All good things must come to an end.

The Maine Black Bears' nine-game unbeaten streak was snapped at the hands of the Connecticut Huskies Saturday afternoon.

The Hartford matinee crowd of over 9,000 witnessed Maine's first goalless effort of the season in a tight 2-0 victory for UConn that saw very little separating the two sides.

After a magnificent third-period comeback the night before, the Black Bears knew they would need to be mature to build on their momentum. The quick turnaround between the two games and the high of Friday's win could not be an excuse for a drop in standards and energy needed to handle a good UConn team gunning for revenge.

UConn's most dangerous scoring opportunities on Friday came from the Black Bears' inconsistency in finishing their hits. Too often, the Huskies, dangerous when getting their feet moving up-ice through the neutral zone, were allowed clean breakouts courtesy of missed Maine hits. Head Coach Ben Barr mentioned in his pregame Keys to the Game that he wanted his team to skate through UConn bodies to avoid repeating this pattern. Eliminating these missed hits would not only keep the Black Bears in a better position to absorb the UConn rush but could disrupt the cleanness and crispness of Husky passes. If UConn knew the Black Bears would come banging, they would be much more likely to make a mistake with the puck.

Friday's third period, which exploded with five Black Bear goals, saw Barr tweak the first line for the first time this season. He broke up the New Brunswick trio, moving Lynden Breen onto Thomas Freel and Donovan Houle's line while putting Harrison Scott between the Nadeau brothers.

The purpose of the switch-up was likely to better balance both sets of lines. Scott brought more physicality and presence to the front of the net, freeing up the highly skilled but smaller Nadeaus to focus their efforts in the slot and around the circles, their favorite shooting areas. Meanwhile, Breen brought an elite scoring touch and puck-moving ability to coincide with power forwards Houle and Freel's grittiness and puck recovery skills.

Barr would stick with these same combinations for Saturday afternoon's rematch, the only lineup change being Albin Boija replacing Victor Ostman between the pipes.

After falling behind by multiple goals early in the previous two games, a strong Maine start would be vital in making sure the Black Bears could avoid having to play catch-up once again.

Maine's third-period momentum from Friday soared into Saturday's opening frame with one of their most dominating stretches of play this season.

It was the Black Bears' forecheck, to which the Huskies had no answer. When putting pucks in deep, Maine's first forward would blitz into the Connecticut puck handler at full pelt. Taking away the center of the ice, he would angle his path to force UConn's breakout passes wide and up the boards. Here, an expecting Black Bear defenseman would pinch from the blue line to check the Husky puck receiver at the half-boards.

This was the game plan Friday night as well, but two things made it so much more effective for Maine on Saturday. First, as per Barr's request, the pinching defenseman was much more successful in making sure to get a piece of Husky. It didn't need to be a massive body blow, but by initiating the body contact, it would limit the UConn puck receiver's ability to cleanly continue the breakout sequence and find a teammate or himself up-ice.

Second, when the Black Bear defenseman would leave his position at the point and pinch in at the half-boards, one of Maine's other forwards would circle back and cover the vacated position, keeping Maine structured and severely limiting UConn's ability to get the puck out of their zone.

The improved support allowed the Black Bears to be much more aggressive on the forecheck, less concerned with UConn breaking the other way. The Huskies were pinned back for much of the opening frame as Maine, controlled and dictating play, worked the puck around and found open angles to create good scoring opportunities.

Maine's third line, consisting of wingers Reid Pabich and Sully Scholle, centered by Félix Trudeau, was particularly impressive in the first period. Their strong play started in Maine's end, where Pabich and Scholle used their quick speed to break up ice before gaining the centerline and putting the puck in deep. From here, the hard work, grit, and determination of Turdeau and Pabich gave Maine great success in winning one-on-one battles in the corners and behind the net. Scholle, usually staying high in the zone, would find a quiet area of the ice to receive a pass from down-low and fire a quick shot on net.

Maine dominated the first period, firing shot after shot on the Connecticut goaltender and not allowing the Huskies to release the pressure for much of the opening frame.

