ORONO, Maine – University of Maine junior right wing Josh Nadeau and senior left wing Owen Fowler each scored a pair of goals and the Black Bears scored three power play goals en route to a 5-2 Hockey East victory over Merrimack College on Seniors Night at Alfond Arena Saturday night.
The win completed a weekend sweep as UMaine had won Friday’s game 5-3 behind Nadeau’s hat trick.
It was UMaine’s seventh straight win over Merrimack.
UMaine improved to 16-12-3 overall and 10-10-1 in Hockey East while Merrimack fell to 15-15-1 and 8-12-1, respectively.
It was UMaine’s first Hockey East sweep at home since it took a pair from Boston University on Oct. 31-Nov.1.
Freshman right wing Miguel Marques scored the other UMaine goal while Merrimack received goals from sophomore left wing Caelan Fitzpatrick and junior right wing Michael Emerson.
Freshman goalie Mathis Rousseau made 21 saves for UMaine while Merrimack junior Max Lundgren finished with 27 stops.
Power play goals by Marques and Nadeau sandwiched an even-strength goal by Fowler as the Black Bears scored three unanswered second-period goals to take a 4-2 lead into the intermission.
Fowler sewed up the win by tipping a Nadeau wrist shot past Lundgren in the third period while the Black Bears were enjoying a five-minute power play courtesy of a cross-checking penalty on Nick Pierre.
UMaine’s three power play goals represent the first time the Black Bears had scored multiple power play goals in a game since they scored three in a 5-0 win over Lindenwood on Dec. 13.
UMaine had trailed 2-1 after the first period.
The Black Bears outshot Merrimack 16-1 in the decisive second period.
Marques tied the game 2-2 at the 1:15 mark of the period.
Following a wild flurry around the Merrimack net, Brandon Holt passed the puck from the middle of the ice to Marques in the left faceoff circle and his one-timer beat Lundgren to the upper short side corner.
It was his ninth goal of the season and third in his last five games.
Fowler gave UMaine its first lead of the game at the 15:47 mark off a three-on-two rush.
Jaden Lipinski slipped the puck to Fowler, who was cruising down the middle of the slot unattended and he snapped a wrist shot past Lundgren.
It was his eighth goal of the season.
Nadeau extended the lead 2:14 later.
Marques fed him the puck in the middle of the high slot and his wrister beat Lundgren, who was screened by Thomas Freel.
Fitzpatrick opened the scoring with his ninth goal of the season and second in as many games. It came two seconds after a Merrimack power play had ended.
His goal came just 3:49 into the game.
Nadeau answered 4:24 later but Emerson restored the one-goal lead at the 12:06 mark.
Merrimack outshot UMaine 13-5 with four of those shots coming on the Warriors’ two power plays.
Fitzpatrick scored after taking a pass from Nolan Flamand along the extended goal line to the left of Rousseau. He took a few steps and slid the puck along the ice past the right skate of Rousseau.
Nadeau’s 14th goal of the season and fourth of the weekend came about when he tipped Brandon Holt’s wrist shot from the point past Lundgren.
But a costly turnover enabled the Warriors to regain the lead as UMaine freshman defenseman Loic Userau had the puck poked off his stick as he tried to stickhandle out of the defensive zone.
Flamand passed the puck to Emerson and he took a wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle that squeezed through the pads of Rousseau.
