Trio of Black Bears Named Semi-Finalists For Walter Brown Award

ORONO, Maine -- University of Maine men's ice hockey seniors Brian Flynn (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Will O'Neill (Salem, Mass.) along with junior Joey Diamond (Long Beach, N.Y.) were named semi-finalists for the 2012 Walter Brown Award. There were 21 semi-finalists named to the Walter Brown Award, which is presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England.

Maine and Boston College and the lone schools with three semi-finalists. The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston will announce the finalists and the winner of the 60th Walter Brown Award in March.

Flynn ranks second on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points. He has played in an impressive 141 consecutive games for the Black Bears and has 65 goals and 83 assists for 148 career points. He is two points shy of becoming the 14th player in Maine history to amass 150 career points.

Flynn has been named Athletic Republic Hockey East Player of the Week this season and also a Maine Scholar-Athlete Award winner. He ranks sixth in the nation in points with 40 and sixth in points per game, averaging 1.38 per contest.

O'Neill has a goal and 24 assists on the season. He has played in 130 career games and is seven points shy of the 100-point plateau. O'Neill ranks seventh in the nation in points per game by a defenseman, averaging 0.86 per game.

Diamond has a team-high 18 goals and 13 assists for 31 points on the season. He was named Athletic Republic Hockey East Player of the Week on Jan. 9 and also earned Athletic Republic Hockey East Player of the Month honors for January.

Diamond is fifth in the nation in goals per game, averaging 0.69 per contest. He ranks tied for eighth in the nation in power play goals with eight.

Maine, 17-9-3 on the season and 12-8-2 in Hockey East play, is ranked 11th in the nation in each of the two national polls released each Monday. The Black Bears are eighth in the latest pairwise rankings.

Maine returns home to host UMass this weekend. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM on Fri., Feb. 17 and Sat., Feb. 18.


--University of Maine Athletic Department

Black Bears Complete Sweep of BU with 3-1 Win

Boston, Mass. -- The University of Maine men's ice hockey team completed the weekend sweep of second-ranked Boston University on Saturday night with a 3-1 win. Nick Pryor (Woodbury, Minn.) netted his first collegiate goal in the second period and it proved to be the game-winner. Maine improves to 14-8-3 on the season with the win and 11-7-2 in Hockey East play. Boston University falls to 15-8-1, 12-6-1 in conference play. Dan Sullivan (York, Pa.) made a career-high 38 save in the game.

The Black Bears have now swept #3 Boston College and #2 Boston University on back-to-back weekends.

Maine dominated play in the first period, but was unable to solve BU goalie Kieran Millan until just seven seconds remained in the frame. Mark Nemec (Rouses Point, N.Y.) had a shot that Jon Swavely (Reading, Pa.) was able to tip to John Parker (Green Point, N.J.). Parker fired the puck past Millan for his third goal of the season. Maine finished with a 21-8 edge in shots in the first period.

Boston University tied the game at 1-1 just 2:41 into the second period when Garrett Noonan tipped a Adam Clendening shot past Maine goalie Dan Sullivan (York, Pa.) on the power play. It was the ninth goal of the season for Noonan. Alex Chiasson also assisted on the goal for BU.

Maine took the lead at 6:00 of the second period when Pryor scored his first collegiate goal. Joey Diamond (Long Beach, N.Y.) won a face-off back in the slot. Pryor then took a few strides and blasted a slap shot that deflected off the post and into the back of the net.

The game remained tied until the Black Bears added an empty-net goal at 19:55. Will O'Neill (Salem, Mass.) dug the puck out of traffic and found Matt Mangene (Miller Place, N.Y.) in the neutral zone. He fired the puck into the empty net for his ninth goal of the season, giving Maine the 3-1 win.

Boston University outshot Maine 39-37 in the game. The Black Bears finished the game 1-for-8 on the power play, while BU was 1-for-5.

Maine goalie Dan Sullivan was outstanding, stopping 38 of the 39 shots that he faced in the game. He made 18 saves in the second period and all 12 in the third. He improves to 13-5-3 on the season. Kieran Millan made 34 saves for BU. He falls to 13-8-1.

The Black Bears return to action on Friday, Feb. 3 when they host Alabama-Huntsville.


--University of Maine Athletic Department

Black Bears Double Up #2 BU, 4-2

Boston, Mass. -- Spencer Abbott (Hamilton, Ontario) and Mark Anthoine (Lewiston, Maine) each had a goal and an assist as the University of Maine men's ice hockey team knocked off second-ranked Boston University on Friday night in front of over 5,066 fans at Agganis Arena. The Black Bears improves to 13-8-3 on the season with the win and 10-7-2 in Hockey East play. BU, who had not lost since falling to Notre Dame on Dec. 31, falls to 15-7-1 overall, 12-5-1 in conference play.

