The University of Maine men’s ice hockey opens their 2022-23 regular season this weekend in Colorado as part of the Ice Breaker Tournament. Maine is off to Air Force on Friday night to battle the Falcons, before a Saturday trip to Denver to take on the defending national champion and preseason #1 team in the Denver Pioneers.
Maine enters the season with 16 new players on the roster, with 12 returning from last season that includes newly named captain Jakub Sirota. Lynden Breen, Ben Poisson, and David Breazeale will serve as assistant captains. There is 11 incoming freshman on the team, with five transfers that include Justin Michaelian (Ferris State), Michael Mancinelli (Arizona State), Didrik Henbrant (Alaska Fairbanks), Cole Hanson (Colgate), and Jacob Mucitelli (Clarkson). Mucitelli and returning junior goaltender Victor Ostman are expected to see most of the time in net. Ostman posted a 5-14-1 record last season with a 3.31 goals against average and a .900% save percentage. Junior Connor Androlewicz is also back. Androlewicz appeared in three games a year ago and was 1-0 with a 3.40 GAA and a save percentage of .880. Mucitelli was 8-0-1 with the Golden Knights of the ECAC with a 1.30 GAA and a .944 save percentage.
The Black Bears are coming off a 7-22-4 campaign in 2021-22 (5-17-2 in Hockey East). Three of the first five Maine opponents this season are predicted to win their respective conference (Denver- NCHC, Quinnipiac- ECAC, Northeastern- Hockey East). The home openers are set for October 22 and October 23 against the Quinnipiac Bobcats, while the first Hockey East games are also at home the following weekend (10/28 & 10/29) as they welcome in the Northeastern Huskies. Maine played one tuneup exhibition at the Alfond Arena last Saturday, beating the University of Prince Edward Island 1-0 behind a goal from freshman Killian-Kiecker Olson and a combined 32 save shutout by Mucitelli and Ostman.
Air Force is out of the Atlantic Hockey Association and went 16-17-3 in 2021-22, falling in the AHA Final Four to American International. The Falcons return their top five scorers from last season in Will Gavin, Willie Reim, Brandon Koch, Nate Horn, and Clayton Cosentino. Maine has won all five meetings with Air Force, with a 3-1 victory in the most recent game in 2005.
Denver finished last year with a record of 31-9-3, eventually beating Minnesota State 5-1 in the NCAA National Championship game. The Pioneers bring back one of their top five scorers in Mike Benning. Senior goaltender Magnus Chrona appeared in 37 games a year ago, winning 28 of them while posting a 2.11 goals against average and a save percentage of .911. The Black Bears and Pioneers have squared off a total of 12 times, with Maine holding an 8-4-0 edge head to head. This is the first meeting since 2007. The teams met once in postseason back on April 10, 2004 in the NCAA Title game in Boston, where Denver was victorious 1-0.
Maine against Air Force is scheduled for a 9 p.m. Eastern Time puck drop on Friday night, while the Black Bears and Pioneers face off at 8 p.m. EST on Saturday.
*Some information gathered for this story is courtesy of UMaine Athletics
