The University of Maine men’s ice hockey team closed out the regular–season home schedule at Alfond Arena in commanding fashion, sweeping Merrimack College in a two-game Hockey East series on Senior Weekend. The Black Bears earned a 5-3 victory Friday night before following it up with a 5-2 win on Saturday.
In front of back-to-back crowds of 4,980, Maine delivered one of its most complete weekends of the season while honoring its senior class in its final regular-season appearance at home.
Friday night’s matchup set the tone early. Third-year forward Josh Nadeau opened the scoring at 15:01 of the first period, finishing a play set up by fourth-year forward Thomas Freel and third-year forward Sully Scholle. Nadeau struck again just over three minutes later at 18:29, assisted by captain Brandon Holt, giving the Black Bears a 2-0 lead late in the frame.
Merrimack responded before the period ended, as fifth-year forward Mark Hillier scored at 19:14, assisted by first-year forward Justin Gill and first-year defenseman Filip Nordberg, cutting the deficit to 2-1 heading into the first intermission.
Maine extended its lead in the second period when Scholle found the back of the net at 8:02, assisted by Nadeau and Holt. Merrimack answered again at 15:20 on a goal from second-year forward Caelan Fitzpatrick, assisted by first-year forward Parker Lalonde, trimming the score to 3–2 heading into the third period.
The Warriors tied the game just over a minute into the final frame when Gill scored at 1:08, assisted by Hillier and first-year defenseman Ethan Beyer. Maine responded quickly, however, as second-year forward Oskar Komarov restored the Black Bears’ advantage at 4:17 with an unassisted goal.
With Merrimack pressing late, Nadeau completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal at 19:11, assisted by Scholle and fourth-year forward Owen Fowler, sealing the 5–3 victory and igniting the Alfond crowd.
Saturday’s game featured early adversity for Maine, as Merrimack jumped out to a 2–1 lead in the first period on goals from Fitzpatrick and third-year forward Michael Emerson. Nadeau accounted for Maine’s opening goal at 8:13, assisted by Holt and Fowler, keeping the Black Bears within one heading into intermission.
The second period proved to be the turning point. First-year forward Miguel Marques tied the game at 1:15 on the power play, assisted by Holt and Nadeau. Later in the frame, Fowler gave Maine its first lead of the night at 15:47, finishing a play from first-year forward Jaden Lipinski and third-year defenseman Frank Djurasevic. Just over two minutes later, Nadeau added another power-play goal at 18:01, extending Maine’s lead to 4-2.
The Black Bears continued to capitalize on special teams in the third period. After Merrimack was assessed a five-minute major penalty, Fowler scored his second goal of the night at 17:48 on the power play, assisted by Nadeau and Holt, putting the game out of reach. Maine finished 3-for-8 on the power play Saturday and held Merrimack scoreless on all three of its opportunities.
Senior Weekend added another layer to the series as Maine honored seniors Thomas Freel, Owen Fowler, Grayson Arnott, Brandon Holt and Brandon Chabrier before Saturday’s game. The seniors skated one final regular-season contest at Alfond Arena, and the team responded with a poised, balanced performance on both nights. Across the two games, the Black Bears scored 10 goals, received contributions throughout the lineup and demonstrated the offensive depth and special teams execution that will be crucial in postseason play.
With the sweep, Maine closed its regular-season home schedule on a high note and secured valuable conference points heading into the postseason. Unless the Black Bears earn the opportunity to host a Hockey East playoff game, Saturday marked the final time this season that the team skated off the ice at Alfond Arena, a fitting finish to Senior Weekend and a statement performance at home. The Black Bears will continue their season next weekend on the road in Portland, Maine against Northeastern.