BU took a 1-0 lead with a power play goal at 17:56 of the opening frame. Chris Connolly and Wade Megan teamed up to find Alex Chiasson in the right face-off circle. He skated a stride and then fired a shot past Maine goalie Dan Sullivan (York, Pa.), giving BU the 1-0 lead.

Maine tied the game at 5:15 of the second period with a power play goal of their own. Mark Anthoine got the puck to Adam Shemansky (Robbinsville, N.J.) in the slot. Nearing the end of the power play, Shemansky had his shot on goal that beat BU goalie Kieran Millan.

Maine goalie Sullivan then robbed BU's Adam Clendening who had a clean breakaway to keep the game tied 1-1.

Maine took a 2-1 lead when Mark Nemec (Rouses Point, N.Y.) threaded a perfect pass to John Parker (Green Brook, N.J.) in transition. Parker fired a shot that went past Millan and into the back of the net. For Parker, it was his second goal of the season. Ryan Hegarty (Arlington, Mass.) also assisted on the goal for the Black Bears. As soon as Parker scored, the lights above the ice went off and the game was delayed for approximately 20 minute delay.

BU tied the game at 2-2 when Ross Gaudet collected the puck on the goal line and banked the puck off Sullivan and into the back of the net.

Maine took a 3-2 lead at 10:08 of the third period when Spencer Abbott got a pass from Brian Flynn (Lynnfield, Mass.) from the bottom of the circle. Abbott skated a few strides towards the blueline and fired a shot that Mark Anthoine tipped past BU goalie Kieran Millan. For Anthoine, it was his ninth goal of the season and eighth on the power play.

BU pulled their goalie with just under 2:00 left in regulation. A BU defender shot the puck from the point and Abbott blocked it. He then collected the puck, skated down the ice and fired the puck into the empty-net, giving Maine the 4-2 lead.

BU outshot Maine 30-25 in the game. The Black Bears finished 2-for-4 on the power play, while BU scored on its lone power play opportunity.

Maine goalie Dan Sullivan was outstanding, making 28 saves in goal. He made several brilliant stops for the Black Bears. He improves to 12-5-3 on the season. Kieran Millan made 21 saves in goal for the Terriers. He falls to 13-7-1.

The two teams will finish their two-game weekend series on Saturday, Jan. 28. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 PM from Agganis Arena. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.


--University of Maine Athletic Department

Black Bears Knock Off #3 Eagles

ORONO, Maine -- Matt Mangene (Miller Place, N.Y.) scored 3:42 into overtime as the University of Maine men's ice hockey team defeated #3 Boston College 4-3 on Friday night at Alfond Arena. He received a pass from Mark Anthoine (Lewiston, Maine) and had his shot find the right corner of the goal, giving Maine the win. Adam Shemansky (Robbinsville, N.J.) had a pair of goals for the Black Bears in the win. Maine improves to 11-8-3 on the season and 8-7-2 in Hockey East play. Boston College falls to 14-9-1 overall, 10-6-1.



Boston College opened the scoring at 3:20 of the first period when Bill Arnold scored his 12th goal of the season on the power play from Kevin Hayes and former Biddeford star Brian Dumoulin.



Maine knotted the score at 1-1 when Ryan Hegarty (Arlington, Mass.) and Kyle Beattie (Avondale, Ariz.) teamed up to find Shemansky. He had his shot from the wall beat Boston College goalie Chris Venti at 8:52 of the first period. For Shemansky, it was his seventh goal of the season.



Maine took its first lead of the game when Beattie eluded his defender in neutral ice, skated in on a two-on-one and fired a wrist shot past Venti just 2:19 into the second period. For Beattie, it was his third goal of the season. John Parker (Green Brook, N.J.) and Nick Pryor (Woodbury, Minn.) each assisted on the goal.



Boston College tied the game at 2-2 when Dumoulin faked a shot before finding Barry Almeida alone in the slot. Almeida beat Maine goalie Dan Sullivan (York, Pa.) for his 11th goal of the season at 15:48 of the second period. Pat Mullane also picked up an assist on the goal.



Dumoulin then scored his fourth goal of the season when he cleaned up the rebound of a Johnny Gaudreau shot that was left in the crease at 4:03 of the third period.



Maine then tied the game when Shemansky scored his second of the night when the Black Bears were skating with a five-on-three advantage. Will O'Neill (Salem, Mass.) had a shot that found Brian Flynn (Lynnfield, Mass.) on the left post. He deflected the puck to Joey Diamond (Long Beach, N.Y.) and then to Shemansky who swiped it into the back of the goal at 14:49 of the third.



Neither team was able to break the deadlock the remainder of regulation. In overtime, Mark Nemec (Rouses Point, N.Y.) deflected the puck to Mark Anthoine (Lewiston, Maine) in neutral ice. Anthoine then left a drop pass for Mangene who fired a shot into the upper right corner of the goal, giving the Black Bears the victory. For Mangene, it was his fifth goal of the season.



