ORONO — This wasn’t just a game between traditional national powers.

This was an opportunity for the University of Maine hockey team to start reclaiming its place as a nationally ranked program.

Consider Friday’s 7-3 win over second-ranked North Dakota as the start of the process.

“We have to beat big-name teams, and that’s what we did,” said Maine goalie Shawn Sirman (19 saves). “But we have two games in the weekend and Coach (Tim Whitehead) said, ‘The best teams always play their best game on the second night.’ “

The Black Bears, ranked No. 11 in the USCHO.com poll and No. 12 USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, opened the weekend series by scoring four goals in the first 12 minutes against the Fighting Sioux, including Robby Dee’s tally 43 seconds into the game and a pair of power-play goals by Brian Flynn.

“It was obviously a case where they were ready to play and we weren’t,” Sioux defenseman Derrick LaPoint said. “They took advantage of us and by the time that we started to play, it was too late.”

Furthermore, the Black Bears withstood the Sioux’s physical style of play. Maine (2-1-2) and North Dakota (3-1-1) combined for eight penalties in the first period, including an ejection of Sioux defenseman Andrew MacWilliam, who received a five-minute major for contact to the head after he hit Flynn at 5:39, and a slew of third-period penalties.

Maine killed off four penalties in the final 10 minutes to hold its lead.

“We’ve been talking about that all week in practice and we haven’t had a great (penalty-kill unit) so far this season,” said Maine right wing Gustav Nyquist, whose team killed off five of North Dakota’s six power plays. “It’s something we really need to improve on in games, and it was obviously big for us. I don’t know how many shot-blocks we had (Friday) but that’s big, and we’re going to have to keep doing that.”

Maine and North Dakota combined for four goals in the first 11 minutes, but after Maine took a 4-1 lead on Will O’Neill’s power-play goal, a slapshot from the right point with 7:44 left in the first, the high point came for the Black Bears.

Nyquist beat North Dakota goalie Aaron Dell (18 saves) to a loose puck and fired a shot from the left circle past Sioux defenseman Chay Genoway and into an open net, giving the Black Bears a 5-1 lead.

Nyquist’s goal, his first of the year, highlighted a first period in which the Black Bears outshot the Sioux 10-9, and chased Sioux starting goalie Brad Eidsness (two saves) from the net less than 10 minutes into the game.

“They came hard, give them credit,” Genoway said. “We didn’t really respond, we took a couple penalties and they had a good power play, and that was it.”

Maine took a 7-1 lead nine minutes into the second on goals by Kyle Beattie and Tanner House. Derek Rodwell scored in the first for North Dakota, and Matt Frattin’s second-period power-play goal cut Maine’s lead to 7-2, and Brad Malone scored in the third for the Sioux.

Staff Writer Rachel Lenzi can be contacted at 791-6415 or at: rlenzi@pressherald.com