ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) – Brent Shepheard and Billy Ryan scored first-period goals 50 seconds apart in Maine’s 4-1 win over St. Cloud State in the first round of the NCAA ice hockey tournament Friday.

Michel Leveille had a goal and assist and freshman Teddy Purcell had three assists, inching the Black Bears (22-14-2) to within a win of making their second straight Frozen Four appearance and sixth since 1999. Rob Bellamy also scored while Ben Bishop shook off an early goal to stop 33 shots, helping Maine snap a four-game skid – it’s longest since January 1998.

Maine, the East region’s No. 3 seed, will play Hockey East rival, No. 4 Massachusetts, in the regional final Saturday. UMass beat Clarkson 1-0 on Kevin Jarman’s overtime goal earlier in the day.

Justin Fletcher scored for St. Cloud State (22-11-7), the program dropping to 0-7 in six tournament appearances, including two losses in 1989.

The Huskies at least enjoyed their first lead in a tournament game after Fletcher opened the scoring 3:39 in on a bad-angle shot that sneaked in through Bishop’s legs.

The Black Bears took control by scoring three times on their first five shots.

Ryan put them up for good 8 minutes in when he stepped out from behind the net and backhanded in a shot past Bobby Goepfert.

Leveille made it 3-1 with a power-play goal 6 minutes later when his point shot sneaked in through a crowd in front.

St. Cloud finished its season losing three straight and going 2-5-1 in its last eight.

Massachusetts 1, Clarkson 0

Kevin Jarman chipped in a rebound 7:40 into overtime, lifting Massachusetts to a 1-0 victory over Clarkson in the first round of the NCAA ice hockey tournament Friday.

Jon Quick stopped 33 shots to register the third shutout of his career, while helping the Minutemen (21-12-5) earn a win in their tournament debut.

Clarkson (25-9-5), the East region’s top seed, had a five game win streak snapped after winning the ECAC championship. The Golden Knights, making their 19th tournament appearance and first since 1999, have now lost four straight first-round games – their last win coming in 1996.

UMass’ Will Ortiz set up the decisive play by digging the puck out from behind the Clarkson net and feeding it into the slot. Clarkson goalie David Leggio stopped Jordan Virtue’s backhander, but couldn’t coral the rebound.

Jarman got to the puck first, chipping it over a sprawled Leggio and in off the crossbar.

The Minutemen will play Hockey East rival Maine in the regional final on Saturday after the third-seeded Black Bears defeated St. Cloud State 4-1.

The outcome marked only the second time in tournament history that a game has entered overtime scoreless.

The first time it happened was last year when Wisconsin beat Cornell 1-0 in triple overtime.

Clarkson out-shot UMass 18-7 in the second period but couldn’t get one by Quick.

The Golden Knights’ best chance of the period came when Steve Zalewski drove through the middle and snapped a shot that had Quick beat, but caught the left post.

Quick’s best save came 6 minutes into the third when he got his left skate out to stop Zalewski attempting to convert a rebound from the slot.

Leggio stopped 37 shots, his best save coming 13 minutes into the second period, when he kicked out his right pad to rob Alex Berry’s sharp one-timer from the high slot.

AP-ES-03-23-07 2122EDT