You are a frustrated University of Maine hockey fan.
You just watched your team win its first Hockey East championship since 2004 in impressive fashion.
The Black Bears squandered a 2-0 lead in their semifinal against Northeastern, but tied it 3-3 on a late goal by junior defenseman Luke Antonacci and won it on senior center and alternate captain Nolan Renwick’s goal in the second overtime.
Then, after playing over 90 minutes in the late game on Thursday, the equivalent of a game and a half, they jumped on top of nemesis UConn in Friday night’s final with first-period goals by graduate student center-co captain Lynden Breen and sophomore right wing Josh Nadeau. They led all the way en route to a 5-2 triumph.
UMaine had been winless vs. the Huskies this season, losing twice and tying once.
It is only fitting that the three players who have been at UMaine the longest and endured the seven-win season in head coach Ben Barr’s first year in 2021-22 — Breen, Renwick and senior defenseman and co-captain David Breazeale — figured prominently at the TD Garden.
Renwick had two assists on Friday in addition to Thursday’s game-winner; Breen had an assist on Thursday to go with Friday’s goal and Breazeale had two assists in the championship game.
And they were solid in all aspects of the game.
Their reward for their championship?
The Black Bears go to Allentown, Pennsylvania, as the top seed for that regional but have to play the host school, fourth seed Penn State, in the first round on Friday night at 8:30.
Not much of a reward but, as Barr said on Sunday, “it is what it is.”
It’s not an easy draw by any stretch of the imagination, especially considering the home ice advantage for the Nittany Lions, whose campus is 166 miles from Allentown.
So UMaine fans will be required to make a 547-mile trip one way to support the Black Bears. That will certainly limit the turnout of UMaine fans who would have definitely shown up in full force if UMaine had been sent to the Manchester, New Hampshire, Regional, which is 317 miles closer to Orono.
But Hockey East regular season champion Boston College, the top overall seed for the 16-team tournament, landed as the No. 1 seed in Manchester and will take on first-time NCAA Tournament team Bentley University, the Atlantic Hockey American tournament winner.
Bentley beat UMaine 4-2 in Portland earlier this season and has won two of their last three meetings.
Yes, Boston College did get upset in the Hockey East quarterfinals by ninth seed Northeastern but the Eagles still deserve to play in the closest regional.
One loss shouldn’t destroy the Eagles’ season-long body of work which included two wins over UMaine.
Remember, it could have been worse.
The other two regionals are in Toledo, Ohio, which is a 988-mile trip, and Fargo, North Dakota, which is 1,859 miles from Orono.
No matter who you play in the NCAA tournament, they are going to be a formidable opponent capable of beating you.
You have to play the hand you’re dealt and you have to beat four quality teams to win the NCAA title. You control your own destiny with how you play.
Playing a lower seeded host school makes it a little more challenging but you have to find a way to win. It’s as simple as that.
The Black Bears have been resilient all year and have played their best hockey of the season in their three Hockey East tournament wins beginning with the 7-1 quarterfinal win over UMass Lowell.
Last year, they reached the league semifinals and earned an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since the 2011-12 season. They lost to Boston University 4-1 in the league semifinals and to Cornell 3-1 in the first round of the Springfield Regional.
They have exceeded last year’s Hockey East showing but still have that bitter taste in their mouths from the loss to Cornell.
Harrison Scott gave UMaine a 1-0 lead just 5:43 into the Cornell game last year and, 55 seconds later, UMaine went on a five-minute power play.
The Black Bears failed to convert and it proved costly a year ago.
UMaine outshot Cornell 32-18 but was without starting goalie Albin Boija, who was sidelined due to illness. Victor Ostman started instead.
Hopefully, the Mike Richter Award finalist (nation’s best goalie) won’t come down with any sickness or an injury before Friday’s game.
This team is on a mission and is very appreciative of its fans, who flocked to the TD Garden both nights during last week’s Hockey East action. That support helped both games have a home-like atmosphere, which may prove challenging to replicate in Allentown later this week.
