And exhale.

It wasn't pretty nor particularly inspiring, but it was precisely the result the Black Bears desperately needed.

Talk about bearing down.

Maine could not afford to lose Saturday night, doing just enough to scratch and claw their way over the finish line, grinding out a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday evening.

Gutting it out at Gutterson Fieldhouse.

After Friday's loss, the Black Bears were in serious danger of losing their grip on a first-round Hockey East playoff bye and a quarterfinal game on home ice. Another loss would be the Black Bears' seventh in ten games and their second three-game losing skid in the past few weeks alone, possibly putting Maine in severe danger of losing all its self-confidence and belief heading into the playoffs.

To classify Saturday night as a must-win game would be a severe understatement.

For Maine to avoid a demoralizing sweep at the hands of the Vermont Catamounts, the Black Bears would need to carry their strong third-period play from Friday into their Saturday showdown. After a herky-jerky first two periods on Friday, Maine was finally able to start firing on all cylinders in a dominant third period that saw them attack the Vermont net with as much ferocity and vigor as seen this season.

The noticeable difference between the first two-thirds of the game and the final frame? Maine played with an all-out desperation that has been sorely missing in the past month. As every game continues to swell in importance as the regular season grows to a close, the Black Bears must play with the overwhelming edge and aggressiveness that only a team playing desperate can summon.

Most every other program has been fighting for its lives for weeks now. With the Black Bears slipping and sliding down the national rankings and conference standings, sparking this frenzied edge into their play will be pivotal in their hopes of re-finding the same electricity in their game from earlier in the season and matching the opposition's determination and energy.

It's now or never.

Head Coach Ben Barr, needing a response from his team, shook up his lines, hoping to spark a complete sixty minutes worth of urgency into Maine. Harrison Scott's line with wingers Thomas Freel and Donovan Houle was the only forward line to remain unchanged from Friday. The trio has been carrying the Black Bears on their shoulders in recent weeks, utilizing their blistering speed and battering physicality to excel in the dirty areas of the ice. As the season grows later and opposition sides grow more structurally astute, the willingness and sheer tenacity to succeed in these areas become more crucial and game-changing.

The ever-energetic and bravery the line encompasses is the brand of hockey Barr's Black Bears look to utilize. This style got Maine here in the first place and is one that everything relies upon. Scott, Houle, and Freel set the example for the rest of Maine's changed forward lines to try and follow suit.

These shake-ups included Lynden Breen being placed between Ben Poisson and Sully Scholle; it was the first time we'd seen this trio all season. While most notably, hoping to get the Nadeau brothers going, Barr put Nolan Renwick in between Bradly and Josh, hoping that Renwick's hard-nosed play could free up space for the brothers to utilize. Meanwhile, Parker Lindauer's and Nicholas Niemo's impressive showing Friday night earned themselves another opportunity in the lineup. Lindauer was moved to center, allowing Niemo and Calafiore — who recently have been battling for the same spot in the lineup — to play together on the wings, while center Cole Hanson was Maine's extra skater.

An overhaul of the forward lines not only looks to shake some of the Black Bears' most important players out of their recent rut but also hopes to spread out the talent. For Maine to be successful, they cannot rely on the same few players to provide the scoring touch, as they have grown quiet recently.

Giving each line a more balanced approach relieves the pressure on Maine's young, skilled players to provide the entirety of the team's offensive production. It also spreads the wealth by preventing the opposition from focusing their attention on shutting down one particular line or group of players.

On the backend, the same defenseman was reinserted back into the lineup, as was goaltender Albin Boija, who was called upon for his fourth consecutive start in net.

Looking to take Friday's third-period domination with them into Saturday's start, the Black Bears would need to play with this same desperation and urgency, but this time for a complete sixty minutes on Saturday. The Catamounts, who were hosting their final regular season game at Gutterson Fieldhouse and, therefore, Senior Night, were expected to play with an increased energy and desperation of their own. Not only would a sweep over the Black Bears be UVM's most prolific event of the season, but a victory would keep their hopes of earning home ice in the first round of the playoffs alive. The Catamounts were determined to ensure this was not the last game of the year at the Gut.

Although this was a must-win game for Maine, the Black Bears could not play with any fear. Although the pressure on Maine's players increased with every passing week during the losing skid, Barr implored Maine to try and get back to playing with the same underdog mentality they had opened their campaign with.

