The 3-1 University of Maine men’s hockey team appears to continue its rise from 2021-2022 Hockey East cellar dweller to a possible top five finish.
There are question marks, but this team has the potential to be one of the best since the 2011-12 team made the school’s 18th and final NCAA Tournament appearance. It was also the final Hockey East semifinal appearance for UMaine.
Third-year head coach Ben Barr has continued to improve his squad and the biggest area of improvement has been the team’s speed, particularly along the blue line.
Having a whole group of defensemen who can move the puck out of the defensive zone on their own makes all the difference.
This means less time spent in the defensive zone, which reduces your goals against average.
This also provides the team with another source of offense as everyone is capable of scoring a goal or assist when running or forechecking.
And this is an extremely young defense corps, with junior co-captain David Breazeale the only one not a sophomore or freshman.
The future therefore looks bright on the blue line.
The addition of mobile freshmen defensemen Brandon Holt, Brandon Chabrier, Luke Antonacci and Grayson Arnott a year ago, coupled with the emergence of goaltender Victor Ostman, helped the Black Bears lower their goals-against average from 3.4 to 2.6 per game.
And the Black Bears went from a 7-22-4 team (5-17-2 in Hockey East) two years ago to a 15-16-5 team (9-11-4 Hockey East) last season . They also moved from 11th (last) to sixth place in the rankings.
They have allowed nine goals, including one into an empty net, and find themselves ranked 20th in the country in both major polls.
After Rensselaer Polytechnic Institutethe Black Bears beat defending national champion Quinnipiac 2-1 in overtime before losing to the Bobcats 4-1 the following night last weekend in Hamden, Connecticut.
A national ranking that happened every week during UMaine hockey’s glory days has been a rarity since the 2011-12 campaign.
“We have the team to do some things if we continue to improve,” Barr said. “If we don’t, we’ll be average.
“We have the people and the character in the locker room to succeed. Hockey East is extremely tough this season, so we need our (veterans) to be better than they have been,” Barr said.
UMaine should be stingier this season but the question mark will once again be goal production.
This has been an underlying problem for the past 11 seasons.
UMaine has only seen six players reach double-digit goals in the last five seasons, although one of them was the COVID-19-shortened 2021-22 season in which the Black Bears only played 16 games.
The addition of newcomers like the Nadeau brothers, Josh and Bradly, and Bentley University transfers Harrison Scott and Nicholas Niemo should combine with better seasons from returning forwards and provide a notable increase in goal production.
UMaine’s 2.56 goals per game last season was just 44th best among 62 Division I teams.
The Nadeaus flank senior co-captain Breen on a trio of New Brunswick natives and Breen, a 21-goal scorer in 22-23 and second-team All-Hockey East selection. This line is dangerous every time it is on the ice.
It’s a creative line and very entertaining.
The highly skilled and speedy brothers, who were the top scorers in the British Columbia Junior Hockey League regular season and playoffs with last season’s Penticton champions, have tremendous chemistry and Breen complements them well .
Bradly, 18, a first-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes (30th overall) in June, has an NHL shot as well as excellent hands and ice vision. Josh Nadeau, who turned 20 on Oct. 22, is two inches shorter than his 5-foot-10 brother and is an excellent passer who can also shoot the puck. Josh Nadeau is strong on his skates thanks to his low center of gravity and his balance on ice.
Breen’s tenacity and high-end talent make him a perfect fit for them.
The Nadeaus each have two goals and two assists so far and Breen has one goal and three assists.
This trio will be productive and can take control of a game, but it will take time for the Nadeaus to adapt to the rigors of college hockey and the attention they will receive from the opposing lines and top defensive tandems.
The Nadeaus are potential scorers of 15 to 20 goals and producers of 30 to 40 points, but it won’t be easy.
Junior Nolan Renwick’s veteran line between graduate student Ben Poisson and Donavan Houle is a power forward unit with a total of 283 career games between them. This is the most experienced line on the team.
Each had nine goals a year ago and all should reach double-digit goals this season. This is a fast, physical line that is particularly effective on the forecheck, using their big bodies to protect the puck and get to the front of the net.
Houle already has two goals and the others each have one. Poisson has three assists, Houle has two and Renwick has one.
They can also serve as an effective stopping line.
UMaine has scoring potential on its third and fourth lines for the first time in several years.
“Those are the guys that can make or break your season,” Barr said. “It’s your depth that can determine whether or not you succeed in this league.”
Thomas Freel was a versatile freshman left winger a year ago and had two goals and 13 assists in 36 games. He already has four assists in four games. Center Cole Hanson scored six goals and Barr will look for more production from sophomores Felix Trudeau and Reid Pabich, who scored three and two goals, respectively, a year ago.
Junior center Scott has a goal and an assist and looks to be a useful extra scorer. Niemo and freshman Sully Scholle have good upside and the return of sophomore Aidan Carney from offseason surgery will give UMaine a physical presence. Sophomore Parker Lindauer, who played in 15 games last season, and freshman Anthony Calafiore could also earn ice time.
Breazeale, who was named to the Hockey East all-rookie team two years ago, has developed into an elite-level defenseman. The co-captain is an exceptional skater, especially for someone who is 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds. He poses a constant threat offensively and is also a lone player who wins a ton of puck battles in the defensive zone.
Holt was having an impressive debut season with four goals and seven assists in 24 games before breaking his finger and missing the final 12 games. He played in the RPI games but missed the Quinnipiac Series with an ankle injury.
He provides offensive flair and is also rock solid, defensively.
Chabrier won the game in overtime against Quinnipiac and continues to improve with Antonacci and Arnott.
Antonacci (3 goals, 10 assists), Breazeale (1 and 12) and Arnott (2 and 9) all had double-digit points last year with Holt.
Freshmen Ryan Hopkins, Bodie Nobes and Liam Lesakowski haven’t looked out of place and all have promising futures.
“They’re not flashy, but they’re all pretty sturdy,” Barr said.
Ostman was the second team All-Hockey East goaltender one year with his 2.21 goals-against average, five shutouts and a .918 save percentage and is off to a good start with an average of goals against of 1.98 and a save percentage of .899. Freshman Albin Boija and senior Connor Androlewicz will back him up.
UMaine’s power play is 0-for-15 and 4-for-26 this season, but Barr expects it to be productive. UMaine is an excellent 14 of 15 on the penalty kill.
The Black Bears created a major buzz in Orono with the second RPI game being a sellout. A full house in October at a non-conference game is almost unheard of, even in the rabid environment of hockey at Alfond Arena.
Black Bear players have added motivation after being picked ninth out of 11 teams in Hockey East’s preseason hockey poll.
UMaine will open Hockey East play at Merrimack on Friday and Saturday nights before hosting Boston College for two and visiting Boston University for two. BU, BC and Merrimack were one, two, three in the preparatory poll.
