ORONO – The University of Maine men’s hockey team received some offense from unexpected sources and earned a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the University of Vermont on Seniors Night at the Alfond Arena Saturday night.
Fourth-liners Nicholas Niemo and Thomas Pichette each scored their second goals of the season and junior defenseman Luke Antonacci notched two assists, his first two points of the campaign.
Josh Nadeau and Owen Fowler scored the other goals for the fifth-ranked Black Bears and Albin Boija made 25 saves as UMaine improved to 21-6-5 overall and 13-4-5 in Hockey East.
Max Strand, Simon Jellus and Blake Steenerson scored for Vermont, which is 11-18-3 and 6-14-2 and has lost five straight.
Keenan Rancier finished with 37 saves.
Nadeau scored his eighth of the season to open the scoring but Strand answered with his eighth late in the period.
Niemo and Fowler scored in the second period to make it 3-1.
Jellus cut the lead to 3-2 early in the third period but Pichette answered for UMaine just 1:20 later.
Steenerson scored with 5:01 left but UMaine effectively protected its lead.
