Coming off one of the most successful seasons in recent years, the University of Maine Hockey team has high expectations when the 2018-19 regular season gets started on Friday and Saturday nights October 12 and 13th when they host St Lawrence in a pair of non-conference matchups at Alfond Arena. Maine, which finished 18-16-4 (10-11-3 Hockey East) were picked to finish last in the conference in two pre-season polls in 2017-18, but finished sixth and outsted New Hampshire in two games in an best of three opening round playoff series, before bowing out and ending the season with two straight losses in the quarterfinals at Providence.
RETURNERS/NEWCOMERS- Maine is returning eight of the top 10 pointgetters from last years squad. Junior Mitch Fossier (12 goals, 22 assists) has become one of the most dangerous offensive weapons, finishing fifth in league in scoring a year ago. Junior Chase Pearson (7&20), sophomore Eduards Tralmaks (11&14), junior Tim Doherty (11&12), senior Brendan Robbins (11&10), sophomore Emil Westerlund (7&6), junior Patrick Shea (5&9), senior Canon Pieper (4&8), along with juniors Ryan Smith (4&2), Peter Housakos (3&2), and senior Danny Perez (2&2) hope to provide most of the offensive punch. Along the defensive blue line, the Bears have lost junior Patrick Holway (6&13) who left the program to attend to personal matters back home. Maine does return 10 of their 12 defenseman, led by senior Rob Michel (5&12) and sophomore Brady Keeper (6&16). Sophomore goaltender Jeremy Swayman gives the Bears the most consistent guy in the cage since Martin Ouellette. Swayman posted a 15-12-3 mark last year with a .921 save percentage as a freshman. Senior Rob McGovern (3-4-1, .894) will back up Swayman, while junior Stephen Mundinger who only appeared in one game will be the third string. Back behind the bench for his sixth season at the helm is Red Gendron (67-98-21), who had his contract extended for two years in the offseason that extends him until the end of the 2020-21 season.
Offensively Maine adds two big weapons in freshmen Jake Schmidt-Svejstrup and Adam Dawe who both scored over 20 goals for the United States junior team last year. Defensive newcomers include Simon Butala, and Levi Kleiboer who had 42 points in the Saskatchewan junior hockey league last winter.
DEPARTURES- Along with the recent departure of Holway, Maine lost four players to graduation. Gone are wingers Nolan Vesey and Cedric Lacroix, and defenseman Mark Hamilton and Malcolm Hayes. Vesey was tied for third in scoring on the team in 2017-18 with 25 points, and scored at least 10 goals in three of his four years with the Bears. Lacroix ended up with six goals and five assists in his final season, while Hamilton who missed 13 games to injury ended his career with three goals and 23 assists. Injury also sidelined Hayes who didn’t appear in a game in his senior season, and only appeared in five games total in his two seasons since arriving at Maine and did not record any points.
BOTTOM LINE/FORECAST- Maine has been picked fourth in the Hockey East preseason polls, and the team should continue to trend up with all the scoring and most of the defense returning along with the solid goaltending with Swayman. The preseason USCHO poll also had the Bears receiving votes in the top 20. The powerplay was ranked in the middle of all Division I teams last season at 19.5%, including a 4-8 (50%) mark in their final three games. The penalty kill must improve, ranked 53rd in the country at 76.6%. Maine will gear up Monday night at 6 pm for a preseason exhibition against the University of Prince Edward Island in Orono. It will be the lone tuneup before the Saints from St Lawrence out of the ECAC invade the Alfond to begin regular season play.
I have the Black Bears finishing with a 19-12-3 record with a top four finish in Hockey East and a trip to Hockey East semifinals in Boston for first time since 2012. I also have the Bears getting an at large bid to the NCAA tournament, also a first since 2012.
