Black Bear Bonanza.

The Maine Black Bears had a third period for the ages, scoring five times in the final frame to comeback against the Connecticut Huskies Friday night in Hartford.

UConn's home-away-from-home, the XL Center in the state capital's downtown, played host to an emotional 5-3 Black Bear win. The professional hockey arena, once home to the beloved Hartford Whalers NHL franchise, was decently filled for the off-campus contest. The arena's lower bowl was a sea of Husky red and blue, Black Bear navy, and Whaler green.

The game was themed as Hartford Whalers night, after all.

The scoreline in the Black Bears' 7-3 victory over these very Huskies in early December at the Alfond did not do UConn the justice they deserved. Connecticut played Maine extremely tough, controlling large portions of that game and causing the Black Bears plenty of problems.

Head Coach Ben Barr and his squad knew they would have their hands full during their trip to the Nutmeg State.

UConn's combination of aggressive physicality and blistering speed caused Maine tons of trouble during the meeting in Orono. The Huskies are exactly that. Husky. Big and thick, they love to lay on a battering body check but are also equally good skaters who can get their feet moving up ice with blistering speed. A dangerous combination.

According to Barr, a key to Maine's success Friday night would take place in the corners. He explained on the pregame Keys to the Game that the Black Bears must win the majority of one-on-one puck battles, especially those in the offensive and defensive zone corners. Winning these scrums would allow Maine to either break out quickly from within their own zone or create the opportunity for puck possession and scoring chances while down in UConn's end.

Offensively, Barr wanted to see his side impose themselves in front of the Huskies' net. Whether through screens, deflections, or rebounds, he wanted Maine to establish their presence in front of the crease, creating traffic and commotion in front of the Huskies netminder.

Own the net front.

The third-year coach also stressed the importance of Maine taking hits to make plays. He knew his squad would be the target of UConn's physicality but emphasized that Maine needed to expect the contact, maintain their focus, and advance the puck before being crunched.

Barr sent out a lineup largely unchanged from last weekend's tie with Colgate. Freshman forward Anthony Calafiore got his name in the lineup for the second game running after an impressive collegiate debut last Saturday. Defenseman Liam Lesakowski was reinserted after sitting out for the Colgate series with a shoulder injury. Unfortunately, Nolan Renwick and Reid Pabich were not able to join their mended teammate on the ice. Nicholas Niemo, Parker Lindauer, and Aiden Carney also did not suit up Friday night.

After an unusually shaky start last Saturday, allowing three goals on six shots before being pulled, senior goaltender Victor Ostman was given his coach's confidence as the starter in net.

Maine's first conference game of 2024 was just the beginning of a gauntlet of challenging Hockey East weekends that will see out Maine's regular season schedule.

Nationally polled at #8, mathematically ranked at #4 in the pairwise, and sitting in 3rd place in Hockey East's standings, the Black Bears were in good stead to start their playoff push strong.

But Maine got off to the worst possible start imaginable.

Twenty-six seconds into the contest, a mistimed pinch at the blueline from Brandon Holt allowed UConn to rush up the ice and beat Ostman on the game's first shot.

These defensive misreads from Maine's blueliners while in UConn's attacking zone became a worrying trend throughout the first period. The Black Bears' forechecking system relies heavily on Maine's defensemen reading when to step up from the blue line and successfully time their pinches at the half-boards. When it works, it stymies the opposition from breaking out and maintains suffocating attacking pressure that has become core to Maine's identity and offensive spark.

But when it fails like it so often did during Friday's first period, whether from poor decision-making or losing the one-on-one battle, it leaves the team open, out of position, and exposed at the back. UConn owned Maine in the battle for blueline control time and again.

These were not the only mistakes Maine made in the opening frame. Repeatedly unforced puck errors shot the Black Bears in the foot.

On too many occasions, mental errors led to Maine passing the puck directly to the Huskies. Whether it was a simple D-to-D pass being picked off or a breakout play being fumbled right to a UConn skater, Maine made sloppy mistake after silly error that put the Black Bears on the backfoot immediately and had Barr's hair turning gray behind the bench.

A little over three minutes after UConn's opener, another Maine miscue doubled the host's advantage. A turnover on a Black Bear breakout allowed Connecticut to deflect a point shot past an exposed Ostman.

Two goals on three shots for the Huskies.

It was a nightmare start for the Swedish netminder, who looked like he was again struggling for confidence. Neither goal could really be blamed on Ostman, who was left unprotected by his teammates’ mistakes. But give credit to the mental strength of Maine's veteran goaltender. Not only did Ostman not dwell on the night's save percentage or the concerning deja vu, he calmed himself down and kept his team in the game, one save at a time.

But while Ostman's play settled down as the opening minutes wore on, the play in front of him stayed sloppy. Another failed pinch from a Maine D-man was spared by Osmtan's post. A few minutes later, a defensive mistake in the neutral zone put the Huskies in on the breakaway, which Ostman gallantly dealt with, bailing his team out with a vital save.