Maine goalie Dan Sullivan was outstanding, making 33 saves in goal. He improves to 10-5-3 on the season. Chris Venti made 29 saves for the Eagles. He falls to 1-1-0.



Maine is 3-0-3 in overtime this season. Boston College finished the game with a 36-33 edge in shots. The Black Bears were 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Eagles finished the game 2-for-4.



Maine and Boston College finish their two-game Hockey East weekend series with a game on Saturday afternoon. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 PM.


--University of Maine Athletic Department

MESN - Black Bears Joey Diamond named HEPOTW

University of Maine junior forward Joey Diamond (Long Beach, N.Y.) was named the Athletic Republic Hockey East Player of the Week on Monday. It is the second week in a row that a Black Bears earned the honor, as Spencer Abbott (Hamilton, Ontario) was honored last week. Diamond led the Black Bears to a pair of wins on the week.

Diamond scored three goals and added two assists as Maine swept games against Vermont and New Hampshire in the 2012 Sun Life Frozen Fenway. On Wednesday against Vermont, Diamond scored the game-winning goal at 13:25 of the second period on the power play. He also assisted on Brian Flynn's (Lynnfield, Mass.) game-winning goal.

On Saturday, Diamond had a pair of power play goals in Maine's 5-4 win over New Hampshire at Fenway Park. He then had a shot that Brian Flynn tipped past UNH goalie Casey DeSmith for the game-winning goal in overtime.

Diamond leads the team in goals with 14 and has 10 assists for 24 points. He is tied for the team-lead in power play goals with seven and has one game-winner.

In addition, Maine was named the Hockey East Co-Team of the Week with UMass.

Diamond and the Black Bears return to action on Friday, Jan. 13 when they travel to Merrimack for a battle with the Warriors. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM on Friday and 5 PM on Saturday.

-University of Maine-

Black Bears Claw Past Catamounts 3-1

ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine men's ice hockey team, which has now won six of its last seven games, defeated Vermont 3-1 on Wednesday night at Alfond Arena. Joey Diamond (Long Beach, N.Y.) and Brian Flynn (Lynnfield, Mass.) each led the Black Bears offense with a goal and an assist. Maine improves to 9-7-2 on the season with the win and 6-6-1 in Hockey East play. Vermont falls to 4-14-1 on the campaign, 1-10-1 in conference play.



Vermont jumped out to a 1-0 lead 14:36 into the first period when Drew MacKenzie shot a puck through the crease. Sebastian Stalberg was able to get a stick on the puck and beat Maine goalie Dan Sullivan (York, Pa.). Kyle Reynolds also assisted on power play goal which gave Vermont the 1-0 lead.



Maine tied the game with a power play goal of its own. Will O'Neill (Salem, Mass.) had the puck just inside the blueline. He found reigning Hockey East Player of the Week and Month Spencer Abbott (Hamilton, Ontario) who held the puck before finding Adam Shemansky (Robbinsville, N.J.) on the left post. Shemansky tipped the puck past Vermont goalie Rob Madore to tie the game at 1-1. For Shemansky, it was his sixth goal of the season.



Maine took a 2-1 lead at 13:25 of the second period with its second power play goal of the game. Brian Flynn got the puck to Mark Anthoine (Lewiston, Maine), who shot it at the goal. Joey Diamond (Long Beach, N.Y.) battled for the puck in the crease and beat Madore for his team-leading 12th goal of the season.



Maine iced the game at 18:44 with an empty net goal. Diamond was able to gain control of the puck from a Catamount defender. He passed to Flynn who fired the puck into the empty net. For Flynn, it was his 10th goal of the season.



Maine outshot Vermont 43-26 in the game. The Black Bears were 2-for-8 on the power play, while Vermont finished 1-for-6.



Maine goalie Dan Sullivan made 25 saves in goal, including stopping two breakaways. He improves to 8-4-2 on the season. Rob Madore stopped 40 shots for the Catamounts. He falls to 3-11-1 on the season.



Maine returns to action on Saturday, Jan., 7 when it faces arch rival New Hampshire in a historic game at 2012 Sun Life Frozen Fenway.


--Information Courtesy of University of Maine Athletic Department

Black Bears Clobber Clarkson 6-1

ESTERO, Fla. -- Brian Flynn (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Spencer Abbott (Hamilton, Ontario) each had a goal and two assists to lead the University of Maine men's ice hockey team to a 6-1 victory over Clarkson in the first game of the Florida College Classic on Thursday afternoon in Estero, Fla. Maine will face the winner of the Cornell vs. UMass game in the Championship game on Friday night at 7:30 PM.



Maine struck first when Flynn scored his seven goal of the season at 8:25 of the first period when he received a pass from Abbott and shot the puck past Clarkson goalie Cody Rosen on the left goal post. Will O'Neill (Salem, Mass.) also assisted on the goal. Ryan Hegarty (Arlington, Mass.) extended Maine's lead to when his shot from the blueline found the upper corner of the net. Joey Diamond (Long Beach, N.Y.) and Flynn both assisted on the goal.



