The two teams line up for the anthem before dropping the puck. (Photo Courtesy of Dmitri Chambers)

Outside, the wind swirled, while inside the Alfond, the Black Bears whirled and twirled their way to an exhibition win, breezing past Army 5-0 on Saturday afternoon.

While the sizable scoreline and Maine’s sheer dominance mirrored their robust opening night rout over AIC a week ago, the only thing that didn’t carry over to Saturday’s matinee performance was the spectacle of a reverberating Alfond atmosphere.

The combination of students on a short break for Indigenous People’s Day and an afternoon game that wouldn’t count in the standings diluted the Black Bears’ unparalleled home-ice advantage and the fiery fervor it usually creates.

Still, a more than sizable crowd of 3,652 enjoyed a sunny Saturday afternoon cheering the Maine Black Bears to victory over the Army Black Knights of West Point’s United States Military Academy.

It would have been all too easy for Maine to use the exhibition to simply go through the motions, with a focus on avoiding injury, and an eye on how they would be spending their rare Saturday night away from the rink. 

“Coming off our first game that was emotional throughout. Come back for an exhibition on a Saturday afternoon, it would’ve been easy to take shortcuts and play cheekily.” Maine Head Coach Ben Barr said after the game.

But exhibition or not, the Black Bears didn’t just play hard; they played to win. Ruthlessly and without remorse, Maine outshot Army 44-8 in a dazzlingly dominant display on both sides of the puck.

For Maine, whose team identity is anchored on a foundation of tireless hard work, the circumstances surrounding the exhibition contest were moot.

“When you have the right culture and the right team, it shouldn’t matter [how full the Alfond is],” Barr explained after the game. “ It [was] not going to be the same crazy atmosphere as it was last Saturday, but that shouldn’t matter, and I thought, for the most part tonight, it didn’t.”

The Black Bears clearly demonstrated that no matter the opponent, the time the game is played, and the size of the crowd, their commitment to being the hardest-working team on the ice night in and night out is engrained in the team’s DNA.

“Our work effort, that’s going to be our identity. It always has been, but it has to [remain] for this team to keep moving forward and accomplish the things we want to accomplish. Through two games, the work ethic has been pretty solid.” Barr said.

While the ever-even-keeled Barr remained reserved in his assessment of the team and Saturday’s performance, his counterpart behind the Army bench made sure to sing the Black Bears’ praises.

Maine's Thomas Freel battles Army's Joey Baez for a loose puck. (Photo Courtesy of Anthony DelMonaco — UMaine Athletics)

“They are so hard to play against because they play with a will and a passion. They never slow down; regardless of the score, they play for sixty minutes.” Longtime Army Head Coach Brian Riley said about his opponents. “I just think the makeup of their team is pretty special.”

The team’s makeup that Riley alludes to is built on the pillars of a team culture dedicated to endless effort, which took the program to its best season in over a decade last year. The evolution of Maine’s makeup has been evident so far in this campaign, even in just two games. That added ingredient is a significant increase in the team’s depth, which Barr believes is now the deepest it has been over his four seasons at Maine.

Five different Black Bears put tallies on the scoreboard against Army, highlighting not just team depth but the abundance of high-end scoring depth at Maine’s disposal.

One of the downfalls of last year’s team was a lack of this scoring depth. If Maine’s top two or three forward lines weren’t in form, they couldn’t rely on their fourth-line to spell them.

This season, this depth has already been abundantly apparent. And on Saturday, these riches became even more crystal clear as three of Maine’s five goals came from their fourth-liners.

“Our depth has shown up so far in two games.” Barr said.

Being an exhibition, Maine opted to dress a few extra skaters without the lineup limits of a regular season game. The same line combinations carried over from the AIC game, Sholle—Breen—Nadeau created plenty of offense and moved the puck well, Freel—Scott—Russell worked hard for each other, Makar—Renwick—Mitton could not be knocked off the puck, and the fourth line was rotated between Owen Fowler, Oskar Komarov, Anthony Calafiore, and Thomas Pichette who, seeing his first action of the campaign, can play as either a center or right-wing.

