Box score
Postgame comments from Jim Madigan (youtube.com)

The Northeastern men's hockey team suffered a 6-3 loss to #16/15 Maine on Sunday afternoon at Alfond Arena in the Huskies second-straight Hockey East contact to start of the 2011-12 season.

The Huskies faced a 4-0 deficit deep into the second period before sophomore blue liner Anthony Bitetto stopped the bleeding at 18:36. Senior captain Mike McLaughlin and junior transfer Vinny Saponari found the back of the net for the Huskies in the setback, while Saponari's goal came in short-handed fashion with 10 seconds left on the clock.

Sophomore Braden Pimm and Saponari each registered a pair of points on Sunday. Both forwards have accounted for two points in their first two outings of the season.

Junior goaltender Chris Rawlings started in net for Northeastern, stopping 23 shots and giving up six goals in 48:08 minutes of action. Sophomore goalie Clay Witt offered relief and held Maine scoreless for the remaining 11:52. Black Bears' backstopper Dan Sullivan recorded 24 saves for his first win of the season.

Maine sent the first jolt of the game just two minutes in after John Parker accepted a perfect pass from behind the net right on the crease, but Rawlings was in proper position to prevent the early goal. At the 9:00-minute mark, Spencer Abbott attempted another blast from the same spot, but Rawlings made the pad save to keep Maine's attack at bay.

Rawlings was pummeled with puck the first half of the first period and it eventually gave way to a Maine power play tally at 10:18.

Junior Garrett Vermeersch took and interference call along with Alex Tuckerman and Kyle Beattie for hitting after the whistle all at 10:15 to give the Black Bears the man advantage. Immediately after Brian Flynn won the draw in NU's zone, Beattie blasted it from up top past Rawlings for the 1-0 lead three seconds after the infractions.

A minute and a half later, Maine doubled up at 11:45 on a rip from Spencer Abbott for the 2-0 lead. Joey Diamond flipped the puck off the boards out to an unattested Abbott for the two-goal buffer.

Northeastern earned a chance to cut the deficit in half after Theo Andersson was hauled away for roughing at 14:56 of the first stanza, but Sullivan was able to chase down loose pucks around the net and keep NU off the board. Sophomore Rob Dongara was denied on the near side at 15:30 and senior Mike McLaughlin had a point-blank chance with a couple seconds remaining in the window snuffed out.

The Huskies momentum was swelling after their power play until Kyle Beattie deflated it with Maine's third marker of the frame at 1:33. Beattie tipped in Mark Nemec's shot on the right point to give the Black Bears a 3-0 advantage after the first 20 minutes.

Sophomore Braden Pimm took a slashing call at 19:38 of the first to give UM the extra skater to start the second session. Maine threated the entire power play but did not extend its lead.

Junior Alex Tuckerman busted up Maine's momentum with a great breakaway around the 7:00-minute mark, going coast-to-coast from the Huskies' zone. Tuckerman was stuffed on Sullivan's glove side, but drew a Matt Mangene slashing call at 7:19.

NU's power play crafted several chances but could not put the puck past a red-hot Sullivan. Freshman Ben Oskroba's cross-check deep in Northeastern's zone to put Maine back on the power play, but Diamond's hook (10:54) and a cross-check to Nemec (11:58) put the Huskies on a long advantage.

Pimm had NU's best look from the near side, but the left post denied his attempt after beating Sullivan. The puck jetted out fortuitously to Diamond in the neutral zone who was let out of the penalty box in unison. Diamond was on the breakaway with Rawlings, but his deke move was also denied by the left post to keep both sides off the board amidst the special teams display.

Sophomore Anthony Bitetto's interference infraction at 16:27 yielded the Black Bears' second power play tally of the day at 16:44. Brian Flynn accepted the centering pass from Beattie to go up, 4-0.

The Huskies finally responded at 18:36 on a bouncing blast from Bitetto to cut into Maine's lead, 4-1. Pimm wrangled the puck off the boards from Maine out to Saponari on the point. Saponari slid the disc over the Bitteto who let the knuckling shot loose just within the blue line for Northeastern's first tally of the game.

On a delayed holding call to Bietto for holding, Diamond netted Maine's fifth tally in transition on a dish from Connor Leen at 3:46. Leen linked up with Diamond via a pass through the neutral zone. Diamond gained the blue line past NU's defense and wristed it past Rawlings' glove for the 5-1 cushion.

McLaughlin attacked again for Northeastern at 6:42 in close on Sullivan on a great pass from Bitetto. Northeastern worked it in Maine's zone as Pimm generated the play from up top. Bitetto kicked it over to McLaughlin cutting across the crease to make it 5-2.

Under two minutes later, Abbott duped Rawlings with a slap shot on the left dot at 8:13 to regain the Black Bears' four-goal advantage. Mangene set the play up with the assists to set the count, 6-2, in the third period.

After Maine's sixth goal, Northeastern head coach Jim Madigan called for a timeout and opted to try Witt for the duration of the contest.

Freshman Ben Oskroba and Vermeersch were flagged for hitting after the whistle with Joey Diamond at 18:50 to put NU on the penalty kill, but Saponari took the offensive and netted the man-down goal with 11 seconds left to make it finalize the count, 6-3. Saponari stripped Maine's cycle, charged the net, and beat Sullivan with a sharp forehand to close out the contest.

Maine outshot the Huskies, 40-27, and went 2-for-7 on the power play. Northeastern finished 0-for-5.

Northeastern returns to Matthews Arena on Friday, Oct. 14 for a bout with New Hampshire at 7 p.m. It will be the only game for the Huskies that weekend.

Game Notes

• Sunday's game between Northeastern and Maine was the only game in Division I college hockey.

• Vinny Saponari and Braden Pimm lead Northeastern with four points through two games. Each have registered a goal and three assists and are the only two skaters with multi-point efforts in their first two games. Anthony Bitetto notched his first two-point game of the season (1-1-2), marking the sixth of his career and first since Feb. 18, 2011.

• Anthony Bietto's goal stands as the Huskies' first marker from a defenseman this season.

• The last time Northeastern surrendered six goals was against Maine on Jan. 27, 2011 at Matthews Arena.