ORONO — From the brink of disaster to a resounding win in mere seconds.

Patrick Holway scored 7:45 into the third period for the University of Maine not long after the visiting Boston University Terriers nearly tied the game on a shot off the pipe to help the Black Bears earn a 5-2 win at Alfond Arena on Friday.

BU, ranked 18th in the latest USCHO Top 20 poll, had defeated Maine in six consecutive games.

The two teams will play again at 7 p.m. Saturday at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.

Maine held a 3-2 advantage after the first two frames, but BU pressured in the third.

Jeremy Swayman made the save of the night on a goalmouth scramble, which then allowed the Black Bears to march quickly up the ice, where Holway snapped a wrister past BU keeper Max Prawdzik to run the home team’s advantage to 4-2. Patrick Shea, who assisted on Holway’s marker, added an empty-netter to cap the scoring.

Swayman, a freshman, finished with 40 saves. Parwdzik finished with 23.

Canon Pieper, Brandon Robbins and Brady Keeper also scored for the Black Bears (4-5, 3-2 Hockey East).