Final, 5-4 Maine: GOAL Maine!
It took just 1:29 for forward Brian Flynn to put home his 11th goal of the season and give the Black Bears (10-7-2, 7-6-1 in Hockey East play) their seventh win in nine games. UNH, on the other hand, lost its seventh in nine games and dropped to 6-11-2 (and 4-8-1 in Hockey East play).
Joey Diamond and Spencer Abbott assisted on the game-winning goal, giving them each a game-high three points.
Maine coach Tim Whitehead picks up win No. 302.
Not a bad day for hockey fans in the Boston area (minus the Bruins game, of course…). Time to rest up so that we can root for the Broncos tomorrow afternoon.
End of regulation, 4-4: There's something about hockey at Fenway Park that seems to produce overtime thrillers.
The Bruins went to OT when they played the Flyers in the 2010 NHL Winter Classic, and earlier today, UMass took down Vermont 3-2 in the extra period.
Now, it's UNH and Maine's turn.
Third period, 2:15, 4-4: DeSmith with back-to-back saves for UNH, as the game enters the final two minutes of regulation.
Are we looking at our second overtime of the day at Fenway?
Third period, 10:23, 4-4: No, there wasn't another scoring play.
We have a final attendance figure: 38,456.
Detroit and New Orleans are also in a wild one, as the the Saints hold a 24-21 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Third period, 15:17, 4-4: GOAL UNH!
Just when it looked like Maine was taking control of the game, the Wildcats strike twice in less than a two-minute span.
John Henrion was the culprit with the goal this time, while Grayson Downing and Jeff Silengo are credited with the assists.
Henrion and Silengo join teammate Kevin Goumas and Maine's Spencer Abbott, Mark Anthoine, Kyle Beattie and Joey Diamond as players with multi-point games.
Third period, 17:00, 4-3 Maine: GOAL UNH!
Kevin Goumas matches Maine's Joey Diamond with his second goal of the game.
Greg Burke and Stevie Moses combined for the assist, which pulled Moses even with Nick Sorkin for the team lead with 21 points.
Third period, 19:47, 4-2 Maine: GOAL Maine before I even have a chance to blink!
Joey Diamond with his second goal of the game, scoring off a pass by Spencer Abbott.
Abott, who entered the game second in the nation with 30 points, has two assists on the night so far.
End of second period, 3-2 Maine: The second period comes to a merciful end for UNH, who was outside 12-2 during the 20-minute session.
All the scoring action occurred between the and 7:26 marks, starting with Kevin Goumas' 5-on-3 shorthanded goal, which was soon followed by back-to-back power-play goals by Maine's Joey Diamond and Mark Anthoine.
This one's shaping up to be another exciting finish.
New Orleans and Detroit are also in a dogfight, as the Saints just took a 17-14 lead early in the third quarter.
Second period, 7:26, 3-2 Maine: Another GOAL!
Maine with two straight power-play goals to take the 3-2 lead…just 67 seconds after UNH took a 2-1 lead. The goal is the second of the game for Mark Anthoine.
Maine is now 3-5 on the power play and has a commanding 21-10 shots advantage.
I'm out of breath.
Second period, 8:16, 2-2: GOAL Maine!
Joey Diamond scores his 13th goal of the year, which was assisted by Spencer Abbott (assist No. 20) and Will O'Neil (assist No. 16).
Second period, 8:33, 2-1 UNH: GOAL UNH!
Kevin Goumas with the shorthanded goal – as in two-man down shorthanded goal – to give the Wildcats the 2-1 lead.
The goal is the fifth of the year for Goumas.
Second period, 11:29, 1-1: Some lucky fan on the third-base line just snatched a foul ball…uh, make that puck, which was deflected well outside the rink.
Maine starting forwards Brian Flynn, Spencer Abbott and Joey Diamond have combined for 10 shots as the Black Bears have taken a commanding 15-8 shots on goal advantage.
Maine will have a 56-second 5-on-3 advantage with 8:59 left in the second.
Second period, 17:30, 1-1: UNH's Casey DeSmith with back-to-back saves right off the bat, upping his total to 10 on the evening.
UNH defenders are getting in front of a lot of shots, but Maine is starting to dominate time of possession in the Wildcats' end.
Maine's Greg Burke was down on the ice for a couple minutes after getting knocked down from behind. UNH's Trevor van Riemsd (boarding) and Maine's Adam Shemansky have gone to the penalty boxes, so we'll now have two minutes of 4-on-4 action.
End of first period, 1-1: Maine fails to capitalize on its second power-play opportunity, and just like the earlier game, the first period comes to an end tied 1-1.
Maine takes a 10-7 shots advantage into intermission No. 1.
First period, 4:35, 1-1: UNH fails to get a shot off on the power play, moving the Wildcats to 0-2 on the man advantage.
Neither team has been able to gain much offensive momentum since Maine knotted the game at one over five minutes ago.
Quick NFL update: The Saints just tied the game against Detroit 7-7 early in the second quarter. Houston dismantled the Bengals at home 31-10 earlier today.
