Maine scored three power-play goals in the first period and never looked back, trouncing St. Lawrence 8-2 Saturday in the Black Bear Classic final.
Maine improved to 1-1-1 with the win. St. Lawrence dropped to 1-2.
Tournament MVP Tommy Reimann of Maine led the Black Bears with a pair of goals and Black Bear winger Mattias Trattnig added a goal and two assists in the victory.
“I’m most happy about an 8-2 win over a team of that caliber,” said Reimann. “Getting the award is nice, but this win really helps us.”
The sophomore forward got Maine the early lead with a power-play goal three minutes into the contest.
Maine’s Martin Kariya collected a loose puck behind the Saints net and passed to Robert Liscak in the opposite corner. Liscak spotted Reimann alone at the top of the right circle and made a nifty cross-ice pass.
“Robert’s pass was perfect,” said Reimann. “I just one-timed it and hit the right spot.”
The Black Bears then killed off three consecutive penalties before converting on the power play again.
Trattnig fought off two Saint defenders in the offensive zone and rifled a slap shot through traffic at the SLU net. The puck deflected off a group of players directly to Maine defenseman Michael Schutte who quickly popped the puck over St. Lawrence goalie Sean Coakleys glove for a 2-0 lead.
Less than two minutes later, Trattnig knocked home the rebound of a Doug Janik slap shot with Maine enjoying the man advantage.
“I was just trying to screen the goalie,” said Trattnig. “The puck just dropped in front of me and I reacted.”
Early in the second period, St. Lawrence appeared ready to make a game of it when forward Mike Gellard scored a power-play goal, cutting the lead to 3-1. But Maine answered less than a minute later with two goals in 30 seconds.
The first Black Bear goal was provided by Kariya, who beat Coakley to the short side. Half a minute later, Doug Janiks slapper from the point deflected off a Saint player in front and behind the beleaguered Coakley, giving Maine a 5-1 lead.
“We gave the puck away too much,” said SLU head coach Joe Marsh. “We were back on our heels all night and once they get rolling, they’re so tough to stop.”
Metcalf and Reimann added second-period goals, and Kevin Veneruzzo scored for the Saints late in the period. At the second break, Maine had a commanding 7-2 lead.
“After we answered their first goal with those two quick [goals],” said Trattnig, “you could see them let down a little. We kind of got hot, everything was going our way tonight.”
Maine’s Lucas Lawson added a shorthanded goal in the final period to punctuate the Black Bears’ successful evening on special teams.
“We’re starting to jell,” said Metcalf. “The special teams were the key tonight, but this team is really starting to come together.”
Doug Janik emphasized the importance of the win by saying, “It’s our first championship of the year. It’s also our first win over a team that will boost our RPI ranking. This is just what we needed to get things going in the right direction.”
Maine will stay home and face Ohio State in a pair of games next weekend. St. Lawrence will take a week off before opening at home with Quinnipiac.
