The University of Maine men’s hockey team only won seven games the season before Brandon Holt, Brandon Chabrier, Grayson Arnott and Thomas Freel arrived in Orono.
The Black Bears went 7-22-4 overall and 5-17-2 in Hockey East under first-year head coach Ben Barr, who replaced the late Red Gendron.
Defensemen Holt, Chabrier and Arnott and left winger Freel were part of an 11-player freshman class that helped the Black Bears go from a seven-win team to a 15-win team (15-16-5, 9-11-4 in Hockey East) and then to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances thanks to 23-12-2 (14-9-1 HE) and 24-8-6 (13-5-6) campaigns.
Last season, UMaine captured its first Hockey East Tournament title since the 2003-04 season.
UMaine hadn’t reached the Hockey East semifinals since the 2011-12 campaign until two seasons ago.
It has been a tough final season for the quartet with just a 14-12-3 record (8-10-1 in Hockey East) but they were encouraged by last weekend’s performance against 11th-ranked UConn even though they suffered a 2-0 loss and then rallied for a 3-3 tie.
UMaine outshot UConn 53-23 in the Saturday night tie after holding a 32-20 edge in the Friday night loss.
UMaine enters the game with a four-game winless streak (0-3-1).
Holt, Chabrier, Arnott and Freel will be honored on Seniors Night Saturday along with left wing Owen Fowler when the Black Bears entertain Merrimack at Alfond Arena in the second game of the two-game series. Both Friday and Saturday night puck drops will be at 7.
Fowler does have another year of eligibility since the UMass Lowell transfer was a medical redshirt for one of his two seasons at UMass Lowell.
For the four-year seniors, the four years have flown by and the memories have been plentiful.
During their time in Orono, the Black Bears have posted a record of 76-48-16, a league regular season record of 44-35-12 and an Alfond Arena home mark of 46-17-7. The Black Bears have also been 24-27-9 on the road which is respectable when you consider that the 2021-22 team went 1-13-1 away from home.
“There are so many good memories with such great guys,” said Holt, who is a co-captain along with Freel. “I’ve played in some of the biggest hockey games in my life whether they be playoff games or even just regular season games here which have all been pretty special.
“Playing at the (TD) Garden was super cool. I’ll never forget winning the Hockey East championship,” said Holt.
Arnott concurred and noted that he didn’t even play in the Hockey East championship game, a 5-2 win over UConn.
“But going out on the ice with that group was something special,” said Arnott, who added that his four years at UMaine “mean everything to me.
“I’ve grown as a player and as a person off the ice, too. I’ve made memories I’ll never forget,” said Arnott.
Chabrier said his classmates, including the ones who have left or transferred to other schools, will always be among his best friends and he noted that they still talk on a regular basis.
“It has gone by too fast. It hasn’t hit me yet,” said Chabrier.
He said the program’s dramatic turnaround is a tribute to the “togetherness” of the players and is a source of pride.
“To say we have put this jersey in a better place is something I hold very highly,” said Chabrier who added that Alfond Arena is the “best (rink) I have ever played in. It’s going to be really sad this weekend to look at all my boys knowing it’s our last run around the Alfond.”
Freel said playing at the Alfond Arena in front of “such a supportive community” will always be a special memory.
UMaine head coach Ben Barr said the four-year seniors have “meant a lot” to the program.
“They have been through the grind, the ugliness, and have turned themselves into really good players,” said Barr. “These guys have kept getting better and they keep getting better.
“That’s a reflection of their character. They’re great people and whether they are playing half the game or they’re in and out of our lineup, they add value to our culture. They’ve been such a big part of it,” said Barr.
Holt, a third team All-Hockey East selection a year ago and runner-up to Boston College’s Eamon Powell as the league’s best defensive defenseman, feels he has had a better career than he ever thought he would or a lot of people thought he would.
Holt wasn’t heavily recruited but has amassed 69 points on 17 goals and 52 assists in 120 career game and is plus-34 in plus-minus.
A player receives a plus-one if they are on the ice when their team scores a shorthanded or even-strength goal and a minus-one if the opponent scores one.
“I didn’t have a lot of expectations but I put my head down and worked. When I got here, we were all in the same boat. We all wanted to work and we all wanted to win the hard way. I bought into that and it made me a better hockey player than I ever thought I would be and it might have the opportunity to play after (college),” said Holt.
Freel has tallied 23 goals and 44 assists in 139 career games, Chabrier has 7 & 42 in 129 contests, Arnott has 7 & 12 in 85 games and Fowler has 22 & 25 in 99 games between UMass Lowell and UMaine.
They will be seeking their first win since Jan. 24 on Friday night against Merrimack (15-13-1, 8-10-1). The Black Bears are the only Hockey East team without a win during that period. And they haven’t won a Hockey East game at Alfond Arena since a 7-0 win over Vermont on Nov. 14.
Merrimack is 5-1-1 in its previous seven games.
The seniors feel strongly that they have something to build on after outshooting 11th-ranked UConn 84-53 in a 2-0 loss and 3-3 tie in Orono last weekend.
“If we play the way we played last weekend with that energy and that commitment to playing our game, we’re going to be a really hard team to beat. We’re going to give ourselves an opportunity to win every single game whether that be the last five regular season games or doing into the playoffs. And that’s when it really matters,” said Holt.
“If we bring that effort every night, hopefully the hockey gods will turn and the results will hopefully turn our way,” said Fowler, who added that he is planning to return to Orono next season.
UMaine could again be without leading scorer and left winger Justin Poirier along with center Max Scott, who is tied for third on the team in scoring. Both are injured and listed as day-to-day by Barr. Poirier missed the UConn series and Scott got hurt in Saturday’s game.
Merrimack features three players who have produced double-digit goals in Justin Gill (13), Nick Pierre (12) and Parker Lalonde (10) along with veteran goalie Max Lundgren (15-13-1, 2.54 goals-against average, .919 save percentage.