Maine hockey is officially back on the big stage.

If you closed your eyes on Friday night, your brain might think you were jammed tightly into a sold-out Alfond Arena deep in the woods of Central Maine, not TD Garden in the heart of Downtown Boston.

Black Bear Nation showed up in droves for Friday night's Hockey East semifinal against the Boston University Terriers, creating a sea of blue to flood Causeway Street.

Beantown was transformed into Beartown.

Although the result did not go how the Garden's vocal and numerical majority wanted, falling to the Boston University Terriers 4-1, Black Bear Nation should be bursting with pride. For their team, for their state, and especially for themselves.

After the traveling Alfond Faithful patiently watched Boston College tear apart UMass in the first semifinal of the single-admission doubleheader, it quickly became apparent that although three of the other sets of fans in attendance didn't have to travel over state or even city lines to support their team, the vast majority of those in attendance were clad in Black Bear blue and white, turning the mecca of New England Hockey into a rapturous Alfond South.

The Black Bears' first appearance at the Garden since 2012 coincided with the first time the Hockey East semifinals had sold out since 2005.

The Maine effect.

While the other three schools donned varying shades of red and maroon, they only appeared as small pockets amongst the thick wall of blue everywhere you looked. With the Garden holding just under 18,000, it would be a fair assessment to estimate that at least 8,000 proudly wore the famed Maine script across their chests. After a sizable amount of BC and UMass fans left following their earlier game, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that at least two-thirds of those remaining for the nearly filled nightcap were of Black Bear persuasion.

Maine's campus in Orono sits 242 miles away from Boston, at least a four-hour drive. Meanwhile, Boston University is a mere three-mile hop-skip-and-a-jump away.

A hearty roar from the traveling Alfonders greeted the Black Bears as they entered the ice for pregame warmups. It was by far the most deafening noise the Garden produced so far that day, louder than any of the nine goals that were cheered during the BC — UMass game earlier in the evening.

Out-supported, out-cheered, and out-represented in their own backyard. To quote a BU fan sitting nearby, it was "embarrassing."

Having already lost to BU twice this season in back-to-back tightly contested games in mid-November, the Black Bears were well aware of the challenge of facing the #2 team in the country. In those two meetings a few miles away at Agganis Arena, the dazzling skill and robust talent of the BU squad overpowered Maine. Having outskated the Terriers during even-strength play that weekend, it was the embarrassment of elite scoring riches at BU's disposal, especially on the special teams, that was the difference-maker between the two sides and which broke the Black Bears' back.

Compared to Maine's single NHL draft pick on their roster, BU had fourteen at their disposal, including the undisputed overall first pick in this year's upcoming draft in seventeen-year-old Macklin Celebrini. Slowing down the sheer amount of offensive firepower at the Terriers' disposal would be paramount for the Black Bears' hopes to compete for the Lamoriello Trophy the following evening.

Critical to this, Maine had to stay out of the penalty box to prevent the second-best in the nation, BU, from using the powerplay to tear Maine apart like they so lethally did earlier in the season.

Excelling at all the small details of their game would be another key factor if Maine were to slow down BU's offensive opportunities Head Coach Ben Barr explained earlier in the week. Details such as making sure to finish their hits would be paramount for Maine to establish their identity early and slow down the Terriers' offensive juggernaut. In all areas of the ice, but especially on the forecheck, finishing checks would be key to keeping BU honest with the puck. It would also be critical to not allow the Terriers' blistering team speed on the rush the numeric advantage to carve out golden scoring opportunities. It doesn't need to be a bone-rattling, glass-shaking hit, but rather just enough to take the Terrier out of the play, keeping Maine bodies on the right side of the puck in order to not allow BU overloads.

