Last Minute BC Comeback Falls Short in Orono

ORONO, Maine – Boston College cut a 2-0 Maine lead in half with 1:33 left in regulation, but the Black Bears withstood a frantic net-front scramble in the closing seconds and held on to beat the Eagles 2-1 on Friday to open a two-game series at Alfond Arena.

With the win, Maine overtook BC in the Hockey East standings and clinched the regular season series between the schools. The Black Bears (9-8-4 HEA) are now tied for fifth place with Boston University, pushing the Eagles (9-8-3 HEA) down to seventh in the league with four games left.

Jeremy Swayman stopped 31 shots in the Maine net to pick up the victory.

Maine had the only goal of the first period, which came off a defensive zone turnover from Boston College at 13:53. Mitchell Fossier picked up the giveaway and skated toward the BC net from the left wing, beating Joseph Woll (22 saves) short side under his armpit.

Eduards Tralmaks doubled the lead at 6:52 of the second period after a Maine attempt from the right point was partially blocked. Tralmaks located the puck amidst traffic in the slot and curled a low shot inside the left post past Woll's outstretched right pad.

Immediately following the goal, Logan Hutsko tried to feather a pass to Graham McPhee on a 2-on-1 near the left post but couldn't connect.

The Eagles closed the second period with several Grade A chances, finishing the frame with a 15-6 shot advantage, but couldn't solve Swayman. Julius Mattila snuck a point-blank shot through Swayman's pads and the puck rolled inches wide of the left post. After killing a penalty, Ben Finkelstein hit Casey Fitzgerald coming out of the box for a breakaway, but Swayman went low to close the opening for the senior captain.

Maine kept BC at bay for most of the third period before taking a tripping penalty with 1:59 left on the clock. The Eagles called their timeout and pulled Woll for an extra skater to create a 6-on-4 power play. Less than 30 seconds into the man advantage, Hutsko snuck a pass to the front of the net for Aapeli Räsänen, who quickly beat Swayman with a one-timer inside the left post.

Boston College pulled Woll again with less than a minute remaining, but Maine survived a valiant final push from the Eagles in the waning seconds. Christopher Brown was denied on a wraparound, and Hutsko tried to stuff the puck inside the left pipe as he came above the goal line to create a shooting angle.

SCORING
13:53 1st, Maine Goal (0-1) | Boston College turned the puck over to Fossier in the defensive zone, and the winger closed in on Woll before firing a shot short side to open the scoring

6:52 2nd, Maine Goal (0-2) | BC partially blocked a shot from the right point, but Tralmaks found the loose puck in the slot and quickly spun a low shot inside the left post

18:27 3rd, BC Goal (1-2) | With Woll pulled for an extra skater, David Cotton fed Hutsko behind the Maine net as he played the puck in front to Räsänen for a quick one-timer on the power play

UP NEXT
The teams face off once again at Alfond Arena on Saturday (Feb. 23) at 7:30 p.m. The game will air live on Fox College Sports.

Last Minute BC Comeback Falls Short in Orono

Players Mentioned

Christopher Brown

David Cotton

Ben Finkelstein

Casey Fitzgerald

Logan Hutsko

Julius Mattila

Graham McPhee

Aapeli Räsänen

Joseph Woll