The Alfond was packed to the rafters once again Saturday evening, playing host to another barnburner of a hockey game that saw the #1 Boston College Eagles fight back late to tie the #13 Maine Black Bears before earning the extra point in their shootout win.

Still coming off the high of a monumental Friday night upset that saw the Black Bears stun the Eagles, fans poured into Alfond Arena full of cautious optimism at the thought of a weekend sweep. After all, Friday night’s massive victory can not be understated enough. It was the first time the Alfonders had seen their Bears defeat the top-ranked team on home ice since beating UNH during the 1999/00 season. And you know it was a long time coming when UNH and #1 can be used in the same sentence.

Ben Barr and his staff decided to stick with the same tried and trusted lineup that played so hard the night before. After the game one win, the phrase “the job is not over” was the expression of the night coming out of the UMaine dressing room. It was repeated many times in the post-game media scrum from players and coaches alike. Complacency would not be an issue for these Bears on Saturday night.

It was an emotional win Friday, so matching the incredible amount of energy, desire, and focus from the night before would be a challenging task for Maine. I was still emotionally exhausted just from watching.

Perhaps it was because of this drain that saw Maine just not play quite as well as they did Friday. The Black Bears didn’t play poorly by any means but couldn’t quite reach the same incredibly high bar they set for themselves the night before.

At the same time, BC looked miles better Saturday night. Their woeful faceoff percentage from Friday was vastly improved, as was their effectiveness in blocking Maine shots. The Eagles clearly had a chip on their shoulder and revenge in their hearts. They came out of the gates, flying into every Black Bear body and scrapping with Maine after the whistle, trying to bait the Black Bears into taking revengeful penalties.

This angry tone from the Eagles was apparent before the game even started. BC’s netminder, Jacob Fowler, sprayed the taunting Black Bear mascot, Bananas, with snow and ice when introduced to the blue line before the anthem. Throughout the game, there was plenty of pushing and shoving after the whistles, some initiated by BC cheapshots that resulted in plenty of chirping from one bench to the other.

This feisty encounter caused a tightly contested defensive game where both teams’ stingy defenses excelled at limiting each other’s time and space on the puck. The pace of the game was broken up regularly during the first period as the limited time and space caused puck handlers from both teams to be forced to rush their passes, resulting in the puck often flying over the glass and out of play, halting any momentum either team could muster.

Early in the opening period, the Black Bears came within centimeters. Brandon Holt was unlucky in hitting both posts on his shot from the point. Somehow, the puck did not cross the goal line as it bounced across, pinging from one post to the other. While many in the Alfond were calling for a review after seeing a replay on the video board, Maine didn’t challenge the call on the ice.

Maine succeeded in continuing their excellence of condensing space from the night before. The Black Bears forecheck was again energetic and tenacious, hunting the puck in packs. At the same time, Maine’s defenseman pinched in regularly, stepping up to squeeze the space behind Maine’s first defensive line, severely limiting BC’s time and space to break the puck out through the neutral zone.

This high-risk, high-reward play style did not allow Boston College an overabundance of offensive zone time, but when BC could break through Maine’s high-pressure defense, the Black Bears were in danger of being left exposed in front of Victor Ostman. The Eagles’ movement and creativity on the rush to get through the neutral zone and create chances on Maine’s net improved from Friday night.

While Boston College did not manufacture a massive amount of shots, when they did generate scoring opportunities, they were dangerous looks. Usually, grade-a chances that required Ostman to elicit big save after big save time and again throughout the game.

The Eagles regularly used their high-end attacking talent to cycle the puck around the Maine zone quickly and with constant movement, creating plenty of looks from back-door plays that forced Ostman to stand on his head and showcase his excellent ability on post-to-post saves. Time and again, the fan-favorite miraculously kept the puck out of his net throughout the evening, causing the Alfond Faithful to roar his name, “Ostman, Ostman, Ostman,” all while bowing their arms in reverence at the holy goalie.

Maine’s two brother phenoms from the small village of Saint-François-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick, at the edge of the border with the far north of Maine, were also quickly becoming fan favorites. Not only because of their elite scoring ability, which is mesmerizing to watch, but because they also excel at doing the dirty work off the puck that is vital to the team’s success. They have fit into Barr’s defensive system effectively and have become crucial components in keeping the team’s identity and culture of outworking their opponents.

