There is something special about the University of Maine-University of New Hampshire rivalry, especially in hockey.
They have two of the best home ice advantages in college hockey due to the passion of the fans.
And the rivalry reached its zenith on April 3, 1999, when they met in the NCAA championship game in Anaheim, California, and UMaine triumphed 3-2 on Marcus Gustafsson’s overtime game-winner.
Current UNH head coach Mike Souza played in that game and forced overtime with a third-period goal. UMaine assistant coach Alfie Michaud played goalie at the time for the Black Bears and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
The two teams will renew their rivalry at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at UMaine’s Alfond Arena in Orono.
UMaine head coach Ben Barr said every game at the Alfond is “awesome,” and rivalries like the one with UNH can add another element.
“UNH is a really good team. They were last year,” UMaine fifth-year head coach Ben Barr said. “They’re very structured. They don’t give you much. They’re pretty stingy and we aren’t right now.”
Souza’s Wildcats are 7-7 overall and 3-4 in Hockey East, while UMaine is 8-5-1 and 5-3, respectively.
UMaine is ranked 11th in one national poll and 12th in the other.
UNH is unranked.
UNH brings a two-game winning streak into the series, including a 3-0 win at Bentley last Saturday night.
UMaine had last weekend off after splitting a series at Boston College the previous weekend, losing 7-3 on Friday night before earning a 3-0 triumph behind freshman goalie Mathis Rousseau’s 21-save performance.
UMaine has split each of its last three series.
The Black Bears are 3-0-1 vs. UNH in their last four meetings.
They are also 3-0-1 vs. UNH in the last four games at Alfond Arena and 8-2-2 in their last 12.
But the Wildcats have been better on the road than at their Whittemore Center this season, posting a 5-3 road record and a 2-4 home slate. And they have won four of their last five games away from home.
They have registered impressive 4-3 road wins at nationally ranked Michigan State and UConn.
UMaine leads the all-time series 76-64-14.
The teams met in an exhibition game on Oct. 3 at Sidney J. Watson Arena at Bowdoin College in Brunswick and they skated to a 2-2 tie. UNH outshot UMaine 38-18.
“If we think it’s going to be up-and-down-the-ice games, and we’re going to get a lot of scoring chances, we’re fooling ourselves,” Barr said. ”We’re going to have to play a tight-checking, structured game.”
He is concerned about his team’s layoff but quickly said he would also be just as concerned if his team had played three games last week.
“Can we play defense? Can we make good decisions? Or are we going to play loose hockey to end up with results that don’t reflect what happens in the game? That’s where we are right now,” Barr said. “We played really well on Friday night at BC as far as our energy level. And we made a lot of plays. But we gave up seven two-on-ones and a breakaway. That’s embarrassing. We played worse the next night but won 3-0 because our goalie bailed us out.”
These games take on even more importance when you consider the fact every team in Hockey East has at least two wins and three losses in league play, and 10 of the 11 teams have at least five overall losses with Northeastern (4) being the exception.
So every game is like a playoff game in terms of making the NCAA Tournament, particularly out of Hockey East this season.
“There isn’t any team in our league that is better than anybody else. Everybody has an average record. So every game is really important,” Barr said. “We aren’t going to get six teams in the NCAA Tournament like last year, so you’re going to have to finish at the top of the league to have a chance at it.”
Barr noted that Hockey East teams haven’t fared especially well in nonconference games this year.
The Black Bears continue to be led in scoring by a pair of freshmen: left winger Justin Poirier (11 goals, 6 assists) and right winger Miguel Marques (6 & 7), along with senior defenseman and co-captain Brandon Holt (2 & 11). Junior center Max Scott has 3 & 9 and junior right wing Josh Nadeau has 8 & 3. Nadeau has 6 & 5 in seven career games vs. UNH.
Barr hasn’t decided who will start in goal.
Junior second team All-American Albin Boija has had his struggles and is 6-4-1 with a 2.55 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage. Rousseau is 2-1, 3.00, .894.
UNH has been led by its top line of freshman Felix Gagnon (5 & 4) between senior left wing Morgan Winters (6 & 3) and junior right wing Nick Ring (2 & 7). Junior Brendan Fitzgerald (0 & 8) is the league’s reigning Defender of the Week, and freshmen left wings Jacob Newcombe (4 & 3, team-best 3 power play goals) and Sam Oliver (2 & 5) also have been important contributors.
Senior and Union College transfer goalie Kyle Chauvette (6-7, 2.68, .899) has started every game but one.
UMaine is tied for eighth among 63 Division I teams in goals per game (3.79), and UNH is 56th (2.14). UNH has held seven opponents to two goals or less as has UMaine.
