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Boston has not been a kind place for the University of Maine men’s ice hockey squad in the past 10 months. Dating back to last April, the Black Bears have strung together a troubling three-game losing streak in Beantown. With the first loss coming in the National Championship game, the streak has since escalated this season with defeats coming against Boston University and Northeastern in November. On Saturday, the Black Bears will return to the Hub to grapple with Harvard in hopes of surmounting their growing woes.
The Black Bears will enter the decision ranked tenth in the nation in the USA Today-USA Hockey Magazine poll and eleventh in the nation in the USCHO-CSTV poll. UMaine currently stands at 10-6-2 on they year and 6-3-1 in conference competition. As for Harvard, their record resides at 8-3-1 overall, while 6-3-1 in Hockey East play.
UMaine head coach Tim Whitehead anticipates a feisty Crimson squad come the weekend.
“Its going to be real tough, they are going to have a good jump in their step,” said Whitehead. “They will definitely be hungry coming off last season’s tournament loss.”
UMaine will enter the decision riding a six-game winning streak. The Black Bears are coming off a 5-0 thrashing of Merrimack at home last Saturday. In a game that saw an aggressive first and second period that overwhelmed the Warriors, Jimmy Howard earned his second shutout victory on the year. Last weekend the Black Bears snagged a surprising split from a depleted Merrimack squad. The Black Bears tied the Warriors 2-2 Friday before Saturday’s pummeling.
Whitehead his team’s recent offensive success.
“We have been generating alot of shots as of late and doing what we need to put the puck in the net,” said Whitehead.
The meeting between the two foes will mark their first since last season’s thrilling 5-4 Black Bear victory in the NCAA tournament. In a game that saw the Crimson jump out to a commanding 4-0 advantage early on, the Black Bears were able to stage one of the most dramatic comebacks of the year. During a feverish third period, UMaine managed to crawl from three goals back to tie the match and eventually grab the win. The Black Bears took the lead late in the third period when Mechel Leveille feed the puck to an open Greg Moore, who then proceeded to rip a shot from the high slot into the back of the net. Now nearly ten months removed, the two opponents are set to meet once again with the memories of last seasons entanglement fresh in their minds.
Harvard, who will be eager to avenge their post season heartbreak, boast one of the top teams in the ECAC with first year head coach Ted Donato at the helm. Donato, a former Harvard hockey captain who enjoyed a sparkling 13-year NHL career, has guided to a third place standing in league play thus far this season. The Crimson, who are coming off a surprise upset over a red hot Vermont squad, are highlighted by playmaker Tom Cavanagh. The talented senior currently leads the Crimson with six goals and 11 assists. Cavanagh is followed in the scoring department by senior Andrew Lederman who has registered three goals and six assists on the season. Rounding out the offensive assault for Harvard are Brendan Bernakevitch and freshman sensation Jon Pelle. Bernakevitch, has recorded two goals and seven assists on the year, while Pelle has hauled in four goals and four assists for eight points.
In net, the Crimson are backed by senior Dov Grumet Morris. Morris, has played in 10 games posting a .930 save percentage and a 2.09 goals against average. Backing up Morris in net will be untested sophomore Justin Tobe, who has played in two games recording a .945 save percentage along with a 1.50 G.A.A.
Saturday’s game will mark the tenth meeting between the opponents with the Black Bears leading the series with a 5-4 advantage. UMaine will enter the decision having won the last three games.
The contest will also highlight the second time brothers Ben and Dan Murphy have sparred on the ice. Both players enter the decision coming off two totally different weekends. Dan enters the match having scored the game winner against UVM on Tuesday night. For Ben, the meeting will hopefully mark his successful return from a knee injury that sidelined him early on in November.
Looking to led UMaine will be the streaking sophomores Josh Soares and Keith Johnson, who are both coming off strong performances this past weekend. Soares, currently has tallied five goals on the year while picking up six assists for 11 points. The point total places Soares fifth on the team in points. As for Johnson, the speedy wing has registered two goals and one assist on the year. The performances of both players bode well for a Black Bear squad eager to get production from more avenues then just the usual suspects.
Those usual suspects – Derek Damon, Jon Jankus, John Ronan and Michel Leveille – all have totaled at least nine points on the year. Damon currently leads the team with 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points. The Bangor natives 10th goal came early Saturday when Damon scored the first goal of the game against Merrimack. Jankus, the team’s steady faceoff man, has collected four goals and 10 assists on the year, while Ronan has posted six goals and six assists for 12 points. Leveille rounds out the group with five goals and four assists.
In net, All-American Jimmy Howard has tallied a record of 9-6-2 with a .911 save percentage and a 2.14 goals against average. Freshman Matt Lundin backs up Howard in goal with a 1.76 G.A.A and a .939 save percentage.
Saturday night’s game is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in Cambridge. The Black Bears will then return to action in Fort Myers, Fla., for the Florida College Classic with matchups against St. Cloud. A duel with either Cornell or Boston College could be looming if the Black Bears prove win their first game. The tournament is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Dec. 28 with the Black Bears playing St. Cloud.