Freshman center Komarov was the first fourth liner to put the biscuit in the basket, opening the game’s scoring. Fellow newcomer Fowler, a junior transfer from UMass-Lowell, wheeled the puck from the half-boards to the offensive blueline before spinning and throwing a shot against the grain, through bodies, and on net. A forest of both Maine white and Army camo-green sweaters screened West Point netminder JJ Cataldo, who couldn’t react to Komarov’s deflected net-front shot from Fowler.

“It was a good play by Owen [Fowler]. We had a double screen. It was the only one that went in during the first period because he [Cataldo] didn’t see it.” Barr said about Komarov’s goal.

Cataldo proved to be a tough nut for Maine to crack early on, keeping his Black Knights in the game during Maine’s offensive onslaught, highlighted by flashing the leather to pull off highway robbery on a notable Josh Nadeau shot from the middle of the slot.

Maine laid siege to Cataldo’s net, but until Komarov’s opener late in the first period, the Black Bears couldn’t find the back of the net and cash in on their 14-2 shots on goal domination.

Komarov’s goal burst open the floodgates, highlighting another valuable aspect of the team’s depth: the ability to roll four lines without missing a beat.

By being able to maintain and relentlessly build the team’s momentum shift after shift, line after line, especially given the physical, tenacious, and grinding style of Maine’s play, can eventually overwhelm and wear down an opposition mentally and physically.

As evidence, Maine’s sheer dominance in the second period, their neverending puck-hounding effort, and constant pressure eventually broke the Black Knights’ ranks.

Seconds into the middle frame, senior left-winger Taylor Makar, back for more after his breakout opening night display, announced his arrival to the Alfond faithful, dusted off the puck in tight quarters at the left faceoff circle before riffling a shot on goal, which deflected into the top of the net.

Just as the Naked Five had finished their lap around the Alfond with “Call Air Force For Backup” written on their backs, they were off to the races once more when Sully Scholle picked off an Army no-look D-to-D pass at the blueline, darted toward the net, and sniped Cataldo near-side just thirty-seconds after Makar’s tally.

Right after Scholle’s goal, Catadlo was replaced by another freshman goaltender, Jacob Bironl.

Later in the second period, a frame in which Maine outshot Army 14-3, fourth-line right-winger Anthony Calafiore jumped in on the fun, crashing the net for a rebound from a point shot, and slotted it through Biron’s 5-hole from close range.

Anthony Calafiore pounces on a loose rebound in the slot to put Maine up 4-0. (Photo Courtesy of Anthony DelMonaco — Maine Athletics)

Capping off Maine’s fifth-and-final goal was the First Star of Saturday’s game, junior left-winger Owen Fowler, who drove behind the net with power and pace, wrapped around the net on his forehand,  and found an opening low to the ice to sneak the puck into the goal.

Fowler, who transferred from UMass-Lowell in the summer, suffered a broken kneecap and had to miss the entirety of last season for the River Hawks, which must have felt like an eternity.

“Obviously, a year is a long time, and it definitely feels great to be back. A lot of gratitude to just be playing the game of hockey. During that year you find out a lot about yourself, the stuff you love and want to focus on. It’s definitely been a process coming back through the summer. Focusing on speed, that kind of stuff. Getting the footwork back and getting back to game shape.” Fowler said.

The junior from Tewksbury, Massachusetts, has impressed so far in his fourth-line role and on the power play's second unit. A power forward who excels on second and third puck-battling efforts, it has not taken Fowler much time to shake the rust off  despite his long time away from the ice.

“He played the right way. He’s a tenacious kind of a water bug type player. It’s taken a little bit of time, after missing a whole year, to get back to that, but we’re starting to see signs of it. He was pretty solid last Saturday too. It’s good to see him get rewarded.” Barr said about Fowler.

Fowler and his fourth-line unit not only played a solid defensive game, but showed off their robust offensive edge with three goals and eight points between the four of them. Like the rest of their fellow Black Bears, they did a diligent job supporting the puck, winning their one-on-one battles against the boards, and cycling it in the zone with precision and purpose.

