BOSTON – Maine thought it had struck first Saturday night when former St. Dom’s forward Derek Damon scored on the power play. Damon deposited a shot from the point that got by two Denver defenders. Damon, all alone at the left post, popped it into the net at 5:05 to give the Black Bears the edge.

The lead didn’t last long though.

Upon review it was determined forward Mike Hamilton had a skate in the crease on the opposite side of the net, nullifying the power play goal.
“Once I got to the bench, they said they were goinhg to go upstairs,” said Damon. “I was just hoping that I wasn’t in the crease. Instead it was another one of our forwards. That’s hockey. That’s tough. It’s a mad scramble in front. To have that disallowed is tough to swallow.”
Scoring first has been key for both squads. Maine was 28-1-1 entering the game when scoring first and were 5-6-1 when their opponents did. Denver, which fell behind 2-0 in the opening period Thursday, was 17-3-2 when getting the first goal.

The Pioneers were 9-9-3 when being scored upon first.
Dora suspended
Denver was minus its third-leading scorer for Saturday’s championship game thanks to a last-minute suspension.

The Pioneer’s senior forward Lukas Dora was suspended for an unspecified infraction and was a scratch for Denver’s first championship appearance since 1969. Details of the violation were not disclosed.

“Lukas violated team policy and will not participate in tonight’s contest,” Denver coach George Gwozdecky said in a statement. “Ted O’Leary will take his line-up spot tonight against Maine.”

Dora was third on the team in scoring with 36 points on 14 goals and 22 assists. He scored the game-winner in Thursday’s 5-3 semifinal win over Minnesota-Duluth. He finished his Pioneer career with 97 points on 41 goals and 56 assists in 153 career games. The outspoken Dora had guaranteed a Denver win Friday. He told a Boston paper that after seeing Maine outshot by Boston College in Thursday’s 2-1 win, the Pioneers were a lock for victory.

“BC dominated the game against Maine, they outshot them 41-18” he said. “Are you kidding me? I don’t think we should have a problem with Maine. That’s my prediction.”

Dora did call his team’s comeback win over the Bulldogs Thursday. Despite falling behind 2-0 and 3-1 in the game, Dora said he wasn’t worried.

“I told my friend back home that there was no way we were going to lose this game,” the Czech Republic native said about the Minnesota-Duluth semifinal.

O’Leary, Doras replacement, is a sophomore forward. He had one goal and four assists in 18 games this season.
Defensive presence
One of the primary reasons for Maine’s impressive 1.58 goals against average is certainly its goaltending but having senior Prestin Ryan anchoring the blue line has its benefits. Ryan is the team leader and often overlooked driving force in the defensive zone and his leadership for the Maine defense has been crucial.

“He wears his heart on his sleeve,” said UMaine coach Tim Whitehead. “He plays with so much heart and soul.”

Ryan’s steady presence in the defensive end has been a key factor in Maine ability to win 19 one-goal games, including eight straight entering Saturday’s matchup.

When Boston College was pressing late in Thursday’s semifinal game, it was Ryan blocking shots, clearing the puck and securing rebounds as UMaine held on for the win.

“A little bit of it is luck, but I think that the biggest thing is composure,” said Ryan of the Black Bears defensive success. “It starts right back there with the goal to the “D” to the forwards. When you have that composure you are going to make the big plays with the puck.”

Ryan has four goals and 18 assists this season but his claim to fame is his competitiveness and aggressive fire brought to the defense. The Black Bears all-time leader in penalty minutes (355) was an second-team ALL-Hockey East player and was named to NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team. He was also the Hockey East’s Old Time Hockey Best Defensive Defenseman.

“He’s been our leader all year,” said goaltender Jimmy Howard. “He’s played so composed and he plays with so much heart. It’s just excellent to see him execute the way he has.”
Working overtime
Overtime is a common occurrence in the NCAA Championship game. Four of the last six national championship games have gone to past regulation, while nine of the last 11 Frozen Four’s have seen at least one game go to overtime.

Maine has a plenty of experience in overtime situations at the Frozen Four. The other four times Maine reached the title game, the Black Bears played at least one overtime game. Maine last championship game appearance was an overtime loss to Minnesota in 2002. The Black Bears last National Championship was in overtime against UNH in 1999.

The last three times the Frozen Four has been in Boston, at least one game has gone to overtime.