A lot can change in two months. Just eight weeks ago, Maine was in a tie for eighth place in Hockey East, sporting a disappointing 3-5-1 league mark and a 3-6-2 record overall. Fast forward to today, and the Black Bears are back in the hunt for home ice in the league playoffs. Thanks in large part to a 9-1-2 record since Thanksgiving, Maine has clawed its way to fourth in the league standings, just one point behind second-place Merrimack and Boston College.
Brian Flynn, with 35, is one point shy of his point total from all of last season.
Maine’s run has been fueled by consistency on both ends of the ice. Over the 12-game stretch, Maine has won every game in which it has scored three goals or more; the three times that the Black Bears failed to reach that mark have resulted in the two losses and a tie. Coinciding with the offensive consistency has been solid play at the other end of the ice, as sophomore Dan Sullivan has established himself as the team’s number one goaltender, getting the starting nod in each of the 12 games during the streak.
The Black Bears also avoided the pitfall that many teams suffer from — the holiday hangover. Maine claimed its fifth Florida College Classic between Christmas and New Year’s, and carried the momentum from that tournament into wins against Vermont and New Hampshire in the first week of January.
“It’s always nice to win tournaments to give you confidence,” said senior captain Brian Flynn. “We had two good games in Florida, then one against Vermont and then the game against UNH at Fenway — we took those four games as a block and said, we need to win three of those; well, we won all four, which has just helped build our confidence.
“In the past, we’ve struggled after the break, so we had a talk about that before we left, and you can see the guys worked hard, skating and lifting over the break, and we’re benefitting from that right now,” Flynn added.
Maine’s upward movement has been due primarily to its prolific offense, led by Hockey East’s top three individual scorers — Flynn, Spencer Abbott and Joey Diamond. The trio comprise the league’s most dangerous scoring line, accounting for 42 of the team’s 80 goals on the year, establishing Flynn and Abbott as two of Hockey East’s strongest candidates for the Hobey Baker Award. Maine also possesses the league’s top power-play unit, converting on 29.7 percent of its chances with the man advantage.
“There’s not that many lines around the country that have played every game together,” Flynn said. “We’ve had a couple of nights where one of the three of us is having a good night, and the others benefit from being on the same line. We’re extremely comfortable at this point, with no signs of slowing down.”
That level of comfort was on display last weekend as the Black Bears took both games from Boston College at home, winning a tight 4-3 contest in overtime before breaking open another close matchup with three goals — two of them of the empty-net variety — in the final three minutes of regulation.
“That was huge — we’ve struggled against BC since I’ve been here, and that’s the first series we won against them in four years,” Flynn said. “It’s a big boost, they’re always at the top of the league and the nation, and I think it’s a good measuring stick for where we are right now. Of course, last week was at home and in front of our crowd, so this week, being on the road will be more of a challenge.”
That challenge Flynn spoke of involves taking on league-leading Boston University in a two-game set in Boston this weekend. The two teams have already met once this season, a 5-1 Terrier victory on Dec. 10 in Orono. In that game, Boston University potted five unanswered goals, including a pair on the power play, to claim the win.
Maine also was without Flynn for the second half of that game after he was assessed a major and game misconduct midway through the second period. At the time of the penalty, Maine led, 1-0, and Flynn feels that staying out of the penalty box will be critical for the Black Bears to find success this weekend.
“We’ll have to be extremely responsible with the puck,” he said. “They’ve got guys who can put the puck in the net and burn us, so we have to chip pucks in deep and make them go 200 feet all night, and not give up any odd-man rushes. Staying out of the box will be a big help, but we’re sure they’re saying that as well, that our power play is clicking right now.”
Fries at the Bottom of the Bag
- Maine’s not alone in trending upward in Hockey East; the Black Bears’ opponent this weekend, Boston University, has won five straight and is 7-1 in its last eight games. The Terriers have opened up a four-point lead on second-place Merrimack and Boston College.
- The other series to watch this weekend is a home-and-home between the two Massachusetts state schools. Massachusetts has won three straight, and is 5-1-2 in its last eight games. The Minutemen have been a completely different team this season at home and on the road; Massachusetts is 7-0-3 at home and 0-7-2 on the road. They’ll take on UMass Lowell, first in Amherst before moving to Lowell on Saturday. Lowell is 4-2 in its last six games, but dropped a 1-0 decision to Providence on Tuesday.
- Boston College has been heading in the opposite direction. The Eagles are just 7-9-1 overall since November 1, canceling out their 7-1 start to the season. BC takes on New Hampshire in a home-and-home series this weekend, with the Wildcats clinging to eighth place in the league standings.
