BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Bowdoin men's ice hockey team returned to the win column with a 3-0 midweek non-conference victory over visiting University of Southern Maine on Tuesday evening.

The Polar Bears climb back to .500 with a 4-4-0 overall record. The Huskies drop to 5-7-0 on the season.

Game Highlights

• The opportunities for Bowdoin started early as Mitch Barrington rang a shot off the post just 28 seconds into play. Matt Sullivan stripped the puck off a Southern Maine player at center ice and joined Kendall Culbertson for a two-on-goal. Sullivan drew Kyle Shapiro towards the right post and fed Culbertson to the left, but Shapiro adjusted to make the save.
• Sasha Makarov teed up a shot from the right point with five to play in the first, looking to go five-hole on Peter Cronin. Conor Ferrera waited on pads to poke the puck through, but it reappeared outside the left post.
• Bowdoin took the lead on a power play goal with 1:10 left in the first. Sam Topham and Brendan Conroy moved the puck back and forth just inside the USM zone before a deflection kicked it to Pat Geary along the left boards. Geary found the inside of the near post to give Bowdoin a lead heading into intermission.
• Shapiro came up big for the Huskies in the final five minutes of the second. The junior made a sprawling kick save to the right post as Bradley Potter pulled across the crease looking for his first goal of the season.
• The Polar Bears doubled their lead 3:02 into the third. Jason Cahoon teed a shot up from the left point that Thomas Dunleavy tipped past Shapiro.
• Sullivan iced the game with an empty netter with 1:32 to play. Joe Lace poked the puck into the USM zone off the boards and Sullivan beat a Huskie defender for possession. Sullivan skated towards the empty net and slid a shot past his shadowing defender.

By the Numbers

• Bowdoin outshot the Huskies by a 33-22 margin, though both teams mustered seven shots on net in the third.
• Shapiro ended the day with 30 stops.
• Cronin earned his first win and shutout of the season behind a 22 save performance.
• The Polar Bears went 1-for-4 on the power play and the Huskies were 0-for-4.

Up Next

• The Polar Bears return to conference play with their first road series of the year. Bowdoin plays at Tufts on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Connecticut College the following day at 3:00 p.m.
• The Huskies are done for the semester, returning to the ice in January. Southern Maine opens 2017 at Skidmore on January 6 at 7:00 p.m.