The 12th-ranked University of Maine overcame four one-goal deficits to stun the fifth-ranked Boston University Terriers 5-4 on senior defenseman Brandon Holt’s goal 43 seconds into overtime.
Freshman left wing Justin Poirier carried the puck down the right wing and flipped the puck across to the wide open Holt who picked up the puck on his forehand side, pulled it over to his backhand and tucked it past BU goalie Mikhail Yegorov.
The Black Bears were able to force overtime by killing off a BU five-on-three power play that lasted 42 seconds.
UMaine is now 4-2-1 overall and 1-0 in Hockey East while BU is 3-4-1 and 1-2.
The teams will play again Saturday night at 7:30.
Sophomore defenseman Cole Hutson, freshman right wing Ryder Ritchie and freshman right wing Ben Merrill supplied the Terriers with three one-goal leads through the first two periods but Poirior, junior center Sully Scholle and senior left wing Owen Fowler scored tying goals.
Sophomore defenseman Sascha Boumedienne provided the Terriers with a fourth one-goal lead early in the third period with a one-timer from the top of the right circle, but Poirier tied it three minutes later by jamming home a loose puck after Jeremly Langlois’ shot from the point came to him off the boards behind the net.
The Terriers were opportunistic in the first period and took a 2-1 lead into the intermission.
The Black Bears outshot the Terriers 13-7 in the first period and had a decided edge in offensive zone time but they could only put one puck behind Yegorov.
Hutson opened the scoring just 3:15 into the game.
Mick Frechette poked the puck away from UMaine freshman defenseman Lukas Peterson in the neutral zone to start that first scoring play. John McNelis pounced on the loose puck and carried it into the offensive zone before sliding it across to the left wing to an open Hutson.
Hutson took a few strides before snapping a short wrist shot into the short side corner past UMaine goalie Albin Boija’s blocker for his third goal of the season.
That lead lasted only four seconds when Jeremy Langlois fired the puck on goal from the blue line and Yegorov left a rebound off his pad in the high slot.
Poirier gathered in the puck at the high slot, took a stride and fired a wrist shot over the glove of Yegorov for his sixth of the season.
Ritchie restored the lead on the power play with his third of the season.
Owen McLaughlin fed him at the side of the net to the right of Boija and Ritchie smartly backhanded the puck across the goal line behind Boija to make it 2-1.
Scholle tied it 7:01 into the second period with his first goal and first point of the year.
Fowler wristed the puck from the side of the right faceoff circle toward the goal and Scholle, with his back to Yegorov, tipped the puck past the goalie.
The Terriers again answered to regain a one-goal lead on freshman Merrill’s first career goal.
There was a scramble in front and Merrill calmly corralled the puck, backed up and flipped it over the sprawled Boija to go up 3-2.
But the Bears equalized off a well-crafted three-on-two involving Miguel Marques, Scholle and Fowler.
Scholle slid the puck over the right side to Marques who found the open Fowler sprinting to the far post.
Fowler roofed his wrist shot into the short side corner for his second of the season.
Each team scored a fourth goal, and that was the tally going into overtime until Holt’s game winner.
