ORONO, Maine — The Colgate Raiders earned a split at Alfond Arena with a 5-1 victory over the Maine Black Bears on Saturday.
Colgate scored three third-period goals to turn a close game into a rout.
Colgate opened the scoring again as Darcy Murphy was left all alone on the right post and knocked home a power-play goal. Tyson Spink picked up the first of his four assists on the evening.
“My brother [Tylor] gave me the puck and I saw Darcy standing there,” Spink said.
The teams traded tallies in the second period. First, Dane Gibson found Dan Renouf streaking to the net and the junior snapped a shot over Zac Hamilton’s shoulder to tie the score.
That was short-lived, however, as Jake Kulevich restored Colgate’s lead moments later. The Raiders capitalized on an ill-fated line change and Tyson Spink found Kulevich in the slot.
“I could hear him calling for the puck and found him. He didn’t make any mistakes with it,” said Tyson Spink.
“We didn’t play well last night,” he continued. “My brother and I knew we had to play better.”
They did. The twins combined for seven points, with Tyson posting four assists. However, the superiority extended beyond the score sheet.
“We really wanted to outcompete them,” Tyson Spink said.
The Raiders blocked 20 shots and dominated the faceoff dot for most of the game.
Maine coach Red Gendron was irritated by the loss, but more with the breakdown of discipline that led to Colgate’s chances.
“A player left the ice early … he didn’t finish his shift,” said Gendron. “The way this team is constructed we can’t afford to make it harder on ourselves.”
Down 5-1 with 2:43 remaining Maine called timeout. Gendron wanted to send a message.
“We keep fighting to the end,” he said. “We made mistakes, they scored goals. I don’t care. We don’t stop.”
Colgate coach Don Vaughan praised goaltender Hamilton, who earned his first victory.
“He was anxious to get in net and that was evident in his play and his attitude,” Vaughan said. “Guys rally around that, and I think they did tonight.”
The sophomore faced only three shots in the first period but 25 in the second and third when it was still a game.
“I did breathe easier when we got that fourth one,” Vaughan said.
