Maine Hopes To Bounce Back Against Boston University: 'Good Benchmark For Us'

Maine is viewing last weekend's matchup against Boston College as an early-season teaching moment.

The Black Bears, who were ranked No. 5 in the USCHO poll last week, traveled to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, where they suffered their first two regulation losses of the season against the No. 2-ranked team in the country.

Despite this setback, head coach Ben Barr's message remains consistent as they head into this week.

"It was a disappointing weekend, but the sun came up on Monday, and we've got to get better," Barr said during Tuesday's media availability. "We weren't good enough to go on the road and beat a really good team. There's a lot of lessons as a team and for certain individuals. So, you try to grow from it and move on."

Maine took a two-goal lead in the third period during Friday's opener, but the Eagles responded with three unanswered goals in an eight-minute span. The following night, the Black Bears struggled against sophomore goaltender Jacob Fowler and were shut out for the first time this season.

Sophomore forward Ryan Leonard scored the go-ahead goal with just over 90 seconds remaining in Friday's game and also opened the scoring on Saturday. The Washington Capitals draft pick has now recorded five goals, including three game-winners in his last five games, totaling eight points for the season.

Meanwhile, Maine’s leading scorers were mostly held quiet. Senior forward Scott Harrison, who had seven points during the Black Bears' sweep of Merrimack, was held without a point, as were sophomore forward Charlie Russell and junior defenseman Brandon Bolt.

Maine's offense was supported by sophomore forward Josh Nadeau, who scored his second goal of the season, while freshman forward Oskar Komarov netted his first goal.

"You learn what your deficiencies are," said Barr. "We were deficient with execution in some areas. We were deficient in certain circumstances where big-time players come up big. Their big-time players showed up. Not that ours didn't play hard. They did, but there were more of the breakdowns and tough situations that really hurt us. That was something we learned from."

The Black Bears' power play, which entered the series converting at a rate of 26.5%, went 0-for-3 in the two games played.

"It was a great opportunity this past weekend to play against a really good team and a good benchmark for us to recognize where we are and where we need to go to get where we want to be," senior forward David Breazeale said.

This weekend, Maine faces their next challenge in the No. 11-ranked Boston University on home ice.

The Terriers have had a challenging schedule so far this season, playing in ranked matchups against North Dakota, Michigan, and UMass Lowell in consecutive weeks. Boston University own a 5-4-0 record as they work to fill the void left by their top-two scorers, Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson, who have moved on to the NHL.

Despite the roster shift, BU still has one of the best scoring offenses in college hockey, averaging 3.6 goals per game and a power-play success rate of 27.0%.

On the other hand, Maine’s offense is slightly ahead, averaging 3.7 goals per game, which could give them an edge against the Terriers, who have given up an average of 3.6 goals per game and killed off just 66.7% of their penalties.

"It's going to be a very similar weekend to last weekend," said Barr. "You can't give highly-skilled teams good looks. You can't give them free offense. They're going to create on their own. They got good players, just like we do. You got to take care of the puck when you have it."

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