The University of Maine men’s hockey team finished off a very solid first half of their regular season last Sunday when they completed a home sweep over Stonehill College at Alfond Arena. The Black Bears are now off for two more weeks until they face Bentley University at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland on Sunday, December 29 at 4 p.m.
Maine, who has a record of 12-2-2 (5-2-2 in Hockey East), will carry a five game win streak and seven game unbeaten streak into the second half of their schedule. The Black Bears are currently #2 in the pairwise rankings and #5 overall in the country. The top 16 teams in the pairwise at the end of the season get a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The only two losses the team has suffered were at Boston College on November 8th and 10th, and they haven’t been beaten since. Some highlights of the first half included a home sweep over then #7 Quinnipiac on October 18th and 19th, a home win and tie against #11 Boston University, and a road win over arch-rival UNH that snapped a seven game winless streak at the Whittemore Center in Durham.
Nine Maine skaters have double digit points. Senior forward Harrison Scott is the Black Bears leader, registering 10 goals and 10 assists with five goals coming on the powerplay. His 20 points are good for an 8th place tie in the country (tied for 3rd in goals). Sophomore forward Charlie Russell had a great first half with 16 points (4 goals, 12 assists), UMass transfer and senior forward Taylor Makar has 15 points (6 goals, 9 assists), while sophomore forward Josh Nadeau (5 goals, 8 assists), and junior defenseman Brandon Holt (2 goals, 11 assists) both have 13 points. Junior forward Thomas Freel (8 goals, 4 assists), junior forward Owen Fowler (5 goals, 7 assists), senior forward Nolan Renwick (5 goals, 7 assists), and Merrimack transfer sophomore defenseman Frank Djurasevic (4 goals, 8 assists) all have 12 points a piece. Freel got his first goal even strength on Sunday, after his first seven were all on the powerplay. Overall, Maine is averaging 4.0 goals per game (3rd in the nation), while only allowing 1.6 (2nd). The powerplay is #5 in the country and has converted at 27.8% (20-72), while they’ve done a great job on the penalty kill (12th) holding their opponents to just 13% on the extra man at 7-54. The Black Bears have a goal differential of +38 in their 16 games (64-26), and have outscored their opposition 24-6 during their five game win streak.
In net, sophomore Albin Boija has played 15 of the 16 games. The native of Sundsvall, Sweden has a record of 11-2-2, a goals against average of 1.53, a .932 save percentage, and three shutouts. Boija is fourth in the country in goals against average. Freshman Latvian netminder Patriks Berzins got his first career start in a 4-2 win over Stonehill last Sunday and made 18 saves.
In the second half, Maine must continue to show they can win away from Orono especially with the greater portion of their schedule that is left being Hockey East games. The Black Bears did go 4-2-1 away from the Alfond over the first half (one win each over Northeastern and UNH, two wins over RPI), while they have a record of 8-0-1 at home (tie vs BU). Some highlight games over the 18-game second half includes hosting defending national champion Denver on January 3rd and 4th, a pair of conference games at both nationally ranked UMass-Lowell and Providence, and a rematch with UNH for a two game set in Orono on February 14th and 15th. The Denver series is the last non-conference matchups of the regular season, as the final 15 games are all league tilts. Their next opponent, the Bentley University Falcons out of the Atlantic Hockey Conference, sports an overall record of 10-5-2.
Pictures below from games in the first half of the season. All courtesy of Anthony DelMonaco
Maine captain David Breazeale firing home the game winning shot in a 6-5 overtime victory over Quinnipiac on October 19
Maine forward Charlie Russell celebrates a goal against Merrimack College in a 6-0 win on November 2
Taylor Makar shows his new colors after his first goal as a Black Bear in a 6-0 season opening win over American International College on October 5
Maine forward Anthony Calafiore after a go-ahead goal against Boston University on November 16
Maine goaltender Albin Boija makes a key save on a breakaway against Boston University on November 16
Maine forward Josh Nadeau after scoring a goal in a 5-2 win over Stonehill College on December 7
Maine celebrates a 3-1 road victory at UNH on November 22, ending a seven game winless streak at the Whittemore Center. This photo is by Chris Lessner
