The Black Bear’s hockey season came to an end this past weekend in Allentown, PA as the Penn State Nittany Lions defeated Maine 5-1 in the first round of the NCAA Hockey Championship Regional Semifinal.
On March 22, the previous weekend, Maine was crowned Hockey East Champions for the first time since 2004 and entered the next game with two things: momentum and a heavy game load. The Black Bears played a lot of hockey in a short period of time, so it’s fair to wonder if exhaustion was a factor in last weekend’s loss.
The first period kicked off with a tantalizing start, with both teams going back and forth letting off shots and playing physical hockey. Maine struck first with a goal from third-year defenseman Bodie Nobe. His chipped shot went over the head of third-year Penn State goalie Arsenii Sergeev. Less than a minute later, the Lions responded with a goal of their own, courtesy of first-year forward JJ Wiebusch. Both teams followed up the goals with a fast-paced and high-volume passing play style. Despite this, Maine seemed to struggle early on with the accuracy of their passes
This game was extremely physical on both ends, after three consecutive boarding penalties, Penn State tried to capitalize on a power play. On the season, the Black Bears killed 83.9 % of power plays. However, Penn State tipped the scales with a goal off the stick of second-year forward Matt Dimarsico. Shortly after, second-year forward Dane Dowiak scored off a power play goal. The Nittany Lions beat Maine to the puck playing an extremely fast-paced offense and combining it with a physical effort on not only defense, but the middle zones of the ice. Every step of the way, Penn State put pressure on Maine’s offense.
To start the second period, Maine attempted to swing the momentum back in their favor, but the Nittany Lions kept disrupting the rhythm of Maine’s offense. Continuing their fast paced offense, Dimarsico grabbed his second goal of the night early in the second period after the sophomore took advantage of the hole in the Black Bear’s defensive line.
Unfortunately, a common theme in this matchup was Penn State’s ability to block Maine’s passes and shots. The Lions physically blocked Black Bears, who found little to no room to maneuver the puck around the ice whenever they tried to get an offensive possession going. Despite this, Maine kept getting shots off. Even if the quality of some of these shots weren’t in ideal conditions, the effort to keep the season alive was there. The period progressed with a couple of chances on both sides but the majority of Maine’s shots were blocked.
In the third period, Maine began the challenge of overcoming the overwhelming deficit down three goals to Penn State. After every Black Bear fan breathed a sigh of relief once second-year goaltender Albin Boija was alright after a big hit to his head/neck at the end of the second period, it was time to make that final push to keep the season alive.
Despite the effort, the Black Bears were simply exhausted at this point. Penn State was beating Maine to possessions, intercepting passes and physically overpowering the Black Bears. A fundamental part of Maine hockey is their tenacity. Even though their bodies might have been tired, the Black Bears gave it their all. They opened up the third period flying up and down the ice.
Penn State held possession of the puck however, the Lions managed to contest the puck at every stage on the ice and in every period of this game. The Black Bears were noticeably frustrated by the third period, as any fierce competitor would be.
Towards the end of the game, Dowiack scored his second goal of the night thanks to an empty net and the final one of this contest to make the score 5-1 in favor of the Nittany Lions.
Despite the disappointing result, this has been an incredible season for the Black Bears. David Breazeale, Harrison Scott, Ross Mitton, Taylor Makar, Lynden Breen, Nolan Renwick and several others have carried this team with a level of leadership and competitiveness all the way to becoming Hockey East Champions. It’s been thrilling to watch the connection this group of players has had all season. The future of Maine hockey is certainly bright.