The University of Maine’s hockey team exhibited its blueprint for success this past weekend with a 5-2 win and 3-3 tie at sixth-ranked Denver.
And it’s a series that should give the Black Bears momentum to take into another important series at Providence this coming weekend.
UMaine had to overcome a significant home ice advantage for the Pioneers. In Denver’s previous 34 two-game series at its Magness Arena, it had won at least one of the two games in 33 of them. The Pioneers were swept by Arizona State a year ago.
Denver also hosted four best-of-three National Collegiate Hockey Conference quarterfinals and won all four, with three being two-game sweeps.
The Black Bears will take a five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1) into that Providence series.
Denver entered the series averaging 3.95 goals per game and giving up only 1.95.
The Black Bears held the Pioneers to five goals, and three of them came on the power play.
The Black Bears blocked 29 shots in the two games, and junior goaltender Albin Boija stopped 53 of 58 shots.
Everything starts with goaltending and team defense.
Maine is 9-2 when holding teams to two goals or less.
Boija, a second team All-American last year and a finalist for the Richter Award, which goes to the nation’s top goalie, has now allowed just five goals in his last three starts and made 81 saves.
He had been underperforming earlier in the season, and a return to form by him is very important if this team is going to put itself in position to earn its third-straight NCAA Tournament berth.
That being said, freshman Mathis Rousseau has proven to be very capable of backstopping the Black Bears to wins as well.
But the goalies also need their teammates to play well in front of them by covering the front of the net and limiting turnovers. And that’s what the Black Bears did at Denver.
The defensive corps received a boost from the return of freshman third-round NHL draft pick Jeremey Langlois, who missed the previous five games due to a concussion.
He averaged just over 19 minutes of playing time per game over the weekend and was plus-one in plus-minus.
Players receive a plus-one if they are on the ice when their team scores an even-strength or shorthanded goal and a minus-one if the opponent scores one.
Junior defenseman and assistant captain Frank Djurasevic continued his resurgence after being benched for the 3-2 loss to New Hampshire. Djurasevic provided the tying goal with 2:27 remaining Saturday night, along with eight blocked shots in the two games and a plus-two rating.
He now has two goals and two assists over his last five games since the benching after posting five assists in his first 15 contests. He had seven goals and 21 assists in 38 games last season.
His 43 blocked shots lead the team this season.
Freshman defenseman Lukas Peterson had the point-to-point pass that set up the extra-attacker goal by Djurasevic, and that assist extended Peterson’s points streak to five games (3 goals, 2 assists).
He now has three goals and eight assists in 20 games, and his plus-16 rating is second on the team to freshman right wing Miguel Marques’ plus-17.
Peterson being paired with one of the nation’s best defensemen in senior co-captain Brandon Holt (4 goals, 15 assists) certainly helps.
The fact UMaine earned a win and a tie at Denver with top three scorers — Justin Poirier, Josh Nadeau and Marques — behind held to a combined one assist is also a positive development for the future.
The fourth line of center Oskar Komarov between wings Thomas Pichette and Will Gerrior combined for three goals and two assists over the weekend, and they now have teamed up for 10 goals and 17 assists on the season. They have been together most of the campaign and any time you can get that kind of production from the fourth line it’s a real plus.
The line of junior Sully Scholle between senior Owen Fowler and junior Charlie Russell produced two goals and two assists over the weekend.
Having balanced scoring is critical because it enables you to produce wins when your top point-getters are held off the scoresheet.
Following Saturday night’s game, Denver coach David Carle called the Black Bears “a team that plays extremely hard.”
That has always been the focus since Ben Barr took over as head coach five years ago: outwork your opponents and do the little things necessary to win hockey games like winning the net-front battles at both ends of the ice, finishing your hits in all three zones and managing the puck well.
The Black Bears do need to improve their special teams after going 0-for-4 on the power play over the weekend and allowing three power play goals on nine Denver chances. They are tied for 40th among 63 Division I teams on the penalty kill (77.8%) and 31st on the power play (20.5%).
And Barr said the team culture has improved with the players sacrificing for each other and caring about each other.
That is a sign of maturation and will need to continue.