Another advantage Boston University holds over Maine is their far superior experience on college hockey's biggest stages. Having won last year's Hockey East Championship and this winter's Beanpot Championship, both at the Garden, the Terriers were perfectly comfortable playing under the bright lights of an NHL building. Meanwhile, none of Maine's players have ever played in an NHL arena before and would need to quickly acclimate to playing in front of the largest crowd in their careers. To address this, Barr, who has coached at the Garden and other NHL buildings during his time as an assistant with UMass, called on his team to play fearlessly in order to not allow the occasion and environment to be overly overwhelming and cause Maine to stray from the things that make them successful. Easier said than done, but as Barr explained, the need to maintain their focus and stay poised with the puck would be vital for Maine to play at their confident, fearless best that is so central to their team culture.

With the Black Bears far and away the underdogs, Maine would need to excel in every aspect of the game to close the gap between the two teams. But even if they did play to the best of their ability and did everything right, BU's sheer class and talent could still very well come out on top. It would need to be a close-to-perfect performance for Maine to even have a shot of the upset.

Barr entrusted the same lineup that took to the ice in their overpowering win against UNH last weekend in the Hockey East quarterfinals. Once again, it was freshman Albin Boija between the pipes, tasked with the near-impossible job of holding at bay a Terriers' attack that hadn't been shut out all season. The Black Bears would need Boija to steal some goals if Maine was to have any chance on the night.

But that thunderous howl would only be the prelude to a boisterous Black Bear Nation, which stayed cheering for the entire sixty-minute game, drowning out the Bostonians time and again. Throughout the contest, each time a Mainiak was shown on the video board, rousing, ear-splitting cheers echoed throughout the enormous arena. Meanwhile, whenever a red-dressed Terrier was shown, a chorus of boos rained down onto the ice, overpowering any voice the BU student section could muster.

The thousands of Mainers in full-throated, feral frenzy produced deafening support for their beloved Black Bears as the puck dropped on Maine's most important game in decades. Those booming plaudits would continue for the entirety of the contest.

With an unimaginable amount of adrenaline pumping through their veins, Maine started the first period with tremendous energy but was perhaps over-amped as they looked jumpy and over-eager to make a dazzling play. It was to be expected with the cacophony whirling around them in this brand-new environment, but a couple of puck mistakes allowed BU to start on the front foot with the majority of scoring chances. Although they coughed up the puck a bit too often early on, for the most part, Maine did a diligent job of quickly returning to their defensive structure, maintaining plenty of Maine bodies between BU puck carrier and Boija's net, limiting the Terriers to the perimeter of their attacking zone, not allowing many grade-a chances to test Boija early on.

On the other side of the puck, Maine was having plenty of difficulty getting the puck north-to-south as the Terriers' significantly larger bodies clogged the neutral zone, not allowing any passes to cut through and reach their intended target. Playing in an NHL building, the Black Bears didn't have to only acclimate to the larger-than-life crowd; they had to acclimate to different ice dimensions as well. Whe ice sheet is still the same size as the Alfond, the neutral zone is noticeably narrower, with each team's defensive zone being a bit larger than the collegiate norm. The difference is only a couple of feet, but for a team like Maine, which relies on the success of their dump-and-chase game, it causes a disadvantage and the need to adapt. Because there is more ice between the blueline and the end boards for the forechecking forwards to make up when charging in on puck-retrieval duties, Maine not only struggled to get through the neutral zone cleanly but were not able to establish their heavy, physical presence when putting pucks in deep as BU's defenseman could break out past the Black Bear forecheck before Maine could get in their face.

The Black Bears were forced to try their hand in carrying the puck into Terrier territory. But with a clogged neutral zone that was limiting the success of passes reaching the forwards, Maine's defenseman took it upon themselves to get their feet moving, looking to carry the puck up-ice themselves.

The Black Bears have vastly improved in recent weeks, limiting mistakes during the breakout. Earlier in the year, Maine breakout passes from their defenseman were getting picked off by the opposition's lurking neutral zone trap all too often. Recently, Maine's d-men have taken the onus to get their feet moving up-ice and carry the puck to the redline more often, limiting the chance of a wayward pass turning into a turnover. Sophomore defenseman Brandon Holt has been particularly influential in calmly yet quickly carrying the puck up ice, gaining the redline to negate an icing, and keeping his poise to put the puck where it needs to go before inevitably being crunched by an incoming big hit.

