The wait is almost over for the University of Maine men’s ice hockey team. With the Black Bears set to open their season on Oct. 2, the team is entering the year with a mix of new faces, veteran leadership and high expectations.
After falling to Boston College in the Hockey East quarterfinals last season, Maine is looking to take another step forward this year. A major part of that push will come from the 15 new players Head Coach Ben Barr brought in during the offseason.
Barr has been impressed with the group from the start, describing the newcomers as “an unbelievable group to be around.” He also said that the team “hasn’t had one day of practice where the energy level has been bad.”
Some of these new faces include second-year transfer forward Sam Alfano, who led his first-year class at Arizona State with 18 points; first-year forward Ross Campbell, who had 67 points in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL); first-year defenseman Ludvig Lafton, who had 33 assists in the United States Hockey League (USHL); and first-year forward Rowan Calvert, who had 53 points in the Western Hockey League (WHL). There are also five first-years who will add depth to the 26-man roster.
The returners are looking to push farther in the playoffs this season as well. Captains for this season were picked by the team back on Sept. 4. Forward graduate student Owen Fowler will serve as captain after skating in 34 games last year with a recorded eight career highs. Fourth-year forward Max Scott will serve as alternate captain and saw lots of success on the ice, going 11-0-0 when he had at least one point. Fourth-year forward Sully Scholle will also be an alternate captain as he skated in all 35 games last year and was a big part of the team.
Despite the experience returning to the lineup, Barr is challenging his veterans to raise their level even further.
“I need them to be 10% better than they were last year,” said Barr.
That expectation comes after Maine lost several key players from last season. The Black Bears were picked seventh in the Hockey East preseason poll, but Barr isn’t reading too far into the ranking.
“On paper it looks like we lost some players, and we did, but we also have the right group of guys to do the things that we wanted to do last year,” said Barr.
For Maine, one of those things starts with building chemistry by getting the new players integrated into the culture. Strengthening the team from within has been a major focus for this season.
“The team that will come out on top is the team that can come together and cares about each other,” said Barr. “These guys actually do care.”
The Black Bears officially start their season Oct. 2 when they go to College of the Holy Cross for two games, and expectations are high. Their first home game is Oct. 9 against Quinnipiac, and conference play starts Oct. 30 when they go to Boston University.
This season, Maine looks to come out stronger with higher standards than ever and prove everyone wrong. Coach Barr wants them to “play above anything they have accomplished at this point” and has pushed them to be better than they ever have been.
Now, the Black Bears will have the chance to show just how far this group can go.
