NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. -- After falling behind by two goals in the final stages of the first period, Maine's hole fell even deeper after the second as Merrimack added three more for a commanding 5-0 lead at Lawler Arena. Despite dominating the scoreboard, Merrimack had a shots on goal disadvantage for the second straight period, 14-11.

Just 1:58 into the stanza, Maine junior goalie Martin Ouellette lost sight of a loose puck behind him in the crease during a net-mouth scramble, but after it came loose, Merrimack senior John Heffernan cut across the offensive zone and tapped it in for his third goal of the season.

At 6:11, rookie Vinny Scotti also posted his third of the season as he fired a low backhander into the back of the net, ending Ouellette's night early (after making 13 saves on 17 shots in 26:11).

Junior Mike Collins posted his second tally of the game with 80 seconds left, capping off a power-play cycle with a tap-in past Maine rookie reliever Matt Morris.

Joshua Kummins covers Hockey East for SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKummins.