BOSTON — The biggest cog in Maine’s offensive wheel had to miss the team’s biggest game of the season to date.

Spencer Abbott, the leading point-getter in NCAA Division I this season, was officially ruled out of Saturday’s Hockey East final earlier in the afternoon after he took what appeared to be an elbow to the head early in the third period of Friday’s 5-3 semifinal victory over Boston University.

Following Friday’s game, Maine head coach Tim Whitehead was adamant that BU defender Sean Escobedo struck Abbott in the head with an elbow as the two players crashed to the boards behind the Boston University net.

“It was an elbow to the head, that’s not a good thing,” Whitehead said in a post-game interview.

Whitehead then spotted Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna in the back of the room behind a bevy of reporters and cameras, and directed his speech toward him.

“Yes Joe, it was an elbow to the head,” he said.

The injury to Abbott preceded a BU rush into the Maine zone. Officials on the ice appeared to notice Abbott slumped on the ice behind BU keeper Kieran Millan, but couldn’t blow the play dead until the Terriers relinquished control of the puck. Ultimately, they scored on the rush to tie the game, 3-3. It could have led to a big momentum swing. Instead, Maine rallied behind its fallen leader.

“He is a tremendous player, he is one of the top players in the league,” Maine captain Will O’Neill said. “He is on a great line with (Brian) Flynn and Joey (Diamond) and when a guy goes down like that everybody’s got to step up and that is what we did.”

“Again, just not getting too high or too low,” Whitehead said. “It was obviously a key moment, a potential turning point. It was somewhat of a turning point. It could have been a pivotal point for (Boston University) if they kept the momentum going. The opportunity on the power play allowed us to recapture the momentum ourselves, and then Mark (Anthoine) scored.”

Only 3:40 after the injury to Abbott, Anthoine, a Lewiston native, netted his 12th goal of the season on the power play to put Maine back in front, this time for good.

“I was pretty nervous when Spencer went down,” Anthoine said. “That was the first thing on my mind, I felt really bad for him. Then we had to think about the game right after he got up and off the ice. Any time you get a chance to be on the ice with great players like that, they’re going to get you the puck. I was luck to be on the ice for that opportunity, and I capitalized on it.”

Saturday’s official line sheet left Maine’s second and third units intact. Whitehead moved freshman John Parker from the fourth line to the first, beside Diamond and Flynn, and dressed Andrew Cerretani, another freshman. Parker played in 31 games this season and had three goals and seven total points. Cerretani played in 23 contests and scored one goal in limited minutes. He slotted into the lineup alongside Adam Shemansky and Kyle Beattie.

QUICK HITS

Boston College played Saturday in its third consecutive Hockey East final and 16th overall, and was looking to win its fifth crown in six seasons … Maine played in its 14th Hockey East final, and was 5-8 in its previous 13 … Of Maine’s 13 appearances in the final, Saturday’s contest was the seventh time the Black Bears have faced Boston College, the most frequent matchup in Hockey East finals history … Boston College entered Saturday’s game on a 14-game win streak. Maine was the last team to defeat the Eagles when the Black Bears swept them at Alfond Arena in Orono in January.