In the opening game of its two-game series against Quinnipiac, UMass and Vermont, the University of Maine’s hockey team went 2-0-1 and outscored them 17-6.
In the second game of those series, UMaine went 0-3 and was outscored 10-1.
The Black Bears, ranked 10th in one national poll and 11th in the other, will be looking for better back-to-back performances this weekend when they visit a surging 15-ranked Boston College team that has won four in a row.
UMaine is 7-4-1 overall and 4-2 in Hockey East while BC is 6-4-1 and 4-2.
Puck drop is at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights at the Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
UMaine is coming off a 7-0 home win over Vermont followed by a 2-1 loss to the Catamounts. Boston College swept UMass 7-3 and 4-0.
The previous weekend, UMaine beat UMass 6-2 and then lost the next night 4-0 while BC swept Vermont 2-1 and 5-0.
“We’re working on it,” said UMaine head coach Ben Barr, referring to his team’s struggle to put strong back-to-back showings together. “I don’t think we played poorly last Saturday night, but no one cares. The score was the score.”
Barr said the Black Bears need to find consistency in their culture.
“You aren’t going to blow out teams like we’ve done on Friday nights all that often as the year goes along,” Barr said.
He said there’s an argument to be made that his team actually played better in some aspects of the game Saturday night, but they still lost.
“That’s the fine line that we’re walking right now,” said the fifth-year coach.
He said Thursday morning that he and his staff are contemplating lineup changes.
“But we haven’t made any decisions yet,” Barr added.
He knows they are facing a stiff challenge this weekend and they will be playing in a venue that hasn’t been kind to them of late. The Black Bears are just 1-5-1 in their last seven games at Conte Forum.
Barr said BC is playing “really, really well,” like they were a year ago when they beat the Black Bears 3-2 and 3-0.
“They’re really good. They’re well-coached,” Barr said. “Going into their building against a team like that, you aren’t going to come away with anything unless you have your A-game. It’s going to take our best.”
The series will pit reigning Hockey East regular season champion Boston College against league tournament titlist UMaine.
BC lost its top two scorers off last year’s 27-8-2 team in Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault. But the Eagles returned seven of the next eight-leading point-getters. However, fourth-leading scorer Andre Gasseau, who had 15 goals and 15 assists including three goals vs. UMaine, is sidelined after having wrist surgery.
Boston Bruins first round draft pick James Hagens, a center who had 11 goals and 26 assists a year ago and was the team’s No. 3 scorer, is off to a good start with four goals and seven assists. He is tied for the team lead in points with left wing Jake Sondreal (5-6-11). Center Dean Letourneau, another Bruins first round pick, has 4-5-9 and the top-scoring defenseman is Drew Fortescue (3-5-8).
University of New Hampshire transfer Ryan Conmy has 4-2-6 and leads the team in power play goals with three.
BC freshman Louka Cloutier is the league’s reigning Goaltender of the Week after stopping 45 of 48 shots vs. UMass. He is 6-2-1 with a 1.89 goals-against average and .919 save percentage.
UMaine left winger Justin Poirier continues to lead the Black Bears in scoring with 10 goals and five assists. He is just the third Hockey East rookie since 2005-06 to score 10 goals in his first 12 games, joining UMaine’s Bradly Nadeau (2023-24) and UNH’s Patrick Grasso.
Senior defenseman Brandon Holt has two goals and 10 assists; junior center Max Scott has three goals and eight assists, and junior right wing Josh Nadeau has 7 & 3. Freshman right wing Miguel Marques (4 & 6) is the reigning Hockey East Rookie of the Week.
Holt was highlighted as one of the nation’s top 10 undrafted defensemen in a recent NHL.com article.
UMaine junior goalie Albin Boija is 6-3-1 with a 2.20 GAA and a .912 save percentage.
