Dartmouth 1 - Maine 4

By Dave Sherzer

PORTLAND, Maine - The injury-riddled Dartmouth men's hockey team was over-matched during much of Sunday's game against 11th-ranked University of Maine at the Cumberland County Civic Center. The Black Bears thoroughly dominated the first period, looked sharp on the power play throughout the game and peppered the Big Green net with shot after shot.

Rookie goaltender Dan Yacey, making his first career start, stopped many of the Black Bears' best chances - including all 10 of their shots on the power play - but it was Dartmouth's mistakes that ultimately boosted the home team to a 4-1 victory.

Maine (11-6-3, 5-2-1 Hockey East) scored its first goal on a breakaway and its back-breaking third goal off a short-handed turnover late in the second period to avenge a 2-1 loss to the Big Green last season and remain unbeaten in five of its last six games.

Dartmouth, meantime, fell to 7-6-1 (4-2-1 ECAC) and remained winless against ranked teams.

"Maine is a good team. I thought we weathered the storm early on," head coach Bob Gaudet said. "We just had a couple of errors from guys you don't expect it from. Other than that, I thought we played a good, solid game."

Yacey was the brightest star in the Big Green loss.

The athletic freshman, who saw his first ice time last month against New Hampshire, kept the visitors in the game when they were getting pulverized in the first period to the tune of a 16-6 Maine shooting advantage (8-1 on the power play).

In sum, Yacey can take consolation in that he silenced a number of breakaways and held the potent Black Bears below their season average of 4.5 goals per game.

"I just tried to stay in position and take the angle away from the shooter. I was playing the percentages," said Yacey, who finished with 30 saves. "I got tested early in, so that got me into the game. It was exciting."

The first period was not a pretty sight for those who align themselves with the Green and White.

Maine burst out of the gate with two quick power plays and held a 7-1 shooting advantage after the first 7:20. Yacey made a few more spectacular saves in the ensuing minutes, including one on a Michael Schutte breakaway chance, before the Black Bears finally broke through.

Pilfering a failed Trevor Byrne attempt to pass into the Maine zone, sophomore Todd Jackson raced past Mike Turner and barreled toward Yacey, whom he deked into leaning right before he slipped the puck by the left post at 15:20 of the opening period.

"They had an advantage in the first, but I expect that," Gaudet said. "It's their building, basically, it's their environment. So I was happy to get out of that period down only 1-0."

Maine claimed a 2-0 lead at 4:48 of the middle frame, as Gray Shaneberger tipped in a Francis Nault shot from the point.

Dartmouth got back into the game on a power play minutes later. With Maine's penalty-killing quartet spread out, Byrne fired a shot that exploded off his stick and sailed past Mike Morrison (31 saves). Byrne's goal, his fourth, was assisted by Mike Murray and Mike Maturo.

But if Byrne's goal afforded his team renewed optimism for a possible upset, a Maine goal late in the second effectively dimmed those hopes.

Junior Tom Reimann netted a short-hander off a Nike Dimitrakos rebound with 42 ticks on the clock, allowing the Black Bears to play more of a defensive style in the third stanza. Maine entered the game with a somewhat modest 8-3-1 record when leading after two, but Dartmouth generated few threats in the final 20 minutes.

Maine's final goal was scored by Colin Shields into an empty net in the final minute.

"Our kids played a pretty solid game considering who we have out of the lineup," said Gaudet, referring to the injuries of regulars Dan Casella, Pete Summerfelt and Kent Gillings. "I think it speaks to our depth that different guys can step in and make a real impact."

The Big Green returns to ECAC play next Friday night when they take on Colgate in Upstate New York.