Both Nadeau brothers excel at finishing their checks and never seem afraid of mucking it up with even the biggest opponents, which is not always common among star-forward players. Josh is as pesty as one can be on the forecheck, always buzzing around and getting in the face of the opponents when trying to break out. Bradly showcases his speed and long stride on the backcheck, never giving up on the play and disrupting any neutral zone rushes with a skilled and persistent defensive stick.

But it wasn’t Maine’s star line that came up with the game’s first goal, but an equally impressive fourth line that brought tireless energy to the team over the entire weekend. During stretches of the game when Maine’s offense seemed to tread water, it was the fourth line that could spark the rest of the team and was, at times, Maine’s most dangerous attacking line.

Nicholas Niemo and Reid Pabich played at a top level in both contests, but Félix Trudeau really stood out and shined. The sophomore has yet to live up to the high expectations placed on him after being hampered by injuries for much of last season, but he really broke out of his shell this weekend. Trudeau was so impressive in his directness and constant energetic play on both sides of the puck that it was much deserved that he slotted home Maine’s opening goal.

Reid Pabich was able to outmuscle the BC defender off the puck behind the net before passing it out in front, where Trudeau and Niemo waited. The duo wacked away as a mad scramble in front proceeded. The puck momentarily squirted out from the pile of bodies and sat in the crease just long enough for Trudeau to pounce on the puck and send it into the back of the net for a 1-0 Maine lead.

The Alfond shook to the Mainiaks’ sound as the goal sent both teams into the first intermission, with Maine again leading the country’s top team.

Before the weekend, Barr stressed the necessity of being focused with the puck and not handing possession to the dangerous Eagles through sloppy mental or physical errors. Until this point, Maine was very successful in this facet, playing smartly and limiting mistakes. But early into the second period, a Maine turnover at their blueline handed the puck to BC’s Ryan Leonard. He and the ever-dangerous Gabe Perreault crisscross, attacking Maine’s net, allowing Perreault to find an open spot of ice and snipe home a perfect shot over Ostman’s shoulder to tie the game and silence the rowdy crowd.

Things looked like they might go from bad to worse for the Black Bears as Maine took two soft penalties in quick succession, handing the momentum-filled BC attack an extended five-on-three power play. But the Black Bears stepped up to the challenge. Harrison Scott was able to single-handedly hold the puck behind BC’s net for a solid twenty seconds to start the kill, bringing Alfond Arena back to life with his terrific effort.

The Eagles ripped shot after shot against the disadvantaged Black Bears.

But once again, Victor Ostman was Victor Ostman. Making desperation save after desperation saves on shots that looked certain to put BC ahead. The student section roared in approval in the balcony above him, getting loud and supportive at the right time when their team needed their boost the most. Giving the Maine three-man penalty kill the energy to kill off both penalties and return their team to even strength.

The senior, who took over the role as Maine’s top goaltender during the 2021/22 season, has improved leaps and bounds this offseason and looks like one of the most solid goaltenders in college hockey. It is noticeable that his work this summer with Boston Bruins goalie and UMaine legend Jeremy Swayman has elevated his game exponentially, quickly becoming Maine’s most irreplaceable asset.

Maine looked fatigued going into the third period. It was, after all, their sixth period of play in twenty-four hours that saw them exert every ounce of energy they had to keep up with the Eagles. But Maine did not let their physical fatigue affect their mental sharpness as they were able to stay focused with the puck. They picked the right passes to break the puck out of their zone time and again effectively. All weekend long, Maine’s breakout succeeded at playing through BC’s forecheck by finding the weak side winger at center ice, who could cleanly get the puck deep — allowing the Black Bears to keep their shifts short and their legs fresh.

The Black Bears then started to find their offensive feet once again as the third line of Ben Poisson, Cole Hanson, and Sully Scholle worked well together, dumping the puck in deep before fighting off the Eagles and supporting each other to cycle and set up offensive zone time. Sully Scholle, who was moved up to the third-line center position this weekend, fit nicely between Hanson and Poisson. The line felt rightly balanced, walking the line between skill, speed, and size, allowing each of the trio to play to their strengths. The freshman from Minnesota, Sully Scholle, had an excellent game and opened many of the Alfond Faithful’s eyes to his ability to battle down-low behind the net.

