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ORONO, Maine – With the score tied at three through two periods, Maine (11-19-4, 5-15-2) used special teams to its advantage, converting on a penalty shot while shorthanded before cashing in with a power play tally one minute later to earn a weekend split with the Northeastern men's ice hockey team (16-13-5, 9-10-3) in a back and forth battle on Saturday night at Alfond Arena, 5-4.
 
The loss snaps the Huskies' five-game winning streak and places Northeastern into eighth place in the final Hockey East standings. The Huskies will host Connecticut in a best-of-three first round playoff series next weekend at Matthews Arena, beginning on Friday night (7 p.m.)
 
Despite being outshot 44-24 in the game, Maine took advantage of the chances it had and going 3-of-4 on the man advantage. Nolan Vesey led the way for the hosts with a hat trick and Blaine Byron added one goal and three assists while goaltender Matt Morris steered aside 40 Northeastern shots, including 18 on the power play. Nolan Stevens paced Northeastern with one goal and two assists while Jeremy Davies (one goal, one assist) and Matt Filipe (two assists) also recorded multi-point nights.
 
The teams traded goals for a majority of the evening, with Northeastern jumping out to a 1-0 lead on the first shift of the game with Tanner Pond's first of the season before Vesey's first of the night with 8:01 left in the opening period. Davies gave the visitors a 2-1 advantage with his seventh of the season at the conclusion of a power play, but Maine tied it up again on a goal from Chase Pearson midway through. Sikura and Vesey would pot goals for their respective clubs to send the teams into the dressing rooms tied at three after two.
 
Nolan Stevens gave Northeastern the lead back 4:34 into the third period with his eighth of the year during a five-minute power play opportunity, and the Huskies had other chances to pad the lead if not for the play of Morris, who stopped 13 shots in the final frame and nine on the power play. Byron would draw the penalty shot on a shorthanded breakaway during the major penalty and beat Ryan Ruck (19 saves) short side to tie the game before Vesey completed the hat trick with a power play goal with 13:09 to play in the game.
 
Goal descriptions:
• The Huskies drew first blood just 18 seconds into the game on Pond's first of the season during NU's opening shift of the evening. After Garret Cockerill fed the puck down to Matt Filipe below the goal line, Filipe battled down low to allow Pond to get into position in the slot. Filipe then tossed it out in front where Pond buried it for the early 1-0 lead.
 
• Maine tied things up with 8:01 remaining in the opening frame on Vesey's second of the weekend and 11th of the year. With a face-off to Ruck's left, Chase Pearson won the draw cleanly back to Vesey stationed at the top of the circle, who quickly settled the puck and ripped a shot over Ruck's blocker to make it 1-1.
 
• Northeastern made it 2-1 with 13:42 remaining in the second period at the tail end of a power play when Davies netted his seventh of the season. With a Black Bear penalty expiring, Filipe worked the puck around to Nolan Stevens positioned at the left side of the cage before sliding it across the crease to Davies on the doorstep for the tap in past Morris.
 
• Maine leveled the score at two near the midway mark of the period with a power play strike from Pearson. After Blaine Byron sent the puck down to Cam Brown in the left corner, Brown spotted Pearson headed to the far post, and threaded a saucer pass across to him for the one-timer past Ruck and Pearson's 14th of the year.
 
• The Huskies retook the lead with 7:52 to play in the middle frame as Sikura buried his 20th of the season following a great individual effort from Nolan Stevens below the goal line. As Maine attempted to break the puck out of its defensive zone, Stevens battled to steal the puck behind the net before quickly coming out and pass across to Sikura alone in front, who elevated the puck over Morris' glove for the score.
 
• The Black Bears gained momentum heading into the locker room when the tied the game yet again with their second power play goal of the evening as Byron showed a burst of speed from his own zone and into the attacking zone before tossing a puck on goal that Ruck stopped, but Vesey was there looking for the rebound and deposited it home to make it a 3-3 game.
 
• The Northeastern power play broke though in the third period when the Huskies took a 4-3 lead less than five minutes into the frame on Nolan Stevens' eighth of the year. Following a neutral zone face-off, Ryan Shea skated the puck into the attacking end before dropping to Davies at the left point. Davies to slid the puck across to a waiting Stevens in the slot for a one-timer that beat Morris.
 
• Maine created a shorthanded break during Northeastern five-minute power play as Byron went in alone after stealing the puck in the neutral, causing a slashing penalty on the Huskies and a penalty shot awarded to the Black Bears. Byron would skate the puck down the right side on the penalty shot before snapping a shot shortside to knot the game yet again.
 
• After the Black Bears killed off the major, Maine was awarded a power play of its own, and cashed in for the third time on the man advantage as Vesey completed the hat trick, redirecting a shot from Patrick Holway from between the hashmarks past Ruck.
 
Stats of the game:
• Northeastern is now 45-57-19 all-time against Maine
 
• Sikura's second period goal was his 20th of the season, giving Northeastern three 20-goal scorers (Aston Reese 29; Gaudette 25) for the first time since 1985-86.
 
• Sikura moved into 17th on Northeastern's single-season scoring list with 53 points (20 goals, 33 assists).
 
• Cockerill's assist on the Pond goal gave him 30 points on the season (six goals, 24 assists). He's one of five defensemen in the nation with 30 points this season.
 
• Nolan Stevens has two goals and six assists in his last three games, 

• Adam Gaudette's point streak and goal scoring streak were halted at 12 and eight games, respectively. He had 15 goals and six assists during the streak, both of which were the longest of his career.

• Saturday was the seventh time in 34 games this season that the Huskies have scored in the opening minute of the game.

• Maine's penalty shot was the first for a Northeastern opponent since Oct. 24, 2015 at Minnesota.
 
The road ahead:
• The Huskies will return home next weekend to host Connecticut in a Hockey East best-of-three first round playoff series beginning on Friday night at 7 p.m. from Matthews Arena. Tickets to the series are available by visiting GoNU.com/tickets.