OUTLOOK- The University of Maine Mens Ice Hockey will be looking to be make some vast improvements when it kicks off its regular season schedule Friday, October 7th when it welcomes in RPI to the Alfond Arena.
Maine finished the 2015-16 season at 8-24-6 and 5-15-2 in Hockey East Conference play. Maine was outscored 77-42 in 22 league games while being outscored 129-76 overall in 38 games, ranking 57th in the nation in goals scored out of 60 Division 1 teams.
Maine will enter this season no longer having the services of back end defensemen Will Merchant who graduated and Dan Renauf who signed an entry level contract with the Detroit Red Wings and will forgo his senior season. Up front the Bears also graduated Steven Swavely, who was a leader on and off the ice. Overall Maine loses six players from last years team also including Brian Morgan (graduated early, will play post-grad season at UConn). Goalie Sean Romeo transferred to Ohio State.
Maine will rely on returning players Blaine Byron, Cam Brown, Brendan Robbins, Nolan Vesey and Eric Shurhamer. The Black Bears also add incoming freshmen Chase Pearson and Patrick Shea who are expected to make an immediate impact. With the returning 16 players, that include two goalies, Maine only brings a portion of goal scoring from last season (returners contributed to 36 of the 76 goals).
In goal, both Matt Morris and Rob McGovern appeared in 20 games last season and will be expected to both get some time this season. 6 foot 8 freshman Steve Mundinger is also fighting for ice time.
Maine will be immediately tested in their early season schedule. After the opening series at home with RPI, Maine will host national power Quinnipiac on October 14th and 15th before hitting the road to face another power in Miami (Ohio) the following weekend. The Bears then travel to Colgate before opening their Hockey East schedule on November 4th and 5th when it plays Boston College in Portland, Maine and Orono on back to back nights.
THE BOTTOM LINE- Maine hopes to find make up for a loss of scoring punch by turning to the likes of Byron, Brown, Vesey, Shurhamer and continued solid play from second year forward Robbins.
With nine freshman expected to fight for time on the ice, the Bears hope for solid contributions from the incoming class including Pearson and Shea.
The goaltending and special teams play will once again be an important part of success. Both Morris and McGovern struggled at times last season, with Morris posting a .901 save percentage and 3.5 goals per game allowed and McGovern at .905 and almost 3 goals a game. Coach Red Gendron will be looking for a solid number one starter so look for both goalies to step up their game and will need to for the Bears to find success.
When all is said and done we expect Maine to win 4-5 more games than the 2015-16 campaign, and will be in the mix and in the hunt for home ice in the Hockey East preliminary round playoffs come March.
