Even before the University of Maine men’s hockey team won its first Hockey East championship in over two decades, this year’s squad was already starting to remind fans of the golden era in Maine hockey.
Longtime Black Bears hockey fan Shaun Rogers was along for the ride for “unbelievable seasons” under late UMaine coach Shawn Walsh, who led the program to two national championships in 1993 and 1999.
“We’re getting back to that type of playoff hockey,” said Rogers during UMaine’s playoff opener in Orono on March 15 against UMass-Lowell. His family has had season tickets since the late 1970s.
The Black Bears rewarded a sold out Alfond Arena by unleashing seven goals in that Hockey East quarterfinal win.
“This is unbelievable, it’s like I’m back home,” Rogers said during that electric game in Orono. “It’s awesome.”
And it’s only gotten better since then, with the Black Bears bringing home their first conference title since 2004 on Friday night.
Season ticket holder Greg Jamison has been attending UMaine hockey games for 40 years, and his comments after an explosive second period against UMass-Lowell proved to be on the mark.
“I’d say people are excited and will continue to be excited if they continue to play like this,” Jamison said at the time.
Well, the team has kept up that effort, and the fan excitement has gone through the roof.
The UMaine faithful traveled so well for the Hockey East semifinal and championship round in Boston that people were calling the TD Garden “Alfond South.”
A long sea of UMaine fans were waiting for the UMaine team bus to arrive at the Boston arena before the final, and the players took notice.
“It was insane. Pulling up was something special,” said junior left wing Owen Fowler. “We knew it was going to be crazy and the whole state was coming. I had headphones in and I couldn’t even hear my music. All you heard was the Black Bear chant.”
Senior center Nolan Renwick said he was “shell-shocked” by the fan reception.
“Walking into the game you were automatically juiced and ready to go,” Fowler added.
The overwhelming support didn’t end during Friday night’s conference final. When the team pulled off the interstate to arrive home the next day, they were greeted with an impressive escort through Orono led by firetrucks, police cars and regular vehicles and featuring tons of fans lining the streets and waiting for them in the parking lot at Alfond Arena.
“It was funny. They quickly told us halfway through the trip we will have a little police escort,” said Fowler. “So I thought there may be one cop car. We didn’t know the whole town was going to come out. It was so awesome to see.”
And that was for a Hockey East championship. Fowler said he couldn’t imagine what the reception would look like for a national championship.
“It really pushes us even more to want to win it for the fans, for the state and for everyone involved with Maine hockey,” Fowler added.
Renwick said the fans always continue to surprise him.
“The support we get is endless,” Renwick said. “It’s going to be a special memory for the rest of my life.”
It has been special for the fans too, even before the conference title.
Season ticket holder Scott Irish was already feeling good during the UMass Lowell quarterfinal game, crediting the performance by coach Ben Barr’s UMaine team this season.
“It’s awesome, it’s absolutely awesome,” Irish said. “What coach Barr’s been able to do and the talent he’s brought in, it’s almost ushering back to [the] Shawn Walsh era.”
Irish also pointed to the strong community support behind the Black Bears, which remained front and center when the team traveled to Boston later in the Hockey East tournament.
UMaine fan and alum Megan Arsenault, who spoke to the Bangor Daily News from the TD Garden on Friday, said the conference championship felt “like a home game” with all the Black Bear fans there.
“Between the team, the coach and the fans, I think we’re in a really good position right now,” Arsenault said about the state of UMaine hockey.
