University of Maine hockey coach Ben Barr will return to his alma mater this weekend when his fifth-ranked Black Bears take on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for Saturday and Sunday games at the Houston Field House in Troy, N.Y.
Puck drop is 3 p.m. each day.
UMaine is 8-2-2 overall and unbeaten in its last three (2-0-1) while the Engineers are 5-4-1.
Barr captained the 2003-04 RPI team and played 140 career games for the Engineers, tallying 25 goals and 39 assists for 64 points.
He has been back to RPI as an assistant coach at Union College and UMass but this will be his first time there as a head coach.
“It’s always cool going back there. My wife (Tara Zablocky) is from there and lived there for a long time,” said Barr. “Her sister Kristen was a trainer at RPI.”
But it is very much a business trip for Barr and his team. He said the Black Bears have yet to reach their potential.
“We’re getting close but we still have those moments in games when we self-destruct. We’ll have mental lapses whether it be panicking with the puck or taking lazy penalties. We’ll know when we’re there when we can figure that out,” said Barr.
RPI is coming off a 10-23-4 season including 4-1 and 6-3 losses to UMaine in Orono. They returned seven of their top 10 scorers off last year’s team.
“They’re a good team. They’re not scared of us. They haven’t played in two weeks so they will be rested and full of juice,” said Barr.
RPI last played on Nov. 16, a 3-2 home win over St. Lawrence.
UMaine graduate student center and co-captain Lynden Breen pointed out that the Black Bears have a target on their backs now that they are nationally-ranked.
“Any game against us is important for our opponents now,” said Breen, who added that it is crucial to have everyone playing well. “We can’t have three or four guys (not playing well). We have to play every game like it’s our last game and when we do that, we can be a scary team.”
The Black Bears will regain the services of sophomore right winger Josh Nadeau, who missed last Friday’s 3-1 win at New Hampshire with a concussion. The leading returning scorer off last year’s team and an All-Hockey East third teamer has two goals and four assists in 11 games so far this season.
“The break felt good. I took it as a positive. I worked on my game and will be back stronger than ever. I’m ready to go,” said Nadeau, who had 18 goals and 27 assists in 37 games a year ago and was a preseason All-Hockey East pick.
“Having Josh back is huge,” said senior defenseman and co-captain David Breazeale. “He adds another line of depth for us. He’s a key piece.”
However, the Black Bears will be without junior defenseman Brandon Holt (leg injury), who is 11th in the country among 64 Division I schools in assists per game at .92. He has 11 assists in 12 games along with two goals.
Holt said it is a minor injury and he should be back soon.
“These are situations good teams are able to figure out,” said Barr. “Josh is a big part of our team but we got through it (at UNH) and Brandon is a big part of our team on the back end (defense) and we need guys to step up and play well.”
Senior center Harrison Scott continues to lead the Black Bears in scoring with 16 points on six goals and 10 assists. He is tied for 11th in the country in points per game at 1.33. Sophomore right wing Charlie Russell has 3-10-13 and junior left wing Thomas Freel leads the country in power play goals with seven. All of his goals have come with the man-advanage and he also has four assists.
Sophomore goaltender Albin Boija has the nation’s eighth-best goals-against average (1.58) and he also has a .931 save percentage.
Defenseman and Alaska-Anchorage transfer Will Gilson (4-5-9) and sophomore forward Tyler Hotson (3-6-9) lead the Engineers in scoring. Hotson had a team-high 13 goals a year ago.
Freshman forward Rainers Rullers (5-2-7) leads a group of four players with seven points.
Ferris State transfer Noah Giesbrecht has a 2.73 GAA and a .912 save percentage and has played seven of the 10 games.
RPI is tied for seventh in the country in goals per game with 3.60 thanks to the 10th best power play (25.8 percent). But the Engineers are 50th in goals-against (3.2) and are tied for the fifth-most in penalty minutes per game (13).
UMaine is tied for ninth in goals per game (3.58) but is the third stingiest team in the country, allowing only 1.67 goals per game. UMaine has the nation’s 16th best power play (23.5 percent).