Maine made it 3-0 at 18:47 when Hegarty got the puck to Flynn. He passed to Abbott who shot from the top of the circle, beating Rosen for his 11th goal of the season at 18:47. The Black Bears took the 3-0 lead into the first intermission.



The Black Bears made it 4-0 at 7:30 of the second period with a goal in transition. Brice O'Connor (Londonderry, N.H.), who now has points in four straight games, began the play when he gained control of the puck in the defensive zone. He found Kyle Beattie (Avondale, Ariz.) who skated the puck up the ice. Adam Shemansky (Robbinsville, N.J.) finished the play with his fifth goal of the season.



Maine tallied a shorthanded goal at 10:09 when Mike Cornell (Franklin, Mass.) found Matt Mangene (Miller Place, N.Y.) who skated the puck up the ice. Mangene had a shot that Richie LeVeau saved, but the rebound when to Mark Anthoine (Lewiston, Maine) who fired the puck into the back of the net.



Maine took a 5-0 lead into the second intermission. The second period was marred with 26 penalties for 84 minutes.



Diamond added a power play goal at 3:18 of the third period as the Black Bears extended their lead to 6-0. O'Neill began the play and found Shemansky. He then passed to Diamond just outside the crease. Diamond capitalized with his 10th goal of the season.



Clarkson got on the board at 9:36 when Louke Oakley tipped a Alex Boak shot past Maine goalie Dan Sullivan (York, Pa.) to break up his shutout bid. Joe Zarbo also assisted on the goal.



Maine outshot Clarkson 36-19 in the game. The Black Bears finished 2-for-7 on the power play, while Clarkson was scoreless in seven chances.



Maine goalie Sullivan was impressive, stopped 18 of the 19 shots that he faced. He improves to 6-4-2 on the season. Cody Rosen made 15 saves in 27:30. He falls to 0-1-0 on the season. Richie LeVeau made 15 saves in 32:32.



Maine returns to action on Friday, Dec. 30 when it plays for the Florida College Classic title. Puck drop will be at 7:30 PM against either UMass or Cornell.

--Information Courtesy of the University of Maine Athletic Department

Gustav Nyquist Named Second Team All-American

Former University of Maine men's ice hockey junior forward Gustav Nyquist (Malmo, Sweden) was named to the AHCA Men's Division I All-America Second Team on Friday, April 8. It was just one of many honors that the standout has received during his career. The All-American teams were announced Friday night at the Frozen Four.

It is the 39th time in Maine history that a player has been named an All-American. Nyquist was named a First Team All-American in 2010. He becomes the eighth player in Maine history to be named a two-time All-American. Jean Yves Roy was a three-time All-American, while David Capuano, Keith Carney, Chris Imes, Michel Léveillé, Jim Montgomery and Jeff Tory join Nyquist as two-time All-Americans.

Nyquist was named to the 2011 Hockey East First Team and was named one of the 10 finalists for the 2011 Hobey Baker Award, which was presented on Friday night to Miami's Andy Miele. He also earned a spot on the 2010–2011 New England Men's Division I All-Star Team.

Nyquist led Maine in scoring for the third straight season with 18 goals and 33 assists for 51 points. He had six power play goals, two short-handed tallies and a pair of game-winners. Nyquist saw action in 113 career games for the Black Bears. He scored 50 goals and added 94 assists for 144 points. He finishes tied for 17th on Maine's all-time scoring list.

Among his career highlights are: 2010 Hobey Baker Hat Trick, 2010 First Team RBK Hockey / AHCA Men's Division I All-American, 2010 All-College Hockey News First Team, 2010 CollegeHockey247.com All-American, 2010 Inside College Hockey All-America First Team, Runner-Up for 2010 Hockey East Player of the Year, 2010 Hockey East All-Tournament Team, ESPN The Magazine / COSIDA District I Academic All-District Second Team.

Nyquist also excels in the classroom. An economics major, he has been named a Maine Scholar-Athlete Award winner twice in his career. He was a finalist for the 2011 M Club Dean Smith Award, presented annually to the top male and female student-athletes at Maine. He has also been named to the Hockey East Academic Honor Roll.

-U-M-

Brian Flynn and Will O'Neill named 2011-12 Captains for Maine

University of Maine men's ice hockey coach Tim Whitehead announced on Thursday that Brian Flynn (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Will O'Neill (Salem, Mass.) have been named captains for the 2011-2012 season. Both will be seniors during the upcoming campaign. Classmate Spencer Abbott (Hamilton, Ontario) along with junior Mike Cornell (Franklin, Mass.) will serve as assistant captains.

