Weekend Preview Vs Lowell

The Black Bears look to get back on track, hosting UMass-Lowell for a weekend series at the Alfond.

This is when teams show what they're made of.

The cat is out of the bag; in recent weeks, opposition sides have figured out how to exploit Maine's weaknesses.

It's time to adapt or die for the Black Bears.

After struggling to break down Connecticut's stubborn defense in last weekend's split, the Maine Black Bears have shown their flaw and opposing teams have taken notice.

A team that has razzled and dazzled their way to the program's best season in decades with their highlight-reel, high-powered offense on a seemingly nightly basis has suddenly been stuck in neutral in recent weeks.

The Black Bears' kryptonite: facing big, heavy sides that are set up defensively to suffocate and neutralize Maine's free-wheeling attack with their absorbing defensive structure.

Maine has run into this style of team the last two weekends in Colgate and UConn. Both successfully negated the Black Bears' scoring opportunities by limiting chances off the rush and forcing Maine into a more physical, grinding game.

This is the recipe for success against Maine.

After being shut out for five of the six periods played last weekend against UConn, the Black Bears haven't looked this vulnerable all season. A team that has taken the nation by storm with their high-flying, tic-tac-toe, elite offense led by two of the country's top scoring freshman, Bradly, and Josh Nadeau now suddenly spinning its wheels is a worrisome trend, but one for which Head Coach Ben Barr and his team know the remedy.

According to Barr on the midweek Black Bears Coaches Show, when Maine has struggled to create offense, it's been because the opposition has taken away what the Bears do best: utilizing their speed and skill to create dangerous attacking moves through quick rush plays on the break. This allows the Black Bear's creative puck-handlers to use the open ice to pick apart the defense with a series of intricate passing moves, undressing the opposition before setting up a teammate to finish off the highlight reel goal in style.

Take this ability away from the Black Bears, and Maine must find another dimension to their offense.

According to Barr, when opposition teams are suffocating Maine's free-flowing attack on the rush, the Black Bears have to get to the dirty areas of the ice, looking for greasy goals.

During dogfights like these, Maine's offensive success hinges on the success of their forecheck. As opposed to skating the puck into the attacking zone, Maine will need to rely on putting pucks in deep and grinding away down-low with a strong forechecking presence. Fearless retrieval of the puck, winning one-on-one battles in the corners, and breaking loose to find ways to get the puck to the net will be vital for the Black Bears to generate a multi-dimensional attack.

Once the puck is under their control, the Black Bears need to improve on their net-front presence. Whether through screens, deflections, or jumping on rebounds, this presence is vital to breaking down teams who look to shut down scoring chances off the rush. These dirty area goals might not have the same shine as the awe-inspiring tic-tac-toe goals created from the rush, but they count just the same.

In the five periods in which Maine failed to score last weekend, the Black Bears couldn't establish themselves in front of the crease with any regularity. In the one period Maine was able to grind themselves to this vital real estate spot and create a presence, the Black Bears scored five times.

Bear down around the net.

The Black Bears will have an immediate opportunity to prove themselves as a multifaceted team as they welcome the University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks to the Alfond.

This weekend is the perfect opportunity to test Maine's resolve as Lowell plays this tightly structured, defensively resolute, physical style to a tee.

While UMass Lowell hasn't had the start to their season they would have liked, entering the weekend with a 7-12-2 record, the Black Bears cannot take the River Hawks lightly. Lowell has the perfectly crafted recipe to upset the Black Bears on home ice. They are known to be defensively sound, positionally excellent, and a tough-to-beat team that excels at taking away time and space and doesn't allow odd-man rushes.

Known for always getting better as the season progresses under long-time Head Coach Norm Bazin, the River Hawks have all the tools in their arsenal to get at Maine's Achilles' heel.

One of the best goaltenders in Hockey East, Henry Welsch, a big shot-stopper from Minnesota, excels at staying square to the puck and will save everything he can see. This only furthers the Black Bears' need to get pucks and men to the net, taking away Welsch’s eyes, and crashing the net looking for rebounds. Maine must manufacture their opportunities through gritty, grinding, hard work, and establishing themselves in front of Welsch.

Maine must manufacture.

Getting off to a strong start will also be a key to Maine's success this weekend. Having fallen behind almost immediately in two out of the last three games, Maine has allowed the opposition to double down on the defense-first approach that has been causing the Black Bears fits. Handing the opposing team the early lead enables them to focus their efforts on maintaining their defensive structure. But if Maine can jump out to the early lead of their own, the other team will be forced to come out of their shell, desperate to score, and inevitably leaving themselves more vulnerable at the back for Maine to exploit.

The first goal is critical in determining how the remainder of the contest will be played and who dictates that style to their liking.

As students returned to campus earlier this week, the Alfond will be back to its boisterous best this weekend for the first time in 2024.

The Black Bears will need the boost of the Maniaks in full voice to give themselves the energy to out-battle the hard-working, dogged River Hawks.

With the end of the regular season beginning to appear on the horizon, these games take on a heightened importance with every passing week. The pairwise has started to solidfy, placing Maine at #6 in the nation. While the Black Bears are far from a lock to earn an at-large bid to the National Tournament, they can sniff the chance of earning an invitation to the big dance. Maine doesn't need to go on anything like an undefeated run to close out their season to make the tournament, but they do need to beat the weaker teams at home. A single loss on home ice to Lowell, ranked #35, would quickly drop the Black Bears' ranking during this crucial stretch of games.

These are must-win games against Lowell. While the Black Bears can't make the tournament this weekend, they could lose their position of having one foot in the bracket if a series of unfortunate outcomes then emerges. The Black Bears have everything to play for, with everything to lose.

Luckily, Maine has control over their destiny. The Black Bears must care for their own business, and they will be fine.

Lowell's personnel and play style present itself as a banana skin for the Black Bears; Maine has Fortress Alfond, which will be in full-defense mode to send the River Hawks back down south with their tail feathers fully tucked.

Time to start another winning streak.