Senior center Harrison Scott scored his team-leading 14th and 15th goals of the season in the third period to lead the University of Maine’s seventh-ranked hockey team to a 3-1 win over No. 8 UMass Lowell at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts, on Friday night.
The Black Bears snapped a seven-game winless streak at the Tsongas Center (0-5-2) dating back to a 6-2 win on Nov. 4, 2017.
UMaine improved to 14-4-2 overall and 6-2-2 in Hockey East while the River Hawks fell to 12-5-2 and 5-4-1, respectively.
The teams will conclude their series on Saturday night at 6:05.
“We’re pretty pumped,” said Scott. “We kind of got going a little late but we came through when it mattered. We’re super happy.”
Lee Parks staked the River Hawks to a 1-0 lead 1:36 into the second period with his third goal of the season but UMaine senior defenseman and co-captain David Breazeale equalized at the 14:31 mark of the period with his third of the year and second in as many games.
Scott scored the game-winner with 8:42 remaining off a three-on-two rush with Thomas Freel and Ross Mitton.
Mitton carried the puck down the center of the ice before slipping it over to Freel on the left wing just outside the UMass Lowell zone.
Freel bore in down the left wing and cut around a River Hawk defenseman toward the front of the net before sliding a perfect pass across to the far post where Scott deposited it into the empty net.
“It started in the defensive zone. We were taking the body on them and causing more turnovers,” said Scott.
Mitton corralled the loose puck off a River Hawk turnover and started the rush.
“Freel started driving toward the net. I was going toward the back door. There were three guys crashing the net and I got low and, fortunately enough, it came right to my stick and I just put it home. I give credit to Freel for driving his feet and taking it to the net. It was perfect,” said Scott.
Scott iced the win with an empty net goal with 1:53 remaining after receiving the puck from Frank Djurasevic.
“Honestly, I didn’t know it was empty for a second. I was looking at [Taylor Makar] on how to create a two-on-two chance. I kind of picked my head up and the net was empty and I just shot it right away,” said Scott.
His two goals now give him nine in his last eight games.
Scott entered the game tied for second in the country in goals with 13, three behind leader Quinn Finley from the University of Wisconsin.
Parks opened the scoring by converting a two-on-one with Scout Truman.
The reigning Hockey East Rookie of the Week made a backhanded pass over to Truman just inside the UMaine zone and Truman made a nice return pass that Parks swept past UMaine goalie Albin Boija.
Breazeale tied it when he took a pass from Freel, skated down the left wing and took a wrist shot from the top of the left circle that squeezed between the pads of River Hawk goalie Henry Welsch.
Brandon Chabrier also picked up an assist.
Boija finished with 26 saves while Welsch made 24.
Junior left wing Freel had two assists.