A major aspect of this mentality that helped Maine succeed during the first two-thirds of the season was their ability to play fearless. In recent weeks, the Black Bears have looked as though they are feeling the pressure of now playing with something to lose by possibly throwing away their fantastic start to their season, causing them to lose their first-round playoff bye and even their National Tournament invitation if things couldn't turn around in a hurry. Playing with fear has caused tentativeness among the Black Bear ranks, causing Maine to look out of sync and slow. But Barr hoped that returning to this underdog mentality where nothing is deserved, and everything has to be earned on the ice could break through the mental block standing in Maine's way.

The contest started scrappy and physical. Donovan Houle set the tone seconds in with a big hit, plastering a Catamount loudly into the glass. Maine pounced on the Catamounts early, utilizing their forecheck to great extent. The success of the Black Bears' forecheck is vitally important for the rest of their game. Everything stems from it. When it is buzzing, it not only keeps the puck as far away from Maine's net as possible but is the platform for creating their best looks on net.

In recent weeks, Maine's offense has significantly stagnated in terms of their attacking prowess off the rush, especially away from the Alfond. After picking sides apart with their skill and speed in open ice earlier in the year, opposition teams have countered with great success by clogging the center of the ice, not allowing cross-ice seam passes to make their way through the forest of sticks and bodies. With this option no longer available, Maine has been forced to slow down on their rush chances, often circling back and setting up on the cycle after not being able to drive to the net with speed. This clogged space forces Maine to work the puck around the zone, where they have looked incohesive and predictable, struggling to move the puck quickly enough to open up shooting and passing lanes.

By far, Maine's best offensive chances come from when they don't have the puck. Through dumping it in deep and chasing down the opposition puck handlers in a pack, Maine's hounding forecheck puts the opposition under tremendous pressure. The hounding forecheck system looks to cause chaos amongst the opposition ranks by forcing errors or outright winning the one-on-one battles as part of the forecheck trap. By squeezing the opponents of the puck in their own zone, it instantly creates holes in their defensive structure, allowing Maine to turn forechecking defense into offense instantly, digging the puck out of the corner before darting directly towards the net where fellow crashing Black Bears converge.

In the period's opening minutes, all of Maine's forward lines saw considerable success at creating offense through their forecheck. Freel, Scott, and Houle used their explosiveness and endless energy to grind Catamounts off the puck. Meanwhile, the newly arranged Poisson, Breen, and Scholle line utilized Poisson's big body and ability to shield the puck, along with Breen's skill and strength in tight areas to roll off checks to free up the offensive-minded Scholle to receive the puck in dangerous areas.

This more balanced approach in personnel provides each line with less identical playstyles and more complimentary pieces in their arsenal. This was notably the case with Renwick's line centering on the Nadeau brothers. Sometimes, when Brad and Josh are centered by equally skilled Breen, the line looks like it lacks a pure puck-winning warrior who can use his physicality and persistence to force the opposition off the puck.

With Bradly and Josh being super-skilled with the puck on their tape, Maine desperately wants the puck in their possession as much as possible whenever they are on the ice. However, opposing teams have succeeded in keeping away from the Nadeaus, who, although diligent and dogged on the backcheck, don't possess the size to grind down the opposition on the forecheck and win the puck back in dangerous areas. But the big-bodied Nolan Renwick had success in utilizing his strength to tie up a Catamount puck-carrier, allowing Brad and Josh the ability to swoop in as the second forecheckers and take the puck back as Renwick wrestled with the Catamount puck-handler.

This buzzing forecheck allowed the Black Bears to win the puck over deep into UVM territory plenty of times in the opening minutes. But almost every time Maine looked to establish their cycle game and work the puck around the Vermont zone to meticulously open up holes in the Catamounts' structure, silly little puck mistakes haunted the Black Bears, who had trouble controlling the play in Vermont's end after working so hard to get it there.

Vermont, pouncing on these puck mistakes, had a couple of grade-a looks on Boija's net through rapid transition play, which saw the Catamounts outskate the Black Bears through the neutral zone. One of these rush chances led to a UVM shot ringing off iron, sending a warning sign to Maine's bench that a vast improvement in taking care of the puck would be vital.

But it was Maine's fourth line that broke through for the Black