ORONO, Maine — Taylor Makar, Owen Fowler and Ross Mitton know what it’s like to incur the wrath of the Alfond Arena faithful on hockey game night.
This season, they will be viewed as the good guys instead of villains when they take the ice after they transferred to the University of Maine.
And they are looking forward to having the Black Bear fans cheering for them instead of jeering at them.
Makar played in four games for UMass at the Alfond Arena while former UMass Lowell player Owen Fowler and 2023-24 Colgate scoring leader Ross Mitton each played two games in Orono. All three are forwards.
“As an opposing player, coming here and seeing the lines outside waiting to get into the game gets you going,” said Fowler, who is a junior. “During warmups they were yelling down at you and heckling you. I was injured and couldn’t play up here last year but I came up anyway and was sitting in the crowd and they were chirping at me.”
Fowler has a new perspective now.
“I texted my family and told them ‘Wow. This is a place where everybody wants to play.’ Now, to be on the other side of it, I’m ecstatic. I can’t wait until the first game and walking out onto the ice and seeing all the fans and the student section,” Fowler said. “I can’t imagine the feeling when they’re behind you and cheering you on.”
Mitton echoed similar sentiments.
“We came here over Christmas break (last season) and I thought it would be empty. But it was still sold out,” said Mitton, whose Raiders lost 3-1 and tied 4-4. “So now I’m excited to be on the other side and play in front of a big crowd.”
Mitton remembers taking a “massive hit” from UMaine’s Donavan Houle.
“The place erupted. I’m excited to play my physical game and see what I can bring to the table,” said Mitton, who is a graduate student. “I love playing up here. The atmosphere is amazing. The fans definitely put pressure on you. You’d go out for warmups and people would be yelling at you and stuff like that.”
Makar said the Alfond crowd fires him up.
“I can only hope the fans and student section continue to do that to the other teams. But I’m happy to be on the other side. It’s a crazy atmosphere,” said Makar. “My favorite color is blue and I’ve been loving the colors. I’m real excited to play.”
Interestingly, all three have had some good moments at Alfond.
Makar has two goals and an assist in four games at Alfond and is a plus-two in plus-minus.
Players receive a plus-one if they are on the ice when their team scores an even-strength or shorthanded goal and a minus-one if the opponent scores one.
Mitton assisted on Colgate’s only goal in the 3-1 loss and Fowler had an assist and was plus-two in his two appearances at Alfond. In a 5-3 loss two seasons ago, Fowler and UMaine’s Lynden Breen shared the game-high in shots on goal with five apiece.
The players have spent a large part of the summer in Orono, attending the optional six-week training sessions with their teammates.
The sessions began on July 7. The season opener is Oct. 5 in Orono against American International College.
“I’ve learned so much,” said Makar, who is a senior and the younger brother of UMass Hobey Baker Award winning defenseman Cale Makar, the first player in history to win the Hobey Baker Award, Norris Trophy (NHL’s top defenseman) and Conn Smythe Trophy (NHL playoff Most Valuable Player). “We’ve done tons of working out and it’s great to bond with each other.
Fowler enjoys the Orono campus.
“I love it here. It’s a little different than Lowell. It’s definitely a lot quieter which is just what I needed outside the rink,” said Fowler. “The campus is great.”
He said they had a summer program at UMass Lowell but it was interesting coming to UMaine and seeing the culture head coach Ben Barr has built in Orono.
“There are long days at the rink here. You come here not knowing what it’s going to be like right away but you put your nose to the grindstone, get to work and do everything you can to get better. If you aren’t, you see the other guys around you and it makes you pick up your pace,” said Fowler.
Mitton said it was a “culture shock to me” because at Colgate, the team didn’t get together until two days before class started.
“They prioritized the classroom at Colgate. Here, they prioritize hockey as well as the classroom,” said Mitton. “The long days at the rink are a definite change for me.”
Makar played for Barr when Barr was the associate head coach at UMass and he and his staff were the primary reasons he landed at UMaine.
The players have also enjoyed their spare time. Makar is an avid fisherman and golfer; Mitton enjoys fishing and Fowler prefers golf.
“I love it here so far. It is an awesome area,” said Mitton. “We’ve caught a lot of smallmouth bass in the Penobscot River. I go fishing with the guys a lot. It’s a lot of fun.”
“Some guys caught some pike the other day. So now we’re pike hunting. And we’re looking for some stripers but the season might be done soon,” said Makar.
Open water fishing in Maine ends Sept. 30.
Makar has spent some time at the Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono and the Bangor Municipal Golf Course in Bangor and enjoys both courses as does Fowler.
“They’re both great courses,” said Fowler.
The players know there are high expectations on the team after it reached the Hockey East semifinals and the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2011-12 season last year.
But they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Our goal is to win a national championship,” said Mitton. “We lost some guys from last year but the coaches did a very good job in the transfer process and picked up a lot of key pieces. We’re really good up front, very good on the back end and we have awesome goalies.
“I’m really excited to see what we can do,” said Mitton.