Flynn has seen action in 113 career games for the Black Bears, including the last 112 consecutive games. He has 51 goals and 57 assists for 108 career points. Flynn scored a team-high 20 goals last season and dished out 16 assists for 36 points. He scored five power play goals and led the team in game-winning goals with four. Earlier this month, Flynn earned the Hockey East Len Ceglarski Award, given at the end of the season to one player in Hockey East for sportsmanship. Flynn was whistled for just four penalties for eight minutes last season.

O'Neill, a fixture on the blueline the past three seasons, has played in 101 career games. He has 16 goals and 52 assists for 68 career points. He played in 28 games this season, missing eight games with an injury. He tallied four goals and added 17 assists for 21 points.

Abbott has played in 112 career games with 33 goals and 51 assists for 84 career points. He saw action in all 36 games this past season and finished second on the team in scoring with 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points. He lead the Black Bears with eight power play goals and also notched a pair of game-winners.

Cornell, a defenseman, has played in 55 games his first two years with the Black Bears. He has a goal and 10 assists for 11 career points. This year, Cornell played in 29 goals and scored a goal and added seven assists for eight points.

--UMaine Communications--

Former Black Bears Nyquist, House rack up more honors

The honors for University of Maine men's ice hockey players Gustav Nyquist (Malmo, Sweden) and Tanner House (Cochrane, Alberta) continued on Wednesday. Nyquist was named to the 2010-2011 New England Men's Division I All-Star Team for the second year in a row. House earned the Frank Jones Award as the Best Defensive Forward.

Nyquist earned a spot on the Hockey East First Team and was also named one of the 10 finalists for the 2011 Hobey Baker Award.

Nyquist saw action in all 36 games for the Black Bears. He scored 18 goals and added 33 assists for finish with 51 points. He led Maine in scoring for the third year in a row. Nyquist had six power play goals and a pair of short handed tallies.

Nyquist, who last week signed a professional contract with the Detroit Red Wings, finished his career ranked tied for 17th on Maine's all-time scoring list with 50 goals and 94 assists for 144 career points.

House was named the Best Defensive Forward in Hockey East this year as well. A two-year captain, he saw action in 35 games and scored 10 goals and dished out 25 assists for 35 points this season. He finished a +13 in Hockey East league games this season.

House recently signed a professional contract with the Edmonton Oilers.

-UMaine Communications-

UMaine Hockey wins 6th straight

The University of Maine men's ice hockey team won its sixth straight game with 4-3 win over UMass on Friday night at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass. Maine jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but saw the Minutemen score three third period goals to make it a 4-3 final. Spencer Abbott (Hamilton, Ontario) had a goal and an assist for the Black Bears, while Robby Dee (Plymouth, Minn.) netted the game-winner.

Maine improves to 17-10-6 on the season with the win and 14-8-4 in Hockey East play. UMass falls to 6-21-5 overall and 5-16-5 in conference play.

Maine took a 1-0 lead with a power play goal at 12:19 of the first period. Will O'Neill (Salem, Mass.) got the puck to Gustav Nyquist (Malmo, Sweden) who skated it behind the net. Nyquist found Spencer Abbott near the top of the face-off circle and he fired a shot past UMass goalie Paul Dainton, giving Maine the 1-0 lead. For Abbott, it was his 16th goal of the season.

Neither team was able to notch a goal during the second period, however, the Black Bears had a 35-17 edge in shots on goal after two periods of play.

Maine took a 2-0 lead just 1:30 into the third period goal with a short handed goal. Brian Flynn (Lynnfield, Mass.) got the puck to Matt Mangene who fired it at the net. Dainton got a piece of it, but the puck had enough momentum to just barely roll across the goal line. The play was reviewed and called a good goal. For Mangene, it was his third goal of the season.

Maine extended its lead to 3-0 at 4:12 of the third period. Nyquist got the puck to Josh Van Dyk (Woodstock, Ontario) who fired the puck past Dainton from the left face-off circle. Van Dyk extended his goal scoring streak to three games with the goal. Tanner House (Cochrane, Alberta) also picked up an assist on the play.

UMass got on the scoreboard at 10:46 of the third period when Adam Phillips slide the puck past Maine goalie Dan Sullivan (York, Pa.) from the right face-off circle. Marc Concannon assisted on the play.

Maine answered right back with a goal by Robby Dee just 17 seconds later. Kyle Beattie (Avondale, Ariz.) and Abbott each assisted on the goal by Dee, which was scored from the slot.

UMass then scored goals seven seconds apart by Danny Hobbs and Michael Pereira to pull to within one goal at 4-3. Both team had chances for goals in the final minutes, but the game finished 4-3.

Maine outshot UMass 40-34 in the game. The Black Bears finished 1-for-2 on the power play, while UMass scored a goal in four chances.

Maine goalie Dan Sullivan made 31 saves in goal. He improves to 10-5-1 on the season. Dainton stopped 36 shots for the Minutemen. He falls to 6-16-4 on the campaign.

