If the University of Maine men’s hockey team is going to improve on last year’s 14-22-3 record, there will have to be significant improvement between the pipes, noteworthy contributions from the nine-member freshman class and consistent production from veterans who will assume more prominent roles.
Maine’s offensive catalysts, 2013-14 All-Americans Devin Shore and Ben Hutton, decided to pass up their senior seasons to sign pro contracts with Dallas and Vancouver, respectively.
Shore led the team in scoring all three years and Hutton was the top point-getter among the defensemen each season.
They also quarterbacked the team’s top power-play unit.
Maine returns only three players who have scored 10 or more goals in a season during their careers in junior right wing Blaine Byron, who had 12 a year ago; sophomore center Nolan Vesey (10), and senior center and captain Steven Swavely (10 in 2013-14).
Maine finished 25th among 59 teams in scoring, averaging 2.77 per game.
But the more problematic area was team defense, as Maine allowed 3.26 goals per game, which was 51st among 59 teams. Maine allowed three or more goals 26 times.
That has to improve markedly if Maine is going to make progress.
“We have to defend better than we did a year ago and we have to be better on the power play,” said third-year coach Red Gendron.
Maine’s power play was 47th at a 13.1 percent success rate.
Maine, which finished tied for ninth in Hockey East last season, was picked 10th in the preseason coaches poll and 11th in the media poll.
Maine shouldn’t finish that low, but don’t expect anything higher than sixth. Somewhere between sixth and ninth is realistic.
The goaltending should be better.
Sophomore Sean Romeo (7-13-1 record, 3.04 goals-against average, .902 save percentage) and senior Matt Morris (7-9-2, 2.99, .905) were inexperienced last season and that resulted in inconsistency.
Both played better in the second half.
Romeo needs to do a better job fighting through screens to find the puck and control his rebounds.
The 5-foot-10-inch Morris must reduce the number of “soft” goals he allows and do a better job marshalling his crease.
Six-foot-4 freshman Rob McGovern provides a viable option.
The defense corps must do a better job moving the puck quickly out of its own end. The Black Bears spent too much time in their own zone and that takes a toll.
Hutton will be a noticeable loss, but junior Dan Renouf’s steady improvement and his five points in his last five games served notice that he is evolving into a point-producer. He wound up with three goals and nine assists in 39 games.
Senior Conor Riley (3 goals, 8 assists a year ago) has 107 career games under his belt and is a good skater who is quietly efficient. Junior Eric Schurhamer (2 & 9) is an undersized defenseman who compensates with tenacity, a high hockey IQ and some offensive abilities.
The 6-3 Mark Hamilton (1 & 6) supplied Maine with a physical presence but he had his ups and downs as a freshman. He should take a step up this season.
At least two of the four freshman defensemen will be in the lineup on Friday against Michigan State in Portland and it is a promising group. Three of the four have offensive tools and 6-6 Stephen Cochrane supplies size and toughness.
Rob Michel, the Central Canada Hockey League Defenseman of the Year, is poised with the puck and racked up 53 points in 57 games for the Ottawa Junior Senators. Sam Becker had 48 points in 55 games in the North American Hockey League and Keith Muehlbauer amassed 58 points in 75 career games at Eastview (Minnesota) High School.
Up front, the Black Bears have enough quality returnees to put together two consistent scoring lines and possibly a third.
Swavely (8 & 20) and junior Cam Brown (7 & 21) were tied for second on the team in scoring a year ago and junior Blaine Byron (12 & 15) was just one point behind them. Byron had an 11-point improvement from his freshman season, while Brown and Swavely had bumps of nine and eight, respectively.
Swavely is a prototypical power forward and an outstanding leader; Byron is a creative playmaker with nifty hands and good ice vision; and the 5-7 Brown is a constant threat with his quickness and tireless energy. Brown is always around the puck.
Swavely and Brown need to become more proficient goal scorers.
Nolan Vesey became the third Maine freshman in 13 years to score double-digit goals a year ago (10 goals, 13 assists) and the first since Gustav Nyquist and Brian Flynn did so in 2008-2009.
Senior Will Merchant (5 & 4) showed dramatic improvement and junior Brian Morgan (6 & 7) finished with 3 & 3 in his last nine games. Junior Brady Campbell (1 & 3) could evolve into a point-producer but needs to be more consistent.
Hard-nosed sophomores Cedric Lacroix (5 & 6) and Malcolm Hayes (4 & 2) supplied a useful physicality and should be even more effective.
The four freshmen forwards will all have an opportunity to make an impact.
Dane Gibson, 22, led the British Columbia Junior Hockey League in assists a year ago with 57 to go with 32 goals; 21-year-old Justin Rai averaged over a point per game in the BCJHL; 6-4 Danny Perez had 49 points in 42 games in the Eastern Hockey League and gives Maine some needed size up front; and gritty Brendan Robbins had 44 points in 50 games in the U.S. Premier Hockey League.
Seniors Andrew Tegeler and Billy Norman and sophomore Jack Musil are looking to crack the lineup.
Seven of the nine freshmen are age 20 or older and seven stand at least 6-2, which should help the Black Bears win more puck battles.
Maine plays its first 10 games on the road or at neutral sites but 14 of the ensuing 16 games will be at home.
“I consider it an advantage with a young team to spend a lot of time on the road early. It minimizes the distractions,” said Gendron.