Final is a Maine event

What can you say about a hockey game that went three overtimes and lasted for 109 minutes 27 seconds, and 4 hours 41 minutes on the clock, with 125 shots taken and only three goals scored?

"You think I have words to describe that?" Massachusetts coach Don Cahoon said last night, after his squad's dreams were dashed by Maine fourth-liner Ben Murphy, who gave the second-ranked Black Bears (30-7-3) their fifth Hockey East title, 2-1, before what remained of a crowd of 16,743 at the FleetCenter.

It was the longest playoff game in Hockey East's 20-year history, the longest of any conference final, and the fourth-longest college game of all time. And for Maine, which was swept by UMass at home in last year's quarterfinals, it was sweet redemption.

"What a great game," exulted coach Tim Whitehead, whose team -- and extraordinary sophomore goalie Jimmy Howard -- allowed only two goals in the final two games to win its first crown since 2000. "I was thoroughly impressed by UMass. I can't believe that team won't be going to the tournament."

Win or lose, Maine was not only assured of a spot in next weekend's NCAA Regionals, it'll almost certainly be going as a top seed along with regular-season champion Boston College, which was upset by Boston University in the quarters.

But UMass (19-12-6), which went into an 0-6-1 tailspin at the end of the regular season, had to win the title to get an automatic berth. If Howard (63 saves) had been at anything less than his best, the Minutemen likely would have prevailed in their first appearance in the final.

"They deserved to win the game as much as us," said Murphy, who deflected in Mathew Deschamps's shot from the right circle for only his third goal of the season after 9:27 of the third extra session.

And had UMass sophomore goalie Gabe Winer (59 saves) not held the fort with exceptional skill, poise, and nerve, odds are Maine might well have won in regulation.

Maine figured it would get a terrific outing from Howard, who'd blanked BU on Friday and had run up a streak of 165 minutes 13 seconds until UMass wing Greg Mauldin beat him on the power play to tie the score at 1-1 with 6:13 left in regulation.

But the Minutemen weren't sure what they'd be getting from Winer, who'd been their man all season but missed the first three playoff games with a back injury. Last night, though, he took over from Tim Warner and kept the Black Bears at bay time after time, making 17 saves in the third period and another 26 in the overtimes.

"Both teams rope-a-doped each other in a game that had everything," said Cahoon, whose troops put 19 shots on Howard in the first overtime and nearly won it in the second, when wing Josh Hanson whipped a shot that bounced off Howard and was going behind him before he gloved the puck. "Thank God I was able to grab it," said Howard.

That was the Minutemen's last best shot. From then, Maine cranked up the pace and kept coming hard to net. Everybody, it seemed, had a point-blank bid on Winer, most Derek Damon, Todd Jackson, Greg Moore, Michel Leveille, and Dustin Penner, who'd scored Maine's first goal on the power play at 16:24 of the second period.

Finally, though, Deschamps got an open shot with a crowd of people in front of Winer. "Luckily, I was able to get one to squeeze through his legs and go in the net," said Murphy, who'd had a shot of coffee in the dressing room before the third overtime to keep his eyes open.

Thus did Hockey East's longest night end at 12 minutes to midnight. Thus did the season end for the resurgent Minutemen, who've come from nowhere to within one goal of a championship in a decade.

"It's something new in the annals of UMass hockey," said Cahoon. "Something we'll use as a barometer. We want to get back to this game. We want to get back to this game and win it."

Maine has gotten to this game 12 times now and won five, but never had to work this hard or this long for a title. "Now," mused Murphy, "we have about 15 minutes to enjoy it."