It may be an exhibition game, but it will feel more like a playoff contest because it’s between arch rivals.
The University of Maine men’s hockey team and New Hampshire will play a season-opening exhibition game at Bowdoin College’s Sidney J. Watson Arena on Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.
The Black Bears and Wildcats had a similar exhibition matchup to start the season two years ago at Colby College’s Jack Kelley Rink in Waterville. Both teams are members of the Hockey East conference.
As a result of Hockey East’s rotating schedule, UMaine and UNH are scheduled to play just twice this season, both in Orono on Dec. 5-6.
They previously had been playing three times with two at one team’s rink and one at the other arena.
“It was a good experience a couple of years ago and I like playing UNH at different places in the state. It’s good for the state,” UMaine head coach Ben Barr said about this exhibition contests. “It’s also a great tune-up for us before our opener.”
Last season, UMaine went 2-0-1 vs. UNH with a win and a tie in Orono and a victory at UNH.
Hockey East teams play three league games against four schools and two against the other six, and those matchups rotate.
Two years ago, UMaine won the exhibition game against UNH 3-2 as the line of Lynden Breen between freshman brothers Josh and Bradly Nadeau teamed up for all three goals and five assists.
Josh Nadeau had two goals and an assist, including the game-winner with 1:50 left; Breen had a goal and two assists and Bradly Nadeau had two assists.
UMaine will open this regular season at home against reigning Atlantic Hockey America regular season champion Holy Cross from Worcester, Massachusetts, on Oct. 10-11.
UNH will open its regular season at Michigan State on Oct. 9-10.
Barr said UMaine and UNH are looking into scheduling a non-conference regular season game during the campaigns in which they are scheduled to play just two regular season league games. That third game would be played at the rink of the team which has to travel for the two regular season contests.
The UMaine-UNH games are almost always sellouts.
All three games were sold out last year and it was just one of two sellouts for UNH among 16 home games along with one against Boston College.
Barr called the UMaine-UNH games “a big deal on campus” and said UMaine needs to be “more proactive” in scheduling a third game against UNH in future years when they are slated to play just twice.
UMaine holds a 76-64-13 lead in the all-time series.
UMaine is coming off its first Hockey East Tournament championship since 2004 and two consecutive NCAA Tournament berths. UMaine went 24-8-6 last season including 13-5-6 mark in Hockey East regular season games.
Coach Mike Souza’s Wildcats are coming off a disappointing 13-16-6 campaign which included a 5-14-5 regular season mark in league play.
UNH lost to UMass Lowell 3-2 in overtime in the first round of the Hockey East playoffs.
Tickets for the exhibition game at Bowdoin will go on sale on Aug, 26 at 10 a.m. They can be purchased at GoBlackBears.com/MIHTickets or by calling 207-581-BEAR.
These tickets will not be included in season ticket packages and there won’t be in-person walk-up sales on game day.