This was successful in allowing Maine increased zone time, but when BU did force a turnover, they could catch the Black Bears out, exploiting the lack of bodies on the backend to showcase their scorching speed through center ice and create offense off the rush.

Midway through the first period, BU opened the evening's scoring when the Terriers cut their way through central ice all too easily, gaining their zone with speed in numbers. This caused the Black Bears to scramble on the back foot, unable to match the Terriers' speed to a loose puck. With Maine still returning to their defensive structure, a puck bouncing off the end boards fell kindly to Quinn Hutson at the left faceoff circle. The sophomore forward took no time messing about, putting the puck on the tape of Ryan Greene, uncovered in the slot. Greene rifled the one-timer through Boija, under the Swedish netminder's blocker, and over his right leg pad.

As if falling behind focused the Black Bears on the task at hand, Maine started to establish themselves into the game, especially on the forecheck, which began clicking on all cylinders, now used to the Garden's dimensions. Their home-away-from-home fans refused to allow the early deficit to quiet their voices and only roared louder as Maine's physicality began to pick up.

With four minutes remaining in the frame and the Black Bears still, with only two shots on goal, it was Maine's fourth line that got the offensive momentum going, sparking an attacking onslaught for the remainder of the first period. Having not featured for much of the first half of the season, fourth-line wingers Parker Lindauer and Anthony Calafiore have come on leaps and bounds in recent weeks. Ever since the pair was put beside center Cole Hanson in Maine's Game Two victory over Vermont in Burlington, which sparked the Black Bears' current four-game win streak, completely turning around the season's trajectory. Lindauer and Calafiore's dogged work, endless energy, and diligent focus in maintaining the team's systems with Hanson's reliability on both sides of the puck have provided Maine with a dependable and assertive fourth line that can pull Maine out of any rut.

Following the strong shift from their fourth line, the Black Bears got their offensive feet into the game. They stacked quality shift after quality shift to close the first period, with the Black Bears now on the front foot and the Terriers on the ropes. They just had to execute while on top in the game.

Lynden Breen, showcasing dynamic and direct play, drove behind the net, firing a shot on the net from a wraparound chance. The puck bounced and rolled tantalizingly through the blue paint, but the Terriers were first to clear the crease. A spinning David Breazeale shot from the point through traffic. But was somehow seen by Caron, whose outstretched toe was the only thing halting Black Bear Nation from blowing the roof of the Garden.

The period ended with Maine suddenly in complete control of the game's momentum. The Black Bears had the Terriers right where they wanted them, firefighting amongst the blitz of Maine's forecheck, causing chaos amongst the BU ranks and in front of their net. But the Black Bears couldn't execute on their late flurry of grade-a chances as the breathless first period ended.

Now completely used to their surroundings in the spotlight and confident that they could get at a team as good as BU, the Black Bears started the second period the way they ended the first, this time on their first power play opportunity of the evening. While the power play couldn't put the puck in the back of the net, they were able to carve out a couple of dangerous looks through crisp lateral puck movement that kept BU running around in their zone. The PP's best chance came from in tight when Houle fired a shot from the slot off Caron's pads just as the powerplay ended.

Every Black Bear on every line was putting in the hard yards in the dirty areas of the ice, determined to outwork the Terriers in every one-on-one puck battle. The Nadeau line centered by Nolan Renwick had been kept fairly quiet so far, but that didn't deter them from putting pucks into the corners and banging away, looking to turn forecheck into offensive chances by coming away from the board battles in the corners victorious with the puck. This style of hard-nosed play is central to Renwick's identity, and Josh Nadeau never backs away from pestering the opposition puck handlers. But at times this season, Bradly Nadeau has struggled to get this style of game into his overflowing arsenal of talent. While always terrific on the backcheck, picking the pockets of opposing puck carriers, sometimes Brad hasn't been able to muster the same explosive energy and courage on the forecheck. But last weekend was his scrappy coming out party as Brad outbattled countless UNH Wildcats, turning won puck battles into goals through his tenacious effort and unteachable skill.