The Black Bears and Minutemen wrap up the 2011 regular season when face each other on Saturday, March 5 at 7 PM at the Mullins Center.


-UM COMMUNICATIONS-

Nyquist gets an honor

University of Maine junior standout Gustav Nyquist (Malmo, Sweden) has been named the Hockey East Athletic Republic Player of the Month for February. Nyquist led the Black Bears to a 5-3-0 record in February, including a pair of wins over then fourth-ranked Merrimack.

Nyquist led all Black Bears in scoring in February with 10 goals and four assists for 14 points. He opened February with his first career hat trick in Maine's game against New Hampshire. He followed that up with a goal against the Wildcats the following night to finish with four goals on the weekend.

Nyquist had a goal in Maine's game against Vermont on Feb. 11 and followed that up with two goals and an assist the following night in Maine's 4-2 victory over the Catamounts. After being held scoreless in Maine's first game at UMass Lowell, he scored a pair of goals the following night including the game-winner.

Nyquist had two assists in Maine's 4-0 win over #4 Merrimack on Friday, before adding a goal and an assist the next night as Maine swept the weekend series from the Warriors.

He had four power play goals on the month and a pair of shorthanded tallies. He scored at least one point in seven of the eight games and had at least one goal in six of the eight games. In addition, he had a pair of three-point games and three two-point games.

It is the second time in his career that Nyquist has earned Hockey East Player of the Month honors, as he also received the honor in December of 2009.

Nyquist leads Maine in scoring with 16 goals and 26 assists for 42 points. He has five power play goals on the season and two shorthanded goals.

Nyquist and the Black Bears return to action on Friday, March 4 when they travel to UMass to begin the final series of the 2010-2011 regular season with the Minutemen. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM.

-UM COMMUNICATIONS--

NHL Trade Deadline: Players with Maine ties involved

The NHL Trade deadline has come and gone, but players that have played here in the state of Maine were involved the proceedings. Among them:

Former UMaine Black Bear and Portland Pirate Dustin Penner was traded from Edmonton to the LA Kings. He will wear #25, his number at UMaine.

Former Lewiston Maineiac Michael Chaput was traded to Columbus along with Lisbon, Maine native and Black Bears alum Greg Moore, for Tom Sestito.

Black Bears rebound

Joey Diamond (Long Beach, N.Y.) broke a 2-2 tie midway through the third period and Gustav Nyquist (Malmo, Sweden) iced the game with an empty-net goal as the University of Maine men’s ice hockey team skated to a 4-2 win over Vermont on Saturday night at Alfond Arena. Maine improves to 12-10-6 on the season and 9-8-4 in Hockey East play. Vermont falls to 7-16-5 overall and 5-12-4 in conference play.

Nyquist set a school record when he got the puck from Tanner House (Cochrane, Alberta) and fired a shot past Vermont goalie Rob Madore on the opening face-off, just six seconds into the game. It bested the previous record of eight seconds that Bruce Major set against Northern Michigan on Nov. 16, 1985.

Maine was then whistled for two quick penalties and UVM reaped the reward of a five-on-three goal. Sebastian Stalberg beat Maine goalie Shawn Sirman (Blezard Valley, Ontario) with a shot that found the upper right corner of the goal at just 1:39 of
the first. Jack Downing and Chris McCarthy each assisted on the goal. The Catamounts took a 2-1 lead when Downing tipped a McCarthy shot from the blueline past Sirman on the power play at 15:25 of the first. Josh Burrows picked up an assist on the goal.

Maine tied the game with a power play goal at 13:52 of the second period. Spencer Abbott (Hamilton, Ontario) had a shot from the point that Madore stopped, but the rebound when right to Brian Flynn (Lynnfield, Mass.) who was alone just outside the
crease. Flynn easily beat Madore for his 14th goal of the season. Nyquist also picked up an assist on the play.

Maine notched the game-winner at 12:38 of the third period. Robby Dee (Plymouth, Minn.) won the puck to Will O’Neill (Salem, Mass.). O’Neill fired the puck down the ice and Diamond controlled it behind the net. He then carried the puck around the
net and beat Madore for his 10th goal of the season.

Nyquist added an empty-net unassisted score with just 22 seconds remaining to ice the game for the Black Bears. For Nyquist, it was his fourth straight game with a goal and 13th of the season.

Maine outshot Vermont 39-19 in the game. The Black Bears were 1-for-8 on the power play, while Vermont finished 2-for-7.

Shawn Sirman made 17 saves in goal and improves to 4-2-3 on the season. Madore made 35 saves. He falls to 7-16-5.

The Black Bears return to action on Friday, Feb. 18 when they travel to UMass Lowell. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM.