Slow, stagnant, and flat, the Black Bears looked like they were skating head-on towards the ninety-mile-an-hour winds that have been ravaging the Maine coast over the week. There just wasn't the usual giddy-up that we've become accustomed to seeing. Everything looked like it was in slow motion and through molasses.

The Black Bears were able to steady the capsizing ship, begin to limit mistakes, and even create a couple flurries of their own scoring chances before they managed to escape to the dressing room for the first intermission only down by two goals. It could have been a lot worse.

Still, the beginning of the second period didn't bring the desired momentum shift. UConn continued to dictate the play. The Huskies and their fans thought they had tacked on another early in the second frame. A Connecticut rush that carved through Maine's defense led to a shot that awkwardly snuck through Ostman and over the goal line. But the Black Bears coaching staff on the bench and behind the scenes were adamant that it had been forced past Ostman through illegal goaltender-interference means. Maine challenged the call, which, after review, overturned the goal and kept Maine hanging in the game by a thread.

The fortunate call in favor of Maine seemed to be just the spark the Black Bears needed. The overturned review that went Maine's way was a sliding-doors moment. Not only did it keep the Black Bears in the game, but it frustrated the Huskies to no end. UConn would spend much of the rest of the game complaining to the officials after almost every whistle. Meanwhile, Maine put their head down and went to work. It proved to be a huge momentum changer.

From this point on, Maine started to find their mojo. Every passing shift saw the Black Bears slowly but surely establish their game plan and begin to wrangle control away from the Huskies. The Black Bear forecheck found its legs and began to chip away at the Huskies' control. Now looking like a much more cohesive forechecking unit, the Black Bears started to win most one-on-one battles in the corners, staying above and supporting the puck, cycling the biscuit with more control and confidence, and creating their first grade-a chances of the night.

But the most significant factor that began to shift the momentum toward Maine's favor was the success of their defensemen winning battles along the offensive blue line. Not able to generate much sustained offensive pressure, the only Maine scoring opportunities up to this point had mainly came from pot-shots, not flurries of chances that could overwhelm Connecticut.

With Maine's success at keeping the puck in UConn's zone for increasingly prolonged stretches, the Black Bear offensive cycle started clicking. While all the Maine blueliners were vastly improved in the second period, freshman defenseman Bodie Nobes, in particular, stood out. The rookie from Ontario has gotten better and better with every game under his belt. Seemingly always playing with a grin on his face, Nobes has become a vital cog in Maine's defensive structure. Tonight, Nobes showcased his quick reactions and bravery, jumping up to the half-boards to vitally negate a UConn breakout pass with a tenacious, strong stick and sturdy physical presence that makes him extremely difficult to break around. Like a bowling ball on the pinch, Nobes makes sure to take a piece of Husky with him, not allowing the opposition to complete any clean passes and get past him unscathed.

But while Maine was beginning to take control of the game through their defensive efforts, the offense still didn't have the dynamic, attacking, cutting-edge style that we have seen in prior games.

Not yet, at least.

The well-structured and big-bodied Huskies had shut down Maine's passing and shooting lanes throughout through the first two periods. UConn blocked shots excellently, kept active sticks swarming between the Maine pass and its intended target, and overall held Maine's offense at bay. The Black Bears looked in danger of being shut out for the first time this season.

While the Connecticut defense was as stout and resolute as they come in the first two frames, Maine's offensive puck movement wasn't helping their own cause. The Black Bears simply didn't move the pucks with enough speed and crispness while in UConn's end. Looking like they were second guessing every decision, Maine's stagnation allowed Connecticut to stay in position and not let passes or shots through. It wasn't only puck movement that was missing its usual dynamic flow; the Black Bears off the puck weren't creating the usual constant cycle of movement that forces an opponent’s defense to run around, eventually moving out of position.

At the other end of the ice, UConn's offensive puck movement kept Maine laterally scrambling around in their zone, changing the angle and creating space in dangerous areas of the ice. The difference between the two sides in this aspect was night and day during the first two periods.

Early in the third period, however, a Maine man advantage got the ball rolling in the right direction for Maine's offense. The power play, which has been kept scoreless over the past six games — going 0-for-19 in the process — has looked promising but just hasn't been able to execute. Often trying too hard to make a series of tic-tac-toe plays and practically walk the puck into the net, simplicity won out Friday night. The hard-working Harrison Scott battled away in the corner, fending off two Huskies. Ben Poisson supported his teammate in the corner, feeding a pass to Brandon Chabrier at the point, who had the space to change the angle on the shot, making sure it got on net. The rebound kicked out kindly to Scott, who buried it home, jolting the traveling Black Bear supporters into a wild cheer. The dirty area, greasy goal created by hard work, quick puck movement, and, most importantly, establishing a net-front presence was exactly what the power play deserved, finally breaking their scoreless streak and giving life to the Black Bears.

The minutes after the goal saw the Black Bears play their best hockey of the night. Hunting the puck in packs on the forecheck and supporting the play at the half-boards, Maine was all over UConn, pestering the Husky net with sustained offensive pressure.

But as quickly as the Black Bears’ momentum had been established, it slipped away. A turnover in Maine's zone put a Husky in the slot. The shot squeaked under Ostman's arm, a soft goal he would certainly want back. They were back to Black Bear's unforced errors shooting themselves in the foot.

The momentum shift had the Black Bears once again on the back foot. Another Maine turnover forced Maine to reach out in desperation and take a penalty. Already down 3-1 with about half the period to go, another Connecticut goal would be a dagger in the heart of the Black Bears winning chances.

On the penalty kill, however, it was Maine who struck gold.

Under Barr, the Black Bears have been notable for scoring short-handed goals. It seems like every season, Maine's most pivotal, season-defining moments come on the PK. Friday night was no different.

Lyden Breen, working hard to keep the puck in UConn's corner and allowing his PK unit to get fresh legs on the ice, forced a turnover below UConn's goal line. Breen dished it up to fellow senior Donovan Houle, who smartly waited for another Maine attacker from the bench to join the play. The Black Bear to jump into the zone was defenseman Brandon Holt, whose mistake led to the game's opening goal. Holt made up for this error and then some, snapping a wicked wrister from the point past the goaltender's glove, kissing it off the post, and putting the Black Bears back within one.

The short-handed goal completely demoralized the Huskies and gave the Black Bears all the impetus to maintain their offensive onslaught and go for the Huskies' throats.

Holt's goal was the start of a memorable third-period Black Bear bonanza.

Connecticut tried to reignite their spark with heavy, physical play but crossed the line when a Husky lined up Lynden Breen with an open ice elbow to the head. Initially a major penalty, it was downgraded to a minor after a review. Nonetheless, Maine was on the power play, and now, finally, with their scoreless streak behind them, the floodgates opened.

Immediately on the man advantage, Bradly Nadeau took the puck in the high slot. He changed the angle with a little stutter-step, enabling the freshman to find just enough space through the traffic of UConn and Black Bear bodies in front of the net to snipe the game-tying goal past the blinded netminder.

Boom. Just like that. Netfront presence rewarding the Black Bears again.

The Huskies, however, would not roll over and play dead.

Regardless of how much zone time Maine possessed, a Connecticut counter was always sinisterly lurking. UConn excelled at finding stretch passes to break through Maine's front-footed forecheck, allowing the Huskies to continue presenting an imminent danger to Maine's net off of these rush plays that were so successful at getting in behind the Black Bears.

But up stepped Victor Ostman to save the day.

Lately unfairly scapegoated, with the game still tied and just over six minutes left, Ostman found himself all alone and face to face with a Husky bearing down on him. With the game on his stick, the Husky, coming down with speed, went backhand to forehand, only to be negated by a glove-save-and-a-beauty from Maine's own beauty between the pipes.

It was by far the save of the game, perfectly setting up what was to come next.

A few minutes later, at the other end of the ice, net-front presence struck again.

Like Maine's opening goal earlier that period, the Black Bears pulled ahead with a rushing Breen shot, rebounding to Josh Nadeau, who pummeled the biscuit into the basket with satisfying certainty.

The Black Bear Faithful, who had traveled from far and wide, made their presence known.

Jubilous celebrations ensued from the roaring Mainiaks. The boisterous UConn fans that had been chanting "Overrated" only minutes before suddenly fell deathly silent with heads in hands.

The XL Center's PA announcer sounded like he was at a funeral when announcing the Maine goal. To be fair, I would sound like that, too, if I had to live in Connecticut.

The Black Bears would firmly hammer the nail into the Huskies' coffin minutes later. It was Brandon Holt who completed the Maine comeback with a long-range empty net goal that sent the Husky "Faithful" scurrying for the exits. The mass exodus left the XL Center reverberating with Black Bear cheers as the final buzzer rang.

Talk about heart. Talk about perseverance. Talk about character. Talk about guts.

Friday night saw the Black Bears play their worst hockey of the season but also some of their best.

Maine got incrementally better with every shift. A massive credit to the coaching staff who tweaked and tweaked the systems, finally finding the right formula to break through the excellent UConn defense.

It's a statement victory. Not because it displayed the pure skill and ability of this Maine side, but because it showcased the never-say-die attitude and championship mentality at the heart of Maine’s identity.

You can't teach that.

These Black Bears don't know how to stop fighting. They don't know how to give up. They don't know how to get knocked out.

May they never learn.

In what could be a monumental win for their season, Maine must build off their third-period heroics and start fast on Saturday afternoon. It will take a lot of maturity from the Black Bears to bring enough energy and focus to compete with a pissed-off Connecticut side seeking revenge. It's sure to be another barnburner, but how could you ever bet against the Bears?

What a time to be alive.

This team is special.

This season is special.

Let's send those Huskies back to Storrs with their tails between their legs.