But missing from the Black Bears' game was their success at establishing themselves in front of the Huskies' net, a tactic that proved so successful Friday. They were outmuscled by the big UConn defensemen and struggled to take up occupancy in this crucial area of real estate. Maine could not pounce on juicy rebounds, create screens, tip deflections, or generally create enough chaos in front of the UConn goaltender.

Even with great pressure and numerous shots on net, Maine could not execute on their chances. The Black Bears ran into a brick wall in the form of the Yaroslavl Marvel.

The Connecticut netminder Arsenii Sergeev from Yaroslavl, Russia, stood on his head all night, earning his nickname. Sergeev had a great night because the Black Bears could not make things difficult enough for him. Maine, unable to maintain crease superiority, could not capitalize on rebounds or loose pucks in the slot.

The Black Bears, although dominating the first period, would come to rue their inability to capitalize on their chances. The chances that were bountiful in the first period dried up in the second.

In the first period, the Black Bears were able to create thirteen shots on net, while the Huskies could only muster two.

But this script would completely flip as the teams changed sides for the second period. UConn would outshot Maine twelve to three.

Unforced puck mistakes and several icings to open up the second frame immedietly erased the momentum Maine had worked so hard to build in the opening period. Taking advantage of Maine's sloppy play, Connecticut took control of the game. Dictating the play by winning the majority of puck battles and breaking through Maine's forecheck, UConn created many grade-a scoring opportunities for themselves from chances off the rush.

Given that this was the period of the long line change, Connecticut could take advantage of tired Maine legs to dominate the run of play. The Black Bears, often icing the play and now desperate to release the ever-increasing pressure and complete a line change, tried to force the needle, attempting overally hopeful stretch passes that would be regularly picked off by UConn's neutral zone establishment.

It was Maine's turn to be pinned back by the UConn onslaught. Boija, not having much to do earlier in the game, was now forced into action. The Swede stayed calm and composed, tracking pucks and staying square to the shooter even during the mad scrambles in front of his net, keeping his team in the game and matching Sergeev's effort.

Finally, with something to cheer about, the home crowd, the biggest in program history, grew into the game as the decibel level inside the XL Center ratcheted up with every UConn scoring chance. With their fans urging them on and Maine unable to regain control of the game, Connecticut sat comfortably in the driver's seat, owning all the momentum.

In the rare moments when the Black Bears were able to cross the center-ice red-line and pressure the Huskies' net, they struggled to set up any sustained time in UConn's end. Clearly frustrated with their inability to execute on their scoring chances, the Black Bears looked as though they were second-guessing all their attacking moves, trying to set up the perfect play. Several times, even when on a rush, Maine's forwards decided to circle back, frustrating the Maine coaching staff who wanted to see more of a simplified, direct attack with Black Bears driving and crashing the net instead of trying to fashion artfully crafted plays.

It looked as though Anthony Calafiore, in his third start in as many games, took the simplified approach to heart. While other Black Bears were trying to force the issue, which often led to turnovers against the defensively stout Huskies, Calafiore repeatedly made the sensible play, choosing to take what UConn gave him over attempting to force plays that just weren't there. Sometimes, simplicity is the best option.

With Calafiore leading the way as the period continued, Maine's sensible decision-making improved as the Black Bears slowly but surely began to absorb Connecticut's pressure and reduce their momentum. The Black Bears were able to get into the dressing room for the second intermission with the game still scoreless.

The first two periods were mirror images of each other.

Whichever side started the period sharper and could wrangle control, the other would struggle to push back and spark momentum going the other way. It felt as though whichever team could impose themselves first in the opening minutes of the final frame would be in a prime position to impose their style for the rest of the period.

And in a battle between two goaltenders at the top of their game, it also seemed as though whoever scored first would be more likely to come out victorious. The game was on a knife's edge.

Unfortunately for Maine, that opening goal would fall to the Huskies, who, only twenty-two seconds into the third, lit the lamp. A seemingly innocent enough-looking wraparound took a favorable Husky bounce, popping off a Black Bear defenseman's stick in the crease and floating over Boija's shoulder at the near post.

A couple minutes later, the Huskies would howl again.

