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After an early weekend off, the University of Maine men’s hockey team can’t pinpoint where they stand in the wild and wacky world of the Hockey East Conference this season.
However, after a series against HEC-unbeaten Providence College this weekend, the Black Bears will have a much better idea of where they stand.
The Friars are one of the biggest surprises in the country early on this season, with an upset over Boston University, followed by a 5-2 win over the University of Massachusetts and a tie against national power University of Minnesota-Duluth. New head coach Nate Leaman, who came over from Union College, has the Friars playing inspired hockey, which isn’t shocking to UMaine head coach Tim Whitehead.
“I know Nate well, so I knew he would get things jump-started pretty quickly,” Whitehead said. “Anytime there’s a new coaching staff, there’s going to be a jump in their step and that’s the biggest thing. They seem a little bit more alert and quicker — they’re hungrier and excited. They got off to a good start against BU and UMass. It’s going to be a good challenge for us; we’ve been anxious to play — with the weekend off — and we’re chomping at the bit.”
The Friars have excelled early on with team play, with 12 different players tallying goals this season and 16 have assisted. Compare that to the top-heavy Black Bears, where the combination of senior center Brian Flynn, senior forward Spencer Abbott and junior forward Joey Diamond yielded more of UMaine’s points, 17, than the rest of the team combined.
It’s that disparity that Whitehead is trying to eliminate from his team.
“Our goal is to develop some secondary scoring because you’re not going to go too far with just one line, especially on the road,” he said. “We’re working very hard to help some of our other forwards to emerge as legitimate offensive players without sacrificing the defensive side. We would like to see some guys separate themselves from the pack.”
For the Friars, one player who stands out is junior defender Myles Harvey. Leading Providence with three goals, Harvey has taken just seven shots.
“Certainly guys do emerge in their junior and senior year. It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s [Harvey’s] time,” Whitehead said. “He’s getting more ice time this year. He’s off to a good start; I’ve seen that before in this league. They usually emerge to become impact players.
“We focus on the opposition, but we don’t overdo it because what’s most important is how you execute your own systems,” he added. “We’ll be prepared for some of the things they’re doing, but again, the biggest emphasis is on ourselves.”
The Black Bears have seen their own set of upperclassmen fill the void left by graduates— especially on the defensive side, where three of last year’s top-four leaders in minutes played had to be replaced.
“I’ve been really impressed with [junior defender] Matt Mangene’s transition back to D; he’s been fabulous,” Whitehead said. “[Senior defender] Ryan Hegarty is playing at a whole new level [and has] really emerged as a complete player this year. [Junior defender] Mark Nemec and [senior defender] Mike Cornell are doing a great job defensively and killing penalties and [junior defender] Nick Pryor has really separated himself as a legit two-way defenseman, especially on the offensive side. He’s quarterbacking our second power play unit.”
So far this season, both the Black Bears and the Friars have been terrific starters in games, with UMaine outscoring their opponents 4-0 in the first period of games this season, while the Friars hold a 6-1 first-period advantage. With the new components each team is still trying to incorporate, jumping out to that early lead could be vital.
“You have two teams with a lot of new players shuffling into their lineup, so I think getting the lead [early] will be important,” Whitehead said. “That’s not unusual for most teams, but I think especially early in the season, with our two teams in particular, it will be important.”
Regardless of the weekend’s outcome, both the Black Bears and the Friars have a long way to go before they figure out where they stand in the HEC.
“Just one look at the standing in Hockey East right now, with UNH at the bottom and Providence close to the top — It tells you that anything can happen,” Whitehead said.
The Black Bears’ weekend series with the Friars begins Friday at 7 p.m.
Bangor Daily News