SATURDAY COLLEGE HOCKEY ROUNDUP: No. 12 Maine sweeps No. 5 Boston University with 8-5 home win

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No. 12 Maine completed a home sweep of No. 5 Boston University with an 8-5 win Saturday night (Photo: Maine Athletics)

With eight goals by six players on 46 shots, Maine beat Boston University at home 8-5, picking up a home sweep of the Terriers in front of nearly 5,000 fans in Alfond Arena.

This one was tied 1-1 before the game was a minute old. Ben Merrill gave BU a 1-0 lead 36 seconds in, picking up Brandon Svoboda’s rebound, and Charlie Russell scored 23 seconds later for the early tie.

The Black Bears took a 3-1 lead when Jeremy Langlois and Owen Fowler scored less than a minute apart a little after the midway point in the first period.

Maine led the rest of the game but Boston University continued to push, starting — and ending — with goals by Svoboda, who pulled the Terriers to within one early in the second and scored to cut Maine’s lead to two goals early in the third. Svoboda’s third-period goal was one of three shorthanded tallies scored between the two teams.

Russell’s second goal of the game at 14:56 in the second period was Maine’s sixth goal on the night and the game-winner. Russell and Max Scott each had two goals and an assist for the Black Bears. Brandon Svoboda had two goals and two assists for Boston University.

The Black Bears outshot the Terriers 46-31. Mathis Rousseau made 26 saves in his first win of the season.

Mikhail Yegorov started for Boston University but was replaced after allowing that goal to Owen Fowler in the first period. Max Lacroix made 33 saves on 37 shots.

SCOREBOARD  |  STANDINGS  |  USCHO.COM POLL 

St. Cloud State 5, No. 3 Western Michigan 1

After losing 6-5 in Friday’s series opener, St. Cloud State rebounded with a dominating performance Saturday, winning 5-1 to earn an NCHC conference split in the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

Jack Reimann led St. Cloud with two goals, including the game-winner at 6:31 in the second. The Huskies also scored twice on the power play, including this pretty marker from Tyson Gross to open the scoring at 6:12 in the first.

Samuel Sjoland had Western Michigan’s only goal at 16:14 in the third. Patriks Berzins made 32 saves on 33 shots in the win. Hampton Slukynsky stopped 28-of-33 for the Broncos.

No. 8 North Dakota 5, No. 10 Minnesota Duluth 1

After losing to Minnesota Duluth 4-3 in overtime Friday, North Dakota rebounded Saturday with a 5-1 win in Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Will Zellers’ pretty power-play goal to open the second period was the game-winner.

Zellers’ goals was the only one on which North Dakota’s Ben Strinden did not have an assist, a career-high four helpers for the senior.

Cody Croal, Keaton Verhoeff, Ollie Josephson and Abram Wiebe also scored for the Fighting Hawks. Adam Kleber had Minnesota Duluth’s goal in the first period.

North Dakota outshot Minnesota Duluth 38-20. In net for the Fighting Hawks, Jan Špunar made 19 saves. Adam Gajan played the first 44:40 for the Bulldogs, allowing all five goals. Ethan Dahlmeir finished the game, stopping all 10 shots he faced.

No. 2 Michigan 2, Notre Dame 1 (OT)

Will Horcoff’s 10th goal of the season in as many games was a big one, giving Michigan a 2-1 win at 2:29 in overtime and a weekend road sweep of Notre Dame in the opening weekend of Big Ten play.

Notre Dame led for much of this game on Danny Nelson’s goal at 13:46 in the first. Following the scoreless second period, Nick Moldenhauer tied the game at 3:23 in the third for Michigan.

The Wolverines outshot the Fighting Irish 40 to 20 in the game, including a 17-5 differential in the third period. For the Irish, Nicholas Kempf stopped 38-of-40. Jack Ivankovic made 19 saves in his ninth win of the season.

No. 6 Denver 6, Alaska Anchorage 0

James Reeder and Kristian Epperson had two goals each and Quentin Miller stopped 17 shots in his second shutout of the season in Denver’s 6-0 win over visiting Alaska Anchorage.

The Pioneers scored four times on the power play, including Eric Pohlkamp’s rocket from near the blue line in the second period.

For Alaska Anchorage, Tyler Krivtsov made 43 saves on 49 shots.

UMass Lowell 5, No. 16 Providence 1

After losing 5-2 on he road to Providence Friday, UMass Lowell returned home with a 5-1 win and a series split in Hockey East play.

TJ Schweighardt’s shorthanded goal at 15:42 in the second put the River Hawks ahead 2-0.

Lee Parks and Nate Misskey each had a power-play goal for Lowell. Austin Elliott had 23 saves in the win.

Jonathan Fauchon scored Providence’s goal late in the second on the power play. In net for the Friars, Jack Parsons stopped 21-of-25 shots he faced.

No. 20 Cornell upsets No. 13 Massachusetts

With goals from Gio DiGiulian, Charlie Major and Xavier Veilleux  in front of a 33-save performance by Alexis Cournoyer, Cornell beat Massachusetts in nonconference road play, 3-1, earning a weekend split with the Minutemen.

Majors had the game-winning goal on the power play at 16:22 in the second period.

The game was tied 1-1 after the first period on DiGiulian’s goal at 1:41 and Mikey DeAngelo’s answer for the Minutemen at 15:16.

Cournoyer picks up his first collegiate win stopping 33-of-34 shots. Michael Hrabal made 25 saves in net for Massachusetts.

No. 14 Wisconsin 4, No. 19 Minnesota 0

With two goals apiece from Quinn Finley and Blake Montgomery, Wisconsin shut out visiting Minnesota, 4-0, and secured a weekend sweep of the Golden Gophers in the opening B1G series for each team.

Finley’s snipe from the slot at 8:17 was all it took for scoring to win this one.

Finley and Montgomery each scored power-play goals. Daniel Hauser had 22 saves in his second shutout of the season. In net for Minnesota, Nathan Airey stopped 25-of-29.

Bemidji State 3, Bowling Green 2 (OT)

Trailing 2-0 after two periods, Bemidji State scored three unanswered goals — including Hudson Thornton’s coast-to-coast OT game-winner — to beat Bowling Green, 3-2.

Thornton and Oliver Peer each had a goal and two assists for the Beavers. Both of Bemidji State’s regulation goals were scored on the power play, first by Peer at 3:43 in the third followed by Adam Flammang at 10:50. Max Hildebrand had 25 saves in the win.

Quinn Emerson and Braydon Crampton had the goals for Bowling Green. Jacob Steinman had 26 saves for the Falcons.

With tonight’s win and Friday’s tie against Bowling Green, Bemidji State improves to 3-0-1 in CCHA play.

Robert Morris 4, Niagara 3

Nine seconds after Niagara’s Marshall Finnie scored to pull the Purple Eagles to within one goal midway through the third, Robert Morris’s Braden Rourke found the net for the first time this season to put the Colonials up by two again.

With Rourke’s game-winner, Robert Morris beat Niagara 4-3 and secured a sweep to open the Atlantic Hockey season for each team.

Four different Colonials scored and RMU’s Charlie Schenkel made 39 saves as the Purple Eagles outshot the Colonials 42-26. In net for Niagara, Dievs Rolovs stopped 22 shots.