--BLACK BEARS COMMUNICATIONS--

Maine's Tanner House named LOWE'S Finalist

Ten NCAA® hockey student-athletes who excel both on and off the ice were selected as finalists today for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in hockey. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. The list of finalists follows this release. Maine’s Tanner House (Cochrane, Alberta) was named one of the 10 finalists. He is the lone Hockey East student-athlete to have been named a finalist.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 20 candidates announced in October. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to determine the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote via the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award website or on the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Facebook fan page through March 20. Fan votes will be combined with media and coaches votes to determine the winner.

House is captain of the Black Bears. He has nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points on the season.

Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the winner April 7 at the NCAA Frozen Four® in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

House and the Black Bears return to action on Friday, Feb. 4 when they travel to New Hampshire. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 PM and the game will be televised on NESN.

Maine Faces BU in weekend series

PHOTO COURTESY CHRIS ROY

The University of Maine men’s ice hockey team skated to a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Boston University on Saturday night in front of 5,350 fans at Alfond Arena. Will O’Neill (Salem, Mass.) and Joe Pereira scored first period goals and the goalie stole the show the remainder of the night. Maine moves to 11-7-6 on the season and 8-5-4 in Hockey East play. Boston University sees it record go to 12-7-7, 9-5-5 in conference play.

Maine wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Tanner House (Cochrane, Alberta) battled to get the puck to Brian Flynn (Lynnfield, Mass.). Flynn and a BU defender both pursued the puck, but Flynn was able to get it to Will O’Neill on the blueline. He fired the first shot of the game past BU goalie Kieran Millan just 21 seconds in. For O’Neill, it was his second goal of the season.

Minutes later on the power play, Maine tried to make a pass on the blueline that Boston University’s Chris Connolly picked off. He skated in on Maine goalie Martin Ouellette (St.-Hippolyte, Quebec) on a two-on-none breakaway. Connolly slide the puck to Joe Pereira who beat Ouellette. For Periera, it was his 11th goal of the season.

Maine had a commanding 20-2 edge in shots on goal in the first period and finished the game with a 42-20 advantage. Maine goalie Martin Ouellette and BU netminder Kieran Millan each made some outstanding saves in the game. Ouellette finished with 19 saves and moves to 3-2-2 on the season. Millan made 41 saves and moves to 9-5-7.

Maine finished the game 0-for-7 on the power play, while BU was scoreless on five chances. The Black Bears were able to kill off a five minute penalty, including nearly a two-minute five-on-three. Maine held BU scoreless in 11 power play opportunities on the weekend.

Saturday marked the 100th career game for Maine junior Spencer Abbott (Hamilton, Ontario). Flynn, who played in his 100th career game for Maine on Friday night, played in his 100th consecutive game on Saturday night.

The Black Bears return to action on Friday, Feb. 4 when they face off against the University of New Hampshire, for a two game series in Durham, N.H. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 PM and the game can be seen on NESN.

 - UNIVERSITY OF MAINE - 

UMaine ties Northeastern

The University of Maine men's ice hockey team battled back from a 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead in the third period, but in the end, skated to a 3-3 draw at Northeastern on Saturday night. Maine moves to 11-6-5 on the season and 8-4-3 in Hockey East play. Northeastern moves to 7-10-5 overall and 6-7-4 in conference play. Maine was led by senior captain Tanner House (Cochrane, Alberta) who had a pair of goals in the game.

Maine and Northeastern battled through a scoreless first period. The Black Bears finished the period with a 9-5 edge in shots on goal.

Northeastern took a 1-0 lead just 54 second into the second period with a power play goal. Wade MacLeod had a shot from the right face-off circle that Maine goalie Shawn Sirman (Blezard Valley, Ontario) stopped, but the rebound lay in the crease before Anthony Bitetto fired it into the goal. For Bitetto, it was his second goal of the season. Tyler McNeely also assisted on the goal. The Huskies added to their lead less than two minutes later. Rob Dongara left a drop pass for Mike McLaughlin.

McLaughlin rifled a shot past Sirman from the right face-off circle, extending Northeastern's lead to 2-0. Brodie Reid also picked up an assist on the goal.

Maine pulled to within one goal at 16:15 of the second period when Brian Flynn (Lynnfield, Mass.) tipped a Gustav Nyquist (Malmo, Sweden) shot past Northeastern goalie Chris Rawlings on the power play. Robby Dee (Plymouth, Minn.) began the play with the initial shot on goal. It did not take Maine long to tie up the game when Tanner House tipped a Spencer Abbott (Hamilton, Ontario) shot from the blueline past Rawlings at 17:10. For House, it was his seventh goal of the season.

The Black Bears took their first lead of the game when House scored his second of the game. Two players collided in the neutral zone, leaving the puck up for grabs. A Northeastern player and House both rushed the puck. House was able to gain control of it and one-time a shot past Rawlings, giving Maine a 3-2 lead. For House, it was his eighth goal of the season.

Wade MacLeod tied the game at 3-3 for Northeastern with just 2:36 remaining in regulation when he beat Sirman. Bitetto also assisted in the goal.

