ORONO — Colgate goaltender Zac Hamilton had started one game this season, three months ago.

It didn’t go well. The sophomore was pulled after allowing four goals on 12 shots.

But if this hockey season has proven anything, it’s that Maine can be the perfect pick-me-up for opposing goalies.

So when Hamilton got his second chance Saturday, he was able to go the distance, stopping 28 shots in a 5-1 victory before an announced crowd of 3,383 at Alfond Arena.

“It seems like we’re making goalies look good by not getting pucks and bodies in front of them,” said Maine defenseman Dan Renouf, who scored his team’s lone goal. “By getting the bodies in front we can really take advantage of the goalie, and we didn’t tonight.”

It didn’t help that the Black Bears (5-12-4) mustered only three shots in the first period. Hamilton looked mighty comfortable, especially after his teammates blistered Maine goaltender Matt Morris for three third-period goals to put the game out of reach.

Colgate Coach Don Vaughan, who had been using junior goaltender Charlie Finn almost exclusively, including Friday’s 3-1 loss to Maine, said he was “85 percent” certain he would turn to Hamilton at some point this weekend.

It was a good plan.

“He was really anxious to get in the net. He really wanted it, and you could see that,” Vaughan said. “It was evident in his play and his attitude that he came to the rink with. Guys rally around that, and I think they did tonight.”

Colgate (6-14-1) scored on two of its three power-play chances. Maine was unsuccessful on all five of its man advantages. It was the difference in the game.

After a sluggish first period left Maine in a 1-0 hole, Renouf tied the score 3:53 into the second on a pretty give-and-go with Dane Gibson. It was the junior defenseman’s fifth goal of the season.

But Colgate took advantage of an ill-advised shift change moments later to get a goal from Jake Kulevich, who was left alone in the slot.

That was enough to beat a Maine team that is averaging 1.9 goals per game and has been shut out six times. The Raiders, using only three lines, grew visibly tired in the third period Friday and the Black Bears took advantage. This time, Colgate was the aggressor late, scoring three times in a 5-minute stretch to send Maine reeling.

“Just digging deep,” Colgate center Tyson Spink said after recording four assists. “We really wanted to outcompete them.”

Maine Coach Red Gendron was upset at his team’s third penalty, which led to a Mike Borkowski goal that pushed Colgate ahead 3-1. It was a hooking call against freshman Daniel Perez.

“Our team is such as it’s currently constructed, we can’t afford to do anything to make it harder on ourselves. We need perfect discipline,” Gendron said.

Trailing by four goals with 2:13 remaining, Maine got one final power-play chance. Gendron used his timeout to send a message to his players.

“I’m trying to keep these kids fighting to the end. We make mistakes, they scored goals, but I don’t care, we don’t stop fighting,” he said.

But the fight belonged to Hamilton, who snuffed out that power play as well.