Offensively, all four lines produced plenty of good looks Saturday night, which is why it felt so strange and frustrating that their power play struggled, not being able to set up in their zone cleanly and generate much offensive pressure with regularity. Their worst showing of the weekend came early in the third period, where the Black Bears spent more time running around in their own zone trying to move the puck up the ice than setting up any plays around BC’s net. Groans of frustration mumbled around the Alfond.

But the power play was given another opportunity midway through the third. When struggling, the top PP unit of the Nadeau brothers, Thomas Freel and Lynden Breen, with Brandon Holt quarterbacking the play at the point, looked like they were trying to force perfect passes through tight areas as their frustration grew.

But this time, the unit simplified their game. A set play that saw Lynden Breen, with his back to the crease, take a pass from Freel at the left faceoff circle before cleverly one-touch deflecting it to Josh Nadeau, who had quietly found himself open in the slot to put the Black Bears back in the lead with just under eight minutes remaining. The old barn once again exploded with thunderous cheers, energized by their power play, finally finding the back of the net.

Like the previous night, Maine’s late lead only kicked Boston College’s attacking prowess up a gear as the rest of the period saw the Eagles again throw the kitchen sink at Ostman. Boston College’s bench looked increasingly demoralized as the big Swedish netminder’s ability to hinder their production continued. But to the Eagles’ credit, they persevered and finally scored on the rebound with five minutes left in regulation. Tying the score and causing Maine hearts to drop around the rink.

A few minutes later, with seconds winding down, the Alfond thought they were going to be sent into ecstasy as mayhem in front of Boston College’s net had the Black Bears shooting at a wide-open goal, only for the puck to be miraculously blocked time and again by desperate BC defenders sacrificing their body and somehow sending the game into overtime. Maine players were left with their sticks over their heads in disbelief.

The three-on-three five-minute overtime period was quickly halted as Maine took a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty. Barr, who grew increasingly frustrated with the officials’ soft calls all night, exploded at the referees. Red in the face, he could be heard all over the rink yelling something along the lines of, “You can’t make that call, you can’t make that call.” A chorus of boos rained down onto the ice, unhappy with what, in the Black Bear’s view, was a one-sided officiated game that too often gave the Eagles the benefit of the doubt.

The Black Bears once again had to turn to their goaltender and penalty kill. The nerves around the Alfond were palpable, sticking in the air around the rink. But this tandem of elite goaltending and unbreakable penalty kill once more bailed the team out and shut down the dangerous BC powerplay.

Time ran out in overtime, making the contest officially a tie, but a shootout would decide which team walked away with the extra point in the Hockey East standings.

Josh Nadeau started Maine off in the shootout, skilfully poking the puck past Jacob Fowler on the backhand when the entire rink was sure he would fire the shot on his forehand. Boston College countered with a shootout goal of their own in what would turn out to be a back-and-forth contest that lasted eight rounds. A goal from Nicholas Niemo had the Black Bears within a single Ostman save of the extra point. But, BC’s star player Gabe Perreault niftily faked a deke, letting the puck slide like a changeup past the faked-out Ostman to extend the shootout. A couple rounds later, the son of Maine’s 1999 National Championship Game overtime hero, Marcus Gustafsson, scored, sending Boston College back home to Chestnut Hill — not Boston — with the extra shootout point.

Whoops and cheers rang out from the BC bench as they jumped onto the ice to celebrate. Fowler, the goaltender, turned away from the celebration to mock and gesture toward the Maine student section before being mobbed by his teammates. The fact that the Eagles celebrated their extra point like they just won a playoff game is a massive indicator of how other teams view Maine and the Alfond. For them, the supposed best team in the country, taking two out of a possible six points from the Alfond, is to be celebrated. That’s how much Maine is feared. That’s how much the Alfond is feared.

On the other end of the ice, the Black Bears looked crestfallen. It looked as if it stung them as much as a loss, even though they tied the top-ranked team in the nation and took four out of six points this weekend, an incredible result. Their evident disappointment says a lot about this team. They expect themselves to win every single game and believe that they can.

They want to be the best and believe they can.

Every Black Bear fan in the country would have taken four out of six points before this weekend started. But the palpable dissatisfaction from the team shows that their standards might be even higher than ours.

Brick by brick, something special is being built here. How high it will reach, nobody can know for sure.

But I would never doubt this team. Maine is going places.

This is only the start.