The Black Bears were buzzing.

Nonetheless, the Black Bears were still unable to break down Caron, who was proving to be quite the difficult lock to pick, time and again thwarting Maine's efforts. With Caron standing on his head, the Black Bears tried to generate the perfect play, with countless quick passes looking to catch Caron out of position. Unfortunately, Maine was brilliant at everything but executing the final phase of the play with backdoor passes just narrowly out of stick reach or slot shots screaming wide.

Although the majority of the period was played around BU's net, with Maine generating countless offensive firepower, in the blink of an eye, the Terriers could regain possession and transition up ice with speed in numbers. This was often on odd-man rushes that forced Boija to come up with a handful of big saves. The sheer speed and threat a BU counter-attack posed were too much for Maine to handle, keeping the Black Bears reaching in desperation to stop the ferocious Terriers from wheeling and dealing in open ice. On several occasions, BU's speed forced Maine to commit penalties, sending the lethal BU powerplay onto the ice. The three penalties Maine took Friday night were two holding calls and one hook, demonstrating Maine's challenges in stopping BU in open ice.

The menacing BU powerplay took to the ice for the first time midway through the second when Renwick was caught behind the play, committing a holding penalty. The elite Terrier powerplay that chewed up and spit out the Black Bears countless times earlier in the year once again flexed their mighty offensive muscle. Hobey Baker finalist and offensive-minded defenseman Lane Huston took no time tearing Maine's PK unit apart. Just a couple dozen seconds into the man advantage, Huston pulled out an outrageous toe-drag from his box of magic tricks, dangling around a committed Thomas Freel before snipping a wrister past Boija's glove, doubling the Terriers' lead.

Boston University's lethal powerplay is just too elite to keep giving golden opportunities. They made the Black Bears pay. While BU's first goal of the game came from just their second shot on net eight minutes into the game, the Terriers' second goal was their first shot of the second period, not coming until over nine minutes into the second frame.

Talk about efficiency.

Simply put, the Terriers were out-executing the Black Bears, making the most of their chances. In contrast, Maine squandered their countless opportunities to the frustration of the majority of the Garden.

The referees weren't going to do Maine any favors. While all of the penalties committed by Maine could be viewed as the right call, they let the superiorly larger Terriers bully and cheapshot the Black Bears after just about every whistle. Throwing Maine players down to the ice by their facemasks or cross-checking them in their chins, BU's after-whistle antics were somehow deemed legal, much to the frustration of Maine's bench and Barr, who looked less than pleased with the after-whistle lack of officiating.

Maine finished the remainder of the period still on the front foot but continued to fail to execute the final pass or shot needed to send the increasingly angsty masses of Mainers into delirium. Black Bear Nation was bubbling to explode, but after two frames, it was still waiting to do so.

The third period began with Maine once again taking a penalty, this time a hook called against Hanson, sending the red-hot BU PP to the ice. While the Terriers scored on the man advantage, the goal was ruled out due to it being offside in the buildup. The no-goal call was cheered on wildly by the hordes of hungry Black Bears, desperate for something to cheer about.

The no-goal decision and the following celebrations were just the thing to rocket Maine's momentum into overdrive. The Nadeau line set each other up with their best looks of the night, with Renwick winning puck battle after puck battle, keeping their attack going and hemming BU back. Eventually, tired Terrier legs got the best of them when they took an undisciplined high-sticking penalty. This sent Maine to a crucially important power play, needing to take advantage and score with just thirteen minutes left and Maine still down by two.

Senior forward Lynden Breen has looked like a man on a mission lately. Already with a heroic game-winning goal just a couple weeks ago, Breen's red-hot shot sent the Maine masses into euphoria. Controlling the puck on the powerplay down low on the goalline, Breen wandered to the bottom of the faceoff circle, looking to connect with a centering pass to Ben Poisson, battling in front of the net. Everyone in the Garden expected Breen to throw a pass into the mixer, this including Caron, who ever so slightly came off his post, hesitating to set himself for a one-timer in the slot. But Breen's stick has had magic in it of late, as he was somehow able to squeak a quick shot from an almost impossible angle under Caron at the back post.

