ORONO, Maine — If the University of Maine men’s hockey team is going to finally dent the win column this season against the visiting University of Vermont this weekend, it would certainly help if the Black Bears could play with a lead.
The Black Bears, 0-8-3 overall, 0-4-0 in Hockey East and losers of eight straight, have been chasing deficits all season.
Maine has played 677 minutes and 14 seconds of hockey and has had a lead for just 44:36. And 36:56 of that came during the season opener when the Black Bears had three one-goal leads only to wind up with a 3-3 tie against Michigan State in the Ice Breaker Tournament at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
The only other time Maine was ahead was against the University of Massachusetts in an eventual 5-4 overtime loss in the Capital City Classic Tournament in Trenton, New Jersey.
Vermont comes into the Friday-Saturday series at 3-6-2 overall and 2-2-2 in Hockey East.
Maine has found itself trailing for 305:54, and it has been locked in a tie for 326:34. Maine hasn’t led in its last five games and trailed UMass Lowell 4-0 after the first period of last Sunday’s 6-0 loss.
“Getting a lead would be really important,” said Maine coach Red Gendron. “It would help the players relax a little bit.”
“Getting that first goal would get our crowd up, and our team feeds off the crowd. [The crowd] is such a pivotal part of our home games. Getting a lead would also give us momentum and some confidence,” junior left wing Blaine Byron said.
The Black Bears are the lowest scoring team in college hockey, averaging a meager one goal per game, and they have scored just twice in the first period while allowing eight.
They have scored the game’s first goal just twice.
Junior defenseman Dan Renouf agreed that scoring the first goal would get the crowd into it and give the team some confidence, but he said regardless of whether they are leading or behind, “we have to start putting pucks in the net.”
“We have to put together a full 60 minutes to get that first win,” said freshman goalie Rob McGovern.
Gendron is frustrated but not discouraged.
“I would be discouraged if we weren’t playing well or weren’t [competing] with teams,” said Gendron. “I really, really believe in our kids. They’ve battled and worked hard in practice and in games. But we have problems scoring goals.”
“We had 38 shots [in the 6-0 loss to UMass Lowell], and their goalie made 22 Grade-A saves. You can’t do much more than that. The goals are going to come. Once we get one, we’ll break out,” said Byron.
“[Goals] will come,” said senior goalie Matt Morris. “We need to stay positive and keep playing well.”