“[We] just kept it simple, played down low, put their D in spin cycles, all that kind of stuff. [We] try to go to the net as much as we can, and when we go to the net, good things happen.” Fowler said about his line. “We definitely had a little touch today; it felt good.” 

Fowler, who has played as an opponent at the Alfond, is enjoying his start to life at Maine, especially the gameday atmosphere Black Bear Nation creates.

“It was nuts coming out the first game against AIC for warmups. The student section is packed; they’re yelling, they’re screaming. A good component of home ice advantage, and we’d love to continue that and give the fans what they love.” Fowler said.

The Alfond Faithful are sure loving what they’re seeing from Fowler as well as the entire team so far this year.

Owen Fowler carries the puck in the offensive zone during the second period on Saturday Afternoon. (Photo Courtesy of Anthony DelMonaco — UMaine Athletics).

It wasn’t just offensively that Maine purred. On the other side of the puck, they were arguably even more dominant.

The Black Bears kept the Army artillery at arm’s length, never really allowing the Black Knights any extended zone time whatsoever, as most of the game was played far away from Maine’s net. They only allowed eight shots to get through to the Maine goaltender, the duo of Black Bear netminders — Albin Boija played the first two periods saving all of the five shots against him, while freshman Patriks Berzins came in relief for the third, stopping all three shots on his net.

For Barr, the key to his defense’s success Saturday afternoon was a simple and efficient game that minimized errors, never dallied on the puck when breaking out, and for the most part, superbly kept their structure of staying between the puck and their net. This was highlighted during a West Point 5-on-3 power play that absorbed the pressure, only allowing Army two shots on the Black Bear’s net.

“Just playing simple and keeping the game in front of them. I think we can still be on the offensive blueline better, too many shots blocked with a guy standing two feet in front of you, but defensively they were pretty solid.” Barr said.

Army, being the well-drilled Cadets from West Point, kept a tight defensive structure that minimized Maine’s shooting lanes, and gobbled up twenty blocked shots over the afternoon, far too many for Barr’s liking.

This was especially apparent on Maine’s five power plays, which all were unsuccessful. While the man-advantage units did create some good looks on the PP, capitalizing while the opponents are in the box will need to improve. 

“The power play has got to get better. Some guys are gripping it right now, but it’ll come.” Barr reassured.

While there are plenty of details Barr and his staff will look to drill into the team before powerhouse Quinnipiac comes up to Orono next weekend, there is a mountain of positives Maine can take away from their first two games.

Two blowout wins from two games (albeit one exhibition). 76 shots on goal for Maine compared to only 25 from the opposition. 11 goals scored by 7 different Black Bears. All four forward lines contributing offensively with goals to their name. The defensemen looking immense early on. And Maine’s netminders not allowing anything past them in 120 minutes of play.

And one touching reunion between a former mentor and pupil on the ice after the game.

Head Coach Riley, in his twenty-first and final season behind the Army bench, was an academic advisor to Barr during his time at Shattuck-St. Mary’s,  Riley actually recruited Barr to Army, he went to Rensselaer instead.

“He is one of the best human beings ever. I’ve known him since I was fourteen years old, just an awesome guy.” Barr said.

That feeling is certainly reciprocated by Riley, who has seen something special in Barr from a young age. And sees that he is brewing up something quite special in Maine.

“I go way back with Benny Barr, and I’m really proud of him and what he’s done.” Riley said. “I’ve always watched him from afar, and I knew he was a special kid when he was out at Shattuck. I’m not surprised by anything that he’s done, and I won’t be surprised by everything that he continues to do.”

Barr and the Black Bears are certainly building something special. While the start of this season has been sensational, the true tests are right around the corner.

Thick and fast, the real season is coming; Maine looks ready to attack it. Full speed ahead.

Albin Boija denies a rare quality scoring chance. (Photo Courtesy of Anthony DelMonaco — UMaine Athletics).