Maine men’s hockey beats Holy Cross in season opener

Maine’s Black Bears Open Season with Dominant 4‑1 Win Over Holy Cross

Worcester, Mass. – The University of Maine’s men’s hockey team kicked off its season on a high note, dispatching the Holy Cross Crusaders 4‑1 in a Friday night showdown at Worcester. A strong first‑period performance set the tone, with two power‑play goals from transfer forward Tanner Klimpke giving the Black Bears a quick lead that never wavered.

Klimpke, who arrived from Robert Morris, opened the scoring 4:54 into the period with a slick play that saw Isa Parekh and Sully Scholle each chip in a pass. Less than three minutes later, the same duo helped him notch his second goal, both times capitalizing on power‑play opportunities to give Maine a 2‑0 cushion that held through the remainder of the game.

Holy Cross managed to get on the board in the second period when Matthew Kursonis broke the shutout, narrowing the margin to 2‑1. However, the Black Bears answered immediately. In the third period, Brock James added a third for Maine, followed by a late third‑period tally from Owen Fuller that sealed the 4‑1 finish.

On the ice, goaltenders were also key to the outcome. Albin Boija turned aside 18 shots for the Black Bears, while Danick Leroux stopped 26 shots for the Crusaders. The defensive work behind the net, coupled with the offensive power‑play efficiency, gave Maine a solid start to its campaign.

Maine will face Holy Cross again in a rematch scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday. The early win positions the Black Bears for a promising season, while the Crusaders will look to learn from this experience as they prepare for the next matchup.