Alfond South exploded in delirium, with the wall of Maine blue bouncing up and down, limbs raised high in the air among wild celebrations that had Black Bear Nation toppling over each other. A roar that must have rung the rafters all the way back home at the Alfond, the jubilant celebrations inside the Garden shook the streets of Boston.

With the mighty Maine roar still ringing in their ears, the Black Bears continued guns-a-blazin', putting the Terriers in the washing machine's spin-cycle with a relentless forecheck sparked by their defenseman's well-timed pinches that kept the Terriers unable to clear their zone. With the wind in Maine's sails, the Black Bears had the bit between their teeth and were coming out on top with just about every loose puck.

But the Terriers barked back, deflating Maine's onslaught when Liam Lesawkowski was sent to the sin bin for another holding penalty. The BU powerplay does what it always seems to do, carving apart the Black Bears with a series of tape-to-tape passes. Maine couldn't clear their zone, leaving tired legs on the ice for the Terriers to exploit. Pretty much identical to their first goal, Macklin Celebrini from the left faceoff dot caught the Black Bears out of position. Once again, Ryan Greene found himself in a quiet spot in the slot, able to rocket the one-timer past Boija's outstretched blocker and put BU back up by two with nine minutes left to play.

The devastatingly deadly Terriers pounced on the few mistakes Maine made, making the most of their opportunities in lethal fashion.

In the final minutes of the contest, the Black Bears threw everything but the kitchen sink at Caron. But continuing to stand on his head, everything the Black Bears threw at him seemed to magnetize itself into the British Columbian's breadbasket. Maine desperately pulled Boija with four minutes left in the game, looking for last-gasp, eleventh-hour heroics.

But as the minutes trickled down, the BU defense collapsed more and more, leaving little to no room for open shooting lanes as Maine shots were routinely blocked by courageous Terriers. The Black Bears just couldn't seem to find a way to break down the white-and-red wall, standing strong in front of their goaltender. No matter how quickly they moved the puck, there was always a Terrier looming between the puck and the goal. A couple of chances from down low snuck narrowly wide to the dismay of the Black Bears, but a BU hail-mary found its way into the back of Maine's abandoned net, sending the Terriers to the Championship Game.

While Maine, for the most part, outplayed BU for the duration of the game when at even strength, the unreal efficiency of BU's powerplay bit the Bears. Maine played so gallantly and mostly stymied the high-octane Terrier offense, which could only muster eighteen shots on goal. But BU made Maine pay for the few mistakes they did make with frightening effectiveness. Maine needed Boija to steal some goals, but the freshman was unable to match Caron's dazzlingly dominant display. BU simply out-executed the Black Bears in front of either net. Their shooters were more lethal, and their goaltender was nearly unbreakable. At the end of the game, when the Black Bears were playing desperate, chasing the game, they could not break down BU's collapsed and clogged defensive structure. For everything Maine did so well, they couldn't establish themselves in front of Caron enough, often outmuscled for netfront realty by the bigger BU defenseman.

I hope the Black Bears can keep their chins raised high. They skated with one of the best teams in the country, proving to themselves that they have the ability to go on and beat any team in the country when the stakes are at their highest.

While it's tough to take because of how well Maine played, there is so much more to be proud of.

There should only ever be positives to take away from this one. From the opening puck drop, everywhere you looked, you could only see a wall of Maine blue, white, and navy dominating the landscape.

As if there was ever any question, Maine hockey is truly back on the map, where we always belonged.

For such a young team to play so well in their first opportunity in the bright lights of one of college hockey's biggest stages is a monumental positive for the program. They will take away so much from this experience, maturing massively in the process. Still, with an at-large bid to the big dance next weekend, this experience could provide invaluable knowledge of what it takes to win against opponents on the highest level in a tournament setting.

There is so much to be proud of.

This is only the beginning.

The best is still yet to come.

Black Bear Nation showed why we are undoubtedly college hockey's greatest fans.

Nobody does it quite like Maine.