ORONO — The University of Maine was shutout for the fifth time this season, losing a 1-0 Hockey East game to 11th-ranked Providence College Friday night at Alfond Arena.
Hayden Hawkey made 28 saves for his sixth shutout of the season, winning his 64th career game to tie the Providence record set by Mario Proulx in 1984.
Senior Bryan Lemos scored for Providence (16-8-5, 9-6-2 HE), which extended its winning streak against Maine to 15 straight games dating back to 2012.
Providence is 18-0-1 in its last 19 games against the Black Bears.
Jeremy Swayman made 29 saves for Maine (10-14-3, 6-8-3 HE), which is 5-5-1 since Jan. 1.
Maine had chances in the final minute of regulation with Swayman pulled for an extra attacker, most notably by Mitchell Fossier, who pushed his shot wide to the left of an empty net with under 30 seconds remaining.
Defenseman Brady Keeper’s one-timer from the left circle was turned away by Hawkey in traffic with 12 seconds remaining.
Providence scored early in the second period, beginning the period with energy the Black Bears didn’t match early on.
Both teams made partial line changes, and the Friars broke over the offensive line in a three-on-three rush. When Maine’s defense sagged too deep, Lemos carried the puck to the high slot and snapped his third goal of the season over Swayman’s glove at 5:10.
Outshot 7-0 midway through the period, Maine got better but still mustered just three shots on goal after the teams were even at 12 apiece after the first period.
Hawkey was tested in the first period, making power-play stops on Patrick Shea and Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup early and an even-strength stop on Ryan Smith’s redirect midway through.
Swayman was good, too, turning away Providence’s leading goal-scorer Jack Dugan in the first and making a point-blank stop on Tyce Thompson’s power-play one-timer from the left circle on a late second-period Friar man advantage.
Maine went 0 for 2 on the power play and couldn’t cash in on a golden opportunity with the man advantage with under five minutes remaining in regulation.
The two teams meet again at Alfond on Saturday night.
The Black Bears have been shutout by UMass-Lowell (1-0 on Nov. 2), Quinnipiac (2-0 vs. Nov. 21), Princeton (1-0 on Dec. 28) and Northeastern (4-0 on Jan. 12).
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