First period, 9:50, 1-1: Maine goalie Dan Sullivan stuffs the fastbreak shot by UNH's Nick Sorkin.
The game remains tied at one just over midway through the first period, with Maine holding the early 6-4 edge in shots.
First period, 15:50, 1-1: GOAL Maine!
The Black Bears answer UNH's quick strike with a goal of their own on the power play.
Sophomore Mark Anthoine scored his seventh of the year off a feed by Kyle Beattie (his 13th assist of the year) in front of the net.
UNH will take its turn on the power play, though, as Beattie picked up a two-minute minor for tripping shortly after the goal.
First period, 18:55, 1-0 UNH: GOAL UNH!
Forward John Henrison slaps in his fifth goal of the season after rebounding a shot by Grayson Downing.
Maine now goes on the power play with 17 to go in the first period.
8:08 p.m.: Here are the starting lineups:
UNH Wildcats
D – Conor Hardowa
D – Damon Kipp
F – Nick Sorkin
F – Stevie Moses
F – Kevin Goumas
G – Casey DeSmith
Maine Black Bears
D – Mike Cornell
D – Will O’Neil
F – Brian Flynn
F – Spencer Abbott
F – Joey Diamond
G – Dan Sullivan
UNH won the first meeting between the teams 3-2 back on Nov. 5, but the teams have been on different paths since. Maine (9-7-2, 6-6-1 in conference) is looking to extend its four-game unbeated streak, while conversely the Wildcats (6-10-2, 4-7-1 in conference) are winless in their last four games.
Ralph Cox was named one of the honorary captains before the game.
Final, 3-2 UMass: GOAL UMass!
The Minutemen picked a good time to put home their first power-play goal – with 23 seconds left in overtime – to take the early game of the 2012 Frozen Fenway.
Michael Marcou scored the winning goal for UMass (his fifth of the year), which was assisted by Danny Hobbs and Conor Sheary.
Both UVM's Rob Madore and UMass' Jeff Teglia finished with 23 saves, while Sebastian Stalberg and Danny Hobbs had a game-high two points for their respective teams.
With the win, UMass has evened the season series with the Catamounts 1-1 and improves to 7-8-5 (3-6-4 in Hockey East play) overall. Vermont, meanwhile, drops its fifth straight conference game and falls to 4-15-1 (1-11-1 in Hockey East play) on the season.
Game 2 is schedule to begin around 8:15 p.m.
Overtime, 1:19, 2-2: UMass will go on its fourth power play after UVM's Michael Paliotta gets the minor for boarding.
The Minutemen are 0-3 so far on the PP.
Overtime, 4:01, 2-2: UMass goalie Jeff Teglia comes up with the huge stick save.
Both teams change lines as we near the halfway mark in OT.
End of regulation, 2-2: And we finish regulation right where we started.
Vermont edges UMass in shots 24-23 at the end of three periods, but was just 2-7 on the power play. The Minutemen were 0-3 on their power-play attempts.
On to overtime…
Third period, 2:43, 2-2: UMass' Patrick Kiley picks up a five-minute major for hitting from behind, meaning Vermont will go on its seventh power play of the game.
The Catamounts will be on the man advantage for the remainder of regulation.
Third period, 3:30, 2-2: "Let's go UMass" chants begin with just over three minutes remaining in regulation.
Minutemen goalie Jeff Teglia has reached the 20-save mark, while Vermont's Madore is a save away from joining him.
We've now reached crunch time here at Fenway Park.
Third period, 7:03, 2-2: Vermont drops to 2-5 on the power play, while UMass goalie Jeff Teglia, picks up his his 17th save in the process.
Vermont goalie Rob Madore, meanwhile, has 18 saves in what's becoming a battle of the keepers.
Vermont goes on the power play for the sixth time with 6:37 left in the game after UMass' Oleg Yevenko picks up the two-minute minor.
Third period, 12:15, 2-2: UMass' Troy Power whistles one wide, and Patrick Kiley gets denied from point-blank range on Rob Madore's 17th save.
This game has been about as even as possible as we near the 50-minute mark – there's been two ties, both teams have had a one-goal lead, UMass has just three more shots on goal (19-16 overall), and Vermont has had four power plays to the Minutemen's three.
Only 10 minutes left now in regulation to decide the victor of the early game.
Third period, 15:54, 2-2: First whistle of the third period, as Vermont's net gets knocked out of place. Neither team has put a shot on goal yet.
The Texans have taken a 17-10 lead over the Bengals into halftime.
End of second period, 2-2: And after two periods…we've still settled nothing.
The teams head to their respective locker rooms knotted at two, with UVM edging UMass in second period shots on goal 9-6. Both goalies have reached double figures in saves (Vermont's Madore with 14, UMass' Jeff Teglia with 12).
See you all in 18 minutes for the game's Final Act.
Second period, 1:47, 2-2: We just had almost-fight No. 2, but the refs were quick to intervene.
We'll now see two minutes of 4-on-4 action, as Vermont's Kyle Reynolds and UMass' Michael Marcou head to the penalty boxes with matching minors for hitting after the whistle.
