The University of Maine Black Bears Men’s Ice Hockey team officially dropped the puck for their 2024-25 season. Head Coach Ben Barr enters his fourth season behind the bench, hoping to continue the team’s trend of consistent improvement under his leadership.
During Barr’s first season in 2021-22, Maine finished dead last in Hockey East. The next season, Barr’s first two recruiting classes were able to make strides, earning Maine sixth place in Hockey East. In 2023-24, another impressive recruiting class led Maine to a third-place finish in Hockey East. They also punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament as a number two seed, marking their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011-2012.
Fourth-year defenseman and captain David Breazeale hopes to continue building on the team’s recent success.
“We’ve got a lot of experience this year,” said Breazeale. “We’ve got guys who have now played in NCAA Tournament games and who’ve played in final four Hockey East games. I think this experience is going to help us propel forward; we’re going to take that experience and do something with it.”
Entering the 2024 season, a few of Maine’s key players in 2023 graduated or moved on to the NHL. Maine’s top point scorer, forward Bradly Nadeau, signed an entry-level deal with the Carolina Hurricanes after they drafted him in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft. The Black Bears also lost two impactful graduate student forwards, Donavan Villeneuve-Houle and Ben Poisson.
However, the Black Bears added five new transfers as well as five new freshmen to the roster. Graduate student Ross Mitton transferred from Colgate, where he led the team in scoring last season with 30 points. Fourth-year Taylor Makar transfers to Orono after three seasons playing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Makar, a 6-4 forward, was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in 2021 and looks to further develop his talent at Maine.
Goalie Patriks Berzins highlights the first-year players, posting excellent numbers in both the USHL and representing Latvia in the World Junior Championships. Returning second-year goalie Albin Boija and Berzins could make for a solid tandem following Boija’s remarkable first season as a Black Bear in 2023.
Maine retained second-year forward Josh Nadeau, who finished the 2023-24 season with 45 points, one point away from the team high mark.
Also returning to the team is graduate student forward and captain Lynden Breen, who finished the 2023-24 season with 30 points. He was motivated to stay for a fifth year in Orono to continue building the program’s success.
“Being a Black Bear is something I take great pride in,” said Breen. “Last year we got so far, but we didn’t get the job done, and it’s a meaningful reason to come back and be a part of something bigger.”
Along with Breazeale and Breen, the team announced fourth-year forward Nolan Renwick, fourth-year forward Harrison Scott, and third-year forward Thomas Freel as alternate captains for the season.
Maine enters the season ranked #12 in the NCAA rankings. The team has both size and speed, as well as primary and secondary scoring, prompting Barr to be impressed at his roster’s depth.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that can play well at this level,” said Barr. “But it’s about who’s going to step into roles where you become a really good player, and not just a good player.”
Maine will have a tough schedule in the always competitive Hockey East conference. In the Hockey East preseason Coaches Poll, the Black Bears were picked to finish fourth in the conference, behind defending champions Boston College, as well as Boston University, and Providence College. Maine also hosts the defending National Champions, University of Denver, on Jan. 3 and 4.
After losing in the Hockey East Semifinals and in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season, Maine is hopeful for redemption.
“Pressure is a privilege; we see it as an opportunity,” said Breazeale. “To be able to play in big Hockey East games, hopefully contending for a national championship, that’s a privilege.”
