ORONO — With two of the top three scoring teams in the country on the ice, of course you get a low-scoring game. In Friday’s matchup of top 10 teams, No. 6 Denver and No.
7 Maine, the first of the weekend’s two games went to Denver, in heartbreaking fashion for the Black Bears. The Pioneers scored the game winner with 20.7 seconds left, a shot from the point by Cale Ashcroft that deflected off the shin guard of Maine’s David Breazeale and past goalie Albin Boija.
It came after Maine (12-4-2) lost a faceoff in its defensive zone, and blocked the initial shot. For Maine coach Ben Barr, it was an another example of not doing all the little things in a close game against a strong opponent. In that regard, it was similar to Sunday’s 4-2 loss to Bentley in Portland.
“Our margin of error, and this has been for the whole time that we’ve been here, our margin of error is very, very small. When you play teams like (Denver), that one faceoff matters. It’s disappointing,” Barr said.
“We just didn’t do enough to win.” Both teams are also among the best in the nation in scoring defense. Only Minnesota State allows fewer goals per game than Maine’s 1.
76, while Denver (15-4) is tied for seventh in the country allowing two goals per game. For most of the game, Maine’s defensive effort was strong. Denver came into the game tied with Minnesota as the top scoring team in the country, averaging four goals per game (Maine is third at 3.
88 goals per game). While the Pion.
