It was Seniors Night at Alfond Arena and you couldn’t have scripted a better ending for UMaine senior center and co-captain Lynden Breen.
Breen’s 100th career point turned out to be a game-winning goal with 1:17 remaining as the Black Bears completed a sweep of UMass, 4-3, before another sellout crowd at the University of Maine’s Alfond Arena on Saturday night.
UMaine improved to 22-10-2 overall and wound up 14-9-1 in Hockey East which is good enough for third place behind regular season champion Boston College and runnerup Boston University.
UMaine earned a first-round bye and will now host the highest seeded survivor following Wednesday’s preliminary round games between seeds six through 11 in Saturday’s 7 p.m. quarterfinal at the Alfond Arena.
It also means regardless of their playoff outcome, the Black Bears are all but assured a spot in the 16-team NCAA Tournament field for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
UMass wound up 19-12-3 and 12-10-2 including three one-goal losses to UMaine.
UMass will be the fifth seed and will travel to take on fourth seed Providence in next Saturday’s quarterfinals. UMass would have been the fourth seed if it beat UMaine in any fashion: regulation, overtime or a shootout.
UMaine jumped out to a 2-0 lead on power play goals by Harrison Scott and Sully Scholle at the 5:18 and 10:37 marks of the first period. It was Scott’s 14th goal of the season and Scholle’s seventh.
Lucas Mercuri notched his eighth for UMass just 38 seconds after Scholle had scored and that triggered a run of three unanswered goals for the Minutemen.
Cole O’Hara tied it on the power play at the 4:15 mark of the second period with his seventh and Jack Musa collected his 12th only 2:05 later. It was an even-strength goal.
Josh Nadeau tied it for UMaine at the 11:22 mark of the second period, his 16th of his freshman campaign.
The desperate Minutemen poured it on in the third period looking for the game-winner and seemed the likelier of the two teams to break the deadlock.
UMass outshot UMaine 16-5 in the third period but freshman goalie Albin Boija stopped all 16, including a number of Grade-A (high-percentage) shots and Breen took full advantage of a costly UMass turnover to win it.
A UMass player tried to make a breakout pass but it hit his teammate’s skate and landed on Breen’s stick in the high slot.
“I hadn’t had any chances like that. I was getting hit every time I had the puck,” said Breen, whose goal was his…
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