Second period, 3:58, 2-2: UMass has started to regain control, but hasn't been able to get another one past Rob Madore, who picked up his 13th and 14th saves in a three-second sequence.
This game has resembled a seesaw so far with all the back-and-forth action.
Second period, 12:25, 2-2: GOAL Vermont!
Defenseman Drew MacKenzie put home his sixth goal of the season (the most of any UVM defenders) off the feed from forward Sebastian Stalberg, who picked up his team-leading 14th assist. It also marks Stalberg's second assist of the game, giving him his sixth multi-point effort in the last nine games.
The Catamounts are now 2-4 on the power play and have equaled UMass in shots on goal at 11 apiece.
Second period, 13:46, 2-1 UMass: The penalties are starting to pile up for Massachusetts.
Danny Hobbs, who put the Minutemen on top earlier in the period, picks up a two-minute minor for tripping.
Vermont has its only goal of the game on the power play, although they've been unsucessful in their last two attempts.
Second period, 16:08, 2-1 UMass: We nearly saw fight No. 1 in the game, as a minor scuffle after the whistle ensued in front of UMass' net.
Vermont drops to 1-3 on the power play, and the Minutemen were able to kill of their second straight.
The Catamounts are starting to cut into UMass' shots on goal advantage, which now sits at 11-10 just over five minutes into the second period.
Second period, 2-1 UMass, 18:50: UMass wins the face-off, and the second period is underway.
And 1:10 in, forward Danny Hobbs puts in his sixth goal of the season to give the Minutemen the lead!
Hobbs' goal was unassisted, and UMass now holds an 20-8 edge in shots.
Vermont is looking to answer on its third power play (after Adam Phillips got two minutes for boarding) of the game.
End of first period, 1-1: After 20 minutes of play between UMass and UVM, we've settled nothing.
The team's are tied at the end of the one after scoring goals within 10 seconds of each another near the midway point of the first period. UVM freshman Kyle Reynolds connected for his seventh goal of the season, while UMass' Eric Filiou put home his first of 2011-12.
UMass doubled the Catamounts' shots on goal total in the first 20 minutes by a tally of 10-5, and has a 19-8 edge in shots overall. The Minutemen will have about 10 seconds remaining on their third power play when the teams return from intermission. The Catamounts were 1-2 on the man advantage in the first period.
First period: 2:07, 1-1: The game has settled down a bit after the team's combined for two goals in a 10-second time frame.
The Minutemen have dominated recent possession and have a 10-5 advantage in shots on goal, but they're 0-2 on the power play so far.
First period, 10:07, 1-1: GOAL Vermont! And before I could finish typing who scored it, UMass responds!
Vermont got on the board first 9:43 into the game courtesy of a Kyle Reynolds power-play goal. Then, just 10 seconds later, Eric Filiou responded for UMass.
Reynolds has been a nightmare this season for the Minutemen, as the frosh has three goals against them so far in one game and a half a period.
First period, 16:03, 0-0: UMass is unable to connect on either of its shot attempts on the first power play of the game.
Madore has three saves already in just over seven minutes of action, as the team's remain scoreless.
4:10 p.m.: UMass and Vermont are set to begin the rematch of their Nov. 22 meeting, when the Catamounts picked up their only conference win so far via a 2-1 victory.
Freshman Kyle Reynolds scored both UVM goals in the game, and goalie Rob Madore stopped 18 of 19 shots. The Catamounts have dropped four straight conference games, however, while the Minutemen are 2-1-1 in their last four games, including wins over No. 13 Cornell and No. 17 Yale.
UMass has the first power play of the game after Sebastial Stalberg picks up tripping penalty just under two minutes in.
8 a.m.: January of 2010 was a historic month for Fenway Park, as the 100-year-old stadium hosted both the 2010 NHL Winter Classic – a dramatic overtime victory for the Bruins – and a rare college hockey doubleheader.
Today marks the return of "Frozen Fenway," which will feature two games between four New England and Hockey East teams.
After the UNH women's team defeated Northeastern 5-3 in the early game of the original Frozen Fenway, over 38,000 people packed the ballpark for the nightcap between longtime rivals Boston College and Boston University. The Terriers were able to race out to a 3-0 lead, and despite a two-goal rally by the Eagles, BU was able to hang on for the 3-2 win.
This year's doubleheader, however, will showcase more of a New England flavor with four of the region's biggest state schools taking part.
UMass (6-8-4, 2-6-3 in Hockey East play) and Vermont (4-14-1, 1-10-1 in Hockey East play) will square off in the early game, beginning at 4 p.m. The Minutemen have three of the nation's top 50 players in points in forwards T.J. Snyder (22 points), Conor Sheary (20 points) and Michael Pereira (18 points), while UVM's Sebastian Stalberg checks in at No. 33 on the list.
The later game will pit Maine (9-7-2, 6-6-1 Hockey East) – led by forward Spencer Abbott, who's second in the country with 30 points – against rival UNH (6-10-2, 4-7-1 Hockey East).The Wildcats are off to a shaky start this season after making it to last year's NCAA Northeast Region final.
Face-off for Maine-UNH is set for 7:30 p.m.