Maine goalie Sirman made 19 saves in the game. He moves to 3-0-3 on the season. Rawlings stopped 34 shots in goal for the Huskies. He moves to 6-8-5.

Maine finished the game with a 37-22 edge in shots on goal. The Black Bears were 2-for-5 on the power play, while Northeastern was 2-for-7.

The Black Bears return to action on Friday, Jan. 28 when they host Boston University in the first of a two-game series. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM. Tickets are available by calling the Maine ticket office at 207-581-BEAR or 1-800-756-TEAM.


-U-M-

Will O'Neill named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week

University of Maine junior defenseman Will O'Neill (Salem, Mass.) was named the Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, Jan. 3, 2011. O'Neill helped the Black Bears split a pair of games in the 2010 Florida College Classic.

O'Neill returned to the lineup on Dec. 29 against #6 Miami after missing eight games with an injury. He dished out an assist on Maine's lone goal in a 4-1 loss to the RedHawks. He followed that up by recording a pair of assists in Maine's 3-2 win in overtime against Cornell the following night.

For his efforts, O'Neill was named to the 2010 Florida College Classic All-Tournament Team.

O'Neill has seen action in 10 games for the Black Bears this season. He has one goal and seven assists for eight points.

O'Neill and the Black Bears return to action on Saturday, Jan. 8 when they travel to Merrimack for a Hockey East game with the Warriors. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 PM.

- University of Maine - 

The Weekend in Pucks 12/10-12/12

BRYAN FLYNN WITH A BIG WEEK FOR THE BLACK BEARS (Photo Jeff Schools)

Another weekend down, and more local hockey action to recap. Let's get to it:

Pirates

The Pirates started a road trip in Adirondack on Saturday night to take on the Phantoms, and Paul Byron and Derek Whitmore scored third period goals to lift the Portland Pirates to a 2-1 win over the Adirondack Phantoms at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Jhonas Enroth made 27 saves to support the Pirates victory, their second straight. The win put Portland at 16-8-1-1 on the season. Luke Pither scored the lone Adirondack goal. The Phantoms dropped to 4-21-2-0 on the campaign.

Sunday, the Pirates once again rode the hot hand of Derek Whitmore, who scored a pair of power-play goals to lead the Pirates to a 4-2 win over the Manchester Monarchs at the Verizon Wireless Arena.

Max Legault and Colin Stuart also scored for the Pirates, who posted their third consecutive victory and moved into a first place tie with Manchester atop the Atlantic Division. The Pirates are now 17-8-1-1 on the season.

UMaine
The Black Bears kicked off their weekend in a sour way, blowing a 3-1 lead to UNH and losing in overtime 4-3. Gustav Nyquist tallied a goal and an assist, and his goal put the Black Bears up 3-1 5:12 into the second, but it wasn't enough, as UNH scored two third period goals, including a Dalton Speelman goal with 18 seconds left to tie it. In OT, Jeff Silengo tapped one in past Martin Ouellette 1:26 into the overtime period, and the Wildcats left town with a win.

On Sunday the Black Bears got one back, using a Brian Flynn hat-trick to beat UMass 4-1. Chase Langeraap got the scoring started when he put the Minutemen up 1-0, 14:34 into the first period, but the Black Bears scored four unanswered goals, the first being 5:33 into the second period when Brian Flynn notched his seventh goal of the season. In the third period, the Black Bears pulled away. They took advantage of a UMass interference call and Flynn notched his second goal of the game to put Maine up 2-1, 2:24 into the third period. Flynn would pick up his hat trick goal with 2:04 remaining in the third periodto put Maine up 4-1. Adam Shemansky added the other goal for the Black Bears, who are 8-4-4 on the season now.

Maineiacs
Lewiston played on Friday night, and avenged a loss to St. John's with a 5-2 win at the Colisee. Nick Champion had 44 saves on 46 shots, and Olivier Dame-Malka, Antoine Houde-Caron, Sam Henley, Michael Chaput, and Etienne Brodeur had the goals for Lewiston.

Brian Dumoulin named Pine Tree Pucks Player of the Week

BIDDEFORD'S BRIAN DUMOULIN MAKES TEAM USA

PLAYER OF THE WEEK #1 STAR - Brian Dumoulin Boston College - A little unconventional, but Brian is a Mainer from Biddeford, so making the US National Juniors World Championship Tournament team is kind of a big deal. Congrats to Brian and looking forward to later this month as Brian takers the world hockey stage in Buffalo.

#2 STAR - Spencer Abbott Maine Black Bears - Abbott continues his great season, scoring 3 goals and dishing 2 assists in a lossless weekend in Providence.

#3 STAR - Etienne Brodeur Lewiston MAINEiacs - Brodeur racked up yet another short handed goal during his 2 goal and 2 assist week for the Lewiston MAINEiacs.