Josh Nadeau scores a pair of goals as UMaine completes hockey sweep of RPI
ORONO, Maine — University of Maine freshman right wing Bradly Nadeau had a pair of goals in his Alfond Arena debut on Thursday night, and it was older brother and linemate Josh’s turn to score a pair on Friday.
Josh Nadeau had a pair of power-play goals, and sophomore defenseman Grayson Arnott and senior right wing Donavan Houle scored important goals in the second and third periods, respectively, as the Black Bears completed a sweep of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy, New York, with a 6-3 victory.
Junior center and Bentley University transfer Harrison Scott scored his first goal in a Black Bear uniform.
Senior right wing Jake Gagnon had a pair of goals for RPI, and sophomore defenseman Lucas Matta had the other one.
Nadeau and Scott staked UMaine to a 2-0 lead with goals 4:08 apart in the first period before Gagnon answered with a breakaway backhander while the Engineers were shorthanded.
Nadeau scored a five-on-three power play goal at the 6:58 mark of the second period, and Arnott made it 4-1 with just 19 seconds left in the middle period.
Matta scored in the opening minute of the third period, but Houle restored the three-goal lead midway through the period, and Ben Poisson added an empty-netter after Gagnon scored his second of the game with 2:02 remaining.
Victor Ostman finished with 16 saves for the Black Bears, while Carson Cherepak had 45 saves for RPI.
Nadeau opened the scoring by shoving in a loose puck in the crease after he had an initial shot.
Scott made it 2-0 with a wrist shot from the right circle into the short side corner.
Gagnon converted a Sutter Muzzatti pass to make it 2-1 and give RPI some momentum.
After having a 5-on-3 power play, RPI took a pair of penalties and UMaine made it 3-1 with the two-man advantage when Nadeau rifled a one-timer past Cherepak off a Thomas Freel pass.
Arnott’s goal with 19 seconds left in the second period supplied the Black Bears with their first three-goal lead of the contest.
The Black Bears’ Bradly Nadeau carried the puck into the offensive zone down the left wing side and fired a diagonal pass to Scott, whose blistering one-timer was stopped by Cherepak.
But the rebound rolled across the crease and Arnott tapped it into the open net.
Matta scored 14 seconds into the third period with a slap shot from the left point that evaded Ostman.
But Houle restored a three-goal lead by reaching around Cherepak and sweeping a one-handed shot into the open net.
Gagnon scored with a shot from the right circle before Poisson iced it off an Houle pass.