GORHAM, Maine – Senior Daniel Weiniger (Warren, N.J.) scored two goals and had an assist to lead the eighth-ranked Bowdoin College Polar Bears past the University of Southern Maine Huskies, 5-2, in a non-conference game Tuesday night at the USM Ice Arena.

            The win was the sixth straight for the unbeaten Polar Bears, and improved their overall record to 7-0-1.  The Polar Bears were ranked eighth in this week's USCHO.com Division III poll and ninth in the D3hockey.com poll.

            The Huskies dropped their third straight game to slip to 4-5-0 overall.

            Weiniger set up the Polar Bears first goal of the game midway through the first period, then added a power-play marker in the second period and a short-handed goal in the third period.

            Junior Colin Downey (East Sandwich, Mass.) had the Polar Bears first goal and an assist, and junior Kyle Lockwood (Ridgefield, Conn.) contributed two assists.  Junior goaltender Steve Messina (Newton, N.J.) stopped 18 shots to earn his fifth win of the season.

            Southern Maine got goals from sophomores Stephen Gallo Barnstead, N.H.) and Sam Guimond (Portland, Maine).  Rookie netminders Patrick Farrington (Sandwich, Mass.) and Josh Hillegas (Middleton, Wis.) combined to make 24 saves.

            Downey gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 10:42 of the opening period converting a pass from Weiniger.  Sophomore John McGinnis (Cocoa, Fla.) made it 2-0 at 18:36 as he picked the pocket of USM defender and beat Farrington for an unassisted goal.

            Gallo's goal early in the second period, assisted by senior Matt MacDonald (Byfield, Mass.) and junior Troy Thibodeau (Danvers, Mass.), cut the margin in half.

            Senior Robert Toczylowski (Reading, Mass.) potted what proved to be the game-winning goal at 5:06 when Lockwood's shot was blocked by a defender, popped up in the air and bounced off Toczylowski's helmet into the net.  Weiniger's power-play tally at 18:36, assisted by Downey and Lockwood, made it 4-1 after two periods.

            Guimond scored by sweeping a pass from junior Angelo Vrachnas (St. James, N.Y.) by Messina while sliding past the Bowdoin goal at 7:01.  The Huskies had an opportunity to get back into the game as they went on the power play, but Weiniger put the game away with his short-handed goal 50 seconds later.

            Southern Maine will play a two-game non-conference series against SUNY Potsdam this Friday (4:00 p.m.) and Saturday (1:00 p.m.).  Bowdoin travels to Tufts University on Friday (7:00 p.m.) for a NESCAC game.