ORONO, Maine - The University of Massachusetts hockey team got the win it needed Saturday night to earn a spot in the Hockey East Tournament which starts next weekend at Boston College.

The Minutemen (18-16, 13-14 Hockey East) beat Maine 4-3 before 4,258 fans at Alfond Arena and swept the weekend set and season series with the Black Bears.

Maine (16-15-3, 13-12-2 Hockey East) already had secured a playoff berth and despite the loss is the fourth seed and has home ice for its quarterfinal series against No. 5 UMass-Lowell which tied Vermont 1-1 on Saturday.

"I couldn't ask for our guys to dig deeper or play any harder," said UMass coach Don "Toot" Cahoon. "Our two captains and our goaltender kind of spearheaded this whole thing.

"It was a real timely effort on our part given the struggles we've been having over the last month," he added.

The Minutemen entered the game in a three-way tie for seventh place in the 10 team conference. Eight teams qualify for the playoffs which begin with a best-of-three quarterfinal series with all games at the higher-seeded team starting Friday.

UMass will play the second-seeded Eagles (21-10-3, 16-8-3 Hockey East), who are ranked fifth nationally, at Conte Forum at either 7 or 7:30 p.m. Friday, with the series continuing Saturday and if necessary Sunday.

Boston College swept the season series from the Minutemen, including two games at the Mullins Center. UMass scored just one goal in each game.

The other quarterfinal matchups are top-seeded New Hampshire hosting No. 8 Vermont, and No. 6 Merrimack traveling to No. 3 Boston University.

After defeating the Black Bears 5-2 on Friday night, UMass took a 4-2 lead into the third period despite being outshot 14-4 in the second. Maine sophomore left wing Brian Flynn made it a one-goal game when he scored with 30 seconds remaining after the Black Bears pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker.

The Minutemen, who were outshot 38 to 20 for the game, were able to hold off Maine's final charge to secure the win.

"Obviously it wasn't the weekend we wanted to end our season with," said Black Bears junior center and captain Tanner House. "But our goal at the start of the year was to get home ice."

The Minutemen killed off 1 minute, 40 seconds of a five-on-three Maine power play midway through the third period that was littered with scoring chances for the Black Bears. UMass junior goaltender Paul Dainton was up to the task in a 35-save effort for the win.

"The goaltender is the most important penalty killer, and (Dainton) came up huge," Cahoon said.

UMass senior defenseman and captain Justin Braun scored a pair of first-period goals as the Minutemen took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.

"We've had a little trouble of late getting shots through," Braun said. "This weekend I just felt like it was #puck luck'. I think we were due."

Braun and sophomore center Casey Wellman scored less than two minutes apart to give UMass an early 2-0 lead. Wellman finished the rebound created by defenseman Doug Kublin's wrister from the left point 10:16 into the game, and Braun stuffed an uncontested chance past Maine starting goaltender Shawn Sirman 1:44 later.

Sirman (three saves in 12 minutes) was replaced by Dave Wilson (13 saves in 46:35) after Braun's goal.

Maine junior defenseman Jeff Dimmen answered with 4:36 left in the period.

Braun's one-timer from the right point sailed past Wilson on a five-on-three power play for the Minutemen with 47 seconds remaining in the period.

Maine made the score 3-2 on a power play at 2:13 of the second period when leading scorer Gustav Nyquist fired a wrist shot past Dainton.

Senior center and captain Brett Watson flicked a backhander over Wilson's glove with 4:05 remaining in the second period, restoring the two-goal edge for UMass.