28 stops for UNH.
“We needed it,” said Nadeau, who also assisted on Russell’s and Scholle’s goals. “We’ve been battling for goals the last five games. We had chances but tonight we buried them. It feels good.”
The Black Bears’ second-period lead was short-lived as Holt’s goal was answered by Conmy just 1:19 later.
Skrastins gave UNH the lead at the 15:51 mark.
Holt opened the scoring at the 8:39 mark.
Nolan Renwick won a faceoff back to Frank Djurasevic at the right point and he slid it across to Holt at the left point.
Holt quickly released a wrist shot that glanced in off the post for his fourth goal of the season.
Djurasevic was whistled for interference just 34 seconds later and Conmy got the equalizer with a sizzling one-timer off a Cy LeClerc pass.
Skratins scored when his wrist shot hit Russell and floated over Boija’s shoulder into the net.
