Junior defenseman Brandon Holt, who missed the last four games with a knee injury, will return to the University of Maine hockey lineup at 4 p.m. on Sunday when the fourth-ranked Black Bears venture to Portland to take on Bentley University (Massachusetts) at the Cross Insurance Arena.
The teams met in Portland a year ago and the Black Bears rallied for a pair of late third-period goals to edge the Falcons 3-2.
Holt leads the country’s defensemen in assists per game at .92. He is seventh among all skaters (forwards and defensemen).
He has two goals and 11 assists for 13 points in 12 games and his 1.08 points per game ranks 29th among all skaters from the nation’s 64 Division I schools.
“I feel really good. I’m pretty much normal by now,” said Holt. “I got on the ice and in the gym quite a bit during the (holiday) break and the more I got into it, the better I felt.”
He said it was no fun watching the team from the stands.
“It made me more nervous watching the games rather than playing in them. I’m glad to be back, for sure,” added Holt, who will be wearing a brace on his knee.
“But I hardly even notice it,” he said.
Senior defenseman and co-captain David Breazeale said it will be “awesome” to have him back.
“He’s a huge piece for us on the back end,” said Breazeale. “He adds so much depth.”
“It’s awesome to have him back,” said senior center and alternate captain Nolan Renwick. “He’s a great player. We really missed him.”
Holt and the Black Bears are anxious to play in Portland where they are expected to play in front of a sold-out crowd.
“It’s kind of weird. It’s like a road game with home fans,” said Renwick. “It’s exciting. We played Bentley there last year and it’s a really cool experience to see the support we get two hours south of us.
“This state really believes in us and to go out and play for them is going to be really special,” added Renwick.
UMaine head coach Ben Barr said he appreciates the support in Portland.
“For us to go two to two and a half hours away and have a full arena when school is out and all that kind of stuff is really unique in college hockey,” said Barr. “The whole state supports this program.”
“There’s a super cool atmosphere down there,” said Holt. “It’s a little bit different than the Alfond (Arena). Nothing is quite like the Alfond. It’s cool to get a game in southern Maine and have it sold out. It’ll be a good atmosphere, like a pro atmosphere almost.”
It is the home rink of ECHL’s Maine Mariners, which is a minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins.
The 12-2-2 Black Bears from Hockey East will come into the game on a five-game winning streak and a seven-game unbeaten streak (6-0-1). Bentley, which is 10-5-2, plays in Atlantic Hockey America and is tied for first place in the league with Sacred Heart.
Bentley is 5-1-1 in its last seven games and the loss came to Hockey East team Northeastern, 3-1, in which the Falcons outshot the Huskies 35-17.
“They’re a really good team,” said Barr. “I watched them play Northeastern before the break and they carried the play for large parts of that game.
“(Head coach Andy Jones) has done a phenomenal job. They are a confident group, an older group and they have a lot of belief in each other,” said Barr. “We were lucky to beat them down there last year.
“I imagine it’s going to be a really tight game. They’re going to be above the puck, they’re going to be physical and they can really skate. They don’t give you tons of time and space (with the puck). They’re very structured,” added Barr. “They have a really mobile defense corps that can make a ton of plays.”
Barr said his team is going to have to put pucks into the corner, get in on the forecheck and win one-on-one battles to be successful.
“We know they’re going to bring a lot of jam,” said Breazeale. “They’re a hard-working team. We have to really be on top of our game.”
Harrison Scott (10 goals, 10 assists) and Charlie Russell (4 & 12) continue to lead UMaine in scoring followed by Taylor Makar (6 & 9) and Josh Nadeau (5 & 8).
The Falcons have been paced by Ethan Leyh (6 & 12), Nik Armstrong-Kingkade (5 & 8), Nick Bochen (5 & 8) and Oskar Bakkevig (7 & 4). Former Black Bear defenseman Sam Duerr has 5 & 4.
The goaltending matchup will pit UMaine sophomore Albin Boija (11-2-2, 1.53 goals against average, .932 save percentage, 3 shutouts) against Bentley junior Connor Hasley (8-4-2, 2.10, .911, 4 shutouts).
Hasley’s four shutouts are tied for most in the nation with Boston College’s Jacob Fowler.
