University of Maine sixth-year hockey coach Ben Barr isn’t one to reap praise unless it is thoroughly deserved.
Yet, even though the 2026-27 Black Bear team hasn’t played a game yet, he is already touting the players’ work ethic and culture.
“I told the guys that we’re sleeping well at night because they’re working hard every day. That doesn’t mean we’re going to go out and win just because we work hard,” said Barr. “There’s another level to that. But we know we will be in the fight with the work ethic they have established so far. They haven’t had a bad practice yet.”
The team first got together in July for the optional six-week training regimen in Orono.
“It is an unbelievably fun group to be around which is really cool for our staff,” Barr said. “The guys care about each other and that has been in evidence since the first day they got here in July. They’re good dudes.”
Last season, the work ethic wasn’t up to the standard Barr established and that was one of the primary reasons the team finished with a disappointing 18-14-3 record, which included a dismal showing in a 5-0 loss to Boston College in the Hockey East quarterfinals. The team went 12-11-1 in league play during the regular season.
His previous two teams had gone a combined 47-20-8 overall and 27-14-7 in league regular season play and earned back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. The Black Bears won the Hockey East tournament in 2024-25 for the first time since 2004.
“We’re trying to find the soul of our program again,” Barr said. “That blue collar work ethic that we need to bring every single night so our opponents know it is going to be one of the hardest games they’ve played in all year.”
“I love this group,” said senior center and alternate captain Sully Scholle. “There isn’t another group of guys I would rather go into battle with. You know the guys next to you are giving their all.”
“You couldn’t have a tighter group of guys,” agreed senior center and alternate captain Max Scott. “We have a great culture. We’re going to play a great style of hockey that I know the Maine fans are going to love. We’re going to get it done out there.”
Scott’s 1,073 career faceoff wins between Brown and UMaine is third most among active players. His 54.8 percent faceoff success rate is third among active players with at least 750 faceoff wins.
The Black Bears were picked to finish seventh among 11 teams in the Hockey East preseason coaches poll.
On paper, it’s understandable to see why the Black Bears have been picked so low. There are question marks in all areas, so they will need some of their 15 newcomers to be impactful right away.
This team may not be as talented as last year’s, but it hopes to compensate with work ethic, grit, depth and chemistry. This team will be bigger and older and will win more puck battles and be a much tougher team to play against.
They have lost their top four scorers in defenseman Brandon Holt (6 goals, 26 assists), right wing Josh Nadeau (17 goals, 13 assists), left wing Justin Poirier (18 goals, 11 assists) and right wing Miguel Marques (10 goals, 13 assists).
Holt was chosen the league’s best defensive defenseman, a first team All-American and an All-Hockey first teamer and Nadeau was also a first teamer.
The Black Bears have lost players who produced 52.6 percent of their goals and 53.1 percent of their assists.
“We’re going to be a hard-nosed team,” said senior left wing and team captain Owen Fowler. “We may have lost some point-getters from last year, but I will honestly take the group we have in the locker room now any day of the week.”
Fowler, selected the league’s best defensive forward last year, is the only returnee who scored double-digit goals a year ago as he had a career-high 12 to go with 10 assists in 34 games.
His five career shorthanded goals makes him the Hockey East leader among active players.
Scholle (7 goals, 11 assists) and Scott (5 goals, 13 assists) were next with 18 points apiece and senior right wing Charlie Russell had 6 goals and 9 assists. Junior right wing Thomas Pichette, sophomore center Jaden Lipinski, sophomore left wing Will Gerrior, junior center Oskar Komarov and sophomore center Brock James are the other returning forwards.
All of the forwards have the potential to elevate their point productions, and that’s what the team will need because you aren’t likely to get a 20-goal season from any one of them.
They have seven incoming forwards including four transfers, and they will be called upon to contribute to a team that will seek to have good scoring balance and depth..
Robert Morris transfer Tanner Klimpke had 41 goals and 39 assists in 103 career games and was an All-Atlantic Hockey America second team pick last season. UMass Lowell transfer Lee Parks had 14 goals and 14 assists in 69 career games; Alaska-Anchorage’s Judah Makway had 3 goals and 3 assists in 33 games a year ago; and Arizona State’s Sam Alfano had 6 goals and 11 assists in 35 games.
Freshmen Rowan Calvert, Ross Campbell and Mason Fleece had 31, 28 and 25 goals for their respective junior teams.
The three returning defensemen were all regulars as freshmen a year ago: Lukas Peterson, Jeremy Langlois and Lois Usereau. Each improved as they gained more experience, and they all can supply offense.
The defense corps will have a promising group of newcomers who will all have legitimate shots to earn regular minutes.
Dru Krebs has 142 pro games under his belt between the ECHL (140 games) and American Hockey League (2). Providence College transfer Alex Bales, Ohio State transfer Chris Romaine and former CCHA All-Rookie team pick Isa Parekh from Bemidji State all have plenty of experience.
They will also have two freshmen in Ludvig Lafton from Dubuque in the United States Hockey League and Dante Siciliano from Brooks in the British Columbia Hockey League.
In goal, the Black Bears desperately need a bounceback year from senior Albin Boija, who slumped to a 2.59 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage after going 1.82 and .928 en route to second team All-American status two years ago.
He leads all active goaltenders in Division I in career wins (43) and shutouts (10).
He is getting seriously challenged for the starting job by fellow Swede Petter Wickstrom Stumer, who had a 2.64 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 12 games for Canisius a year ago. The 6-foot-6-inch Stumer had a 72-save gem in a 4-3 win over Lindenwood.
Lindenwood transfer Colin Ronan is the No. 3 goalie.
Barr said the makeup of the roster is a lot different than a year ago.
“Last year, we were playing 10 or 11 freshmen every night. This year, we have a lot of new faces, but many of them are transfers with college experience so the maturity level is different, which is a good thing,” said Barr.
“Every single player in our locker room is fully capable of being a good player at this level,” he added. “There isn’t much separation between players, which drives the competition level up. They know they are all fighting for a job.”
Fowler pointed out that the coaches brought in more size and that will help them wear teams down.
“We have guys over six feet who will forecheck (aggressively) and the opposing defensemen will definitely feel it each weekend. That will be a big part of our team this year,” Fowler said.
UMaine will open its 50th season this weekend on the road against a Holy Cross team from Atlantic Hockey America that went 18-18-2 a year ago, 14-10-2 in league play.
They will play on campus at the Hart Center Rink in Worcester, Massachusetts, at 7 p.m. Friday and then at the DCU Center at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Holy Cross was picked to finish fourth in the AHA preseason poll.
They will be led by Matt Kursonis (6 goals, 15 assists), Noah Eyre (8 goals, 12 assists) and goalie Danick Leroux (12-9-1, 2.58, .908).