Battling in the corner to Boija's right, Connecticut came away from the scrum with the puck. One Husky fed another charging towards the net, where a little scoop shot in-close squeezed between Boija's right shoulder and the near-post. It looked as though Boija had the post sealed, but to his surprise, enough of a gap was left for the puck to squeeze through, similar to UConn's first goal just minutes before.

Credit to the Black Bears who, while not having the puck bounce their way, fought back heroically. The tight defensive battle spilled into a scrappy, open, back-and-forth contest. Maine, desperately pressing for their second comeback in as many nights, began sending more and more bodies aggressively forward. While it left them exposed to a UConn counter, it was a sacrifice the Black Bears had to make.

All weekend long, the big and fast UConn skaters made it extremely difficult for the Black Bears to gain their zone and set up. The Huskies created a wall of white and navy blue jerseys at the blue line, forcing Maine to dump the puck in behind and go chase.

But the Huskies were up for the game of fetch down-low.

Showing great battle, UConn made it an arduous task for the Black Bears to win puck battles in the corners and behind the net. A strong and heavy team, Connecticut was happy enough to keep the play pinned against the boards, wasting valuable time and not letting Maine come away from these scrums easily. As the minutes wore down, the Black Bears' desperation kicked in.

Soon, all three of Maine's forwards were forced down-low to fight for the puck, leaving no forwards supporting the play in the slot or at the circles in case the puck squirted free or a Black Bear somehow came away from the mangle of bodies with the puck looking to pass.

When Maine was able to work the puck out and create a shooting opportunity, Husky after Husky courageously threw themselves in front of the shot. The sacrificing of UConn bodies amped up the home crowd, as Connecticut must have had a dozen or so vitally blocked shots in the final period alone.

This UConn collapsed defensive structure was able to clog Maine's shooting lanes so efficiently in part because the Black Bears, physically smaller than the Huskies, could not establish themselves in front of the net and move UConn out of the way. The Huskies simply outmuscled the Black Bears by putting themselves in the dirty areas of the ice. This didn't let Maine pounce on any of the rebounds that bounced around dangerously in the scrambles following a UConn blocked shot. Nor could Maine set themselves up to screen the netminder or deflect a shot on net.

It seemed as though the only way Maine would score was to outright beat Sergeev with a perfect shot. But he was on fire and always up to the task. Not only did Maine find it difficult to even get a shot through the wall of Huskies' bodies, but UConn negated Maine's lateral puck movement as well, always seeming to wedge between the Black Bear passer and their intended target.

The Connecticut defense completely stifled the Black Bears, who were running out of answers and running out of time.

Eventually, Maine was forced to pull Boija for the extra attacker as the Black Bears threw the kitchen sink at the Connecticut net.

But a UConn break the other way toward Maine's empty net forced the Black Bears to take a penalty, leaving Maine without an extra attacker and their net empty as the final seconds ticked down. This was the Black Bears' first loss since November and the first time being shutout.

Black Bear heads were bowed, and bodies were slumped over. It was the look of a team whose season had just come to an end after a deep playoff run, not a side that had just lost their third game of the year and earned a split against a very talented opponent.

The loss clearly hurt the Bears. But they will come back from this.

At the other end of the ice, the Huskies and their fans were celebrating like they had just won their biggest game of the year. Which it most likely was.

It's important to remember that every team the Black Bears face will be gunning to take them down. Night in and night out, Maine will face their opponent's best, most committed performance.

In a season full of ups and downs, it is important not to get caught up on one loss.

After all, there is no such thing as a bad split away from home in Hockey East, especially against a heavy team like UConn who is designed to cause Maine problems.

My guess is that this loss will fuel the Black Bears with invaluable information that they will use to continue to build and grow.

Thinking back to the magical 1993 season, if Maine hadn't lost that one game against BU — their only loss of the year — they very likely may not have learned the lessons they needed to learn to go on to become National Champions.

Progress is never linear; you need the valleys to create the peaks.

Best to have these growing pains now and not in March.

Hopefully, this series will be a stepping stone for what's next to come.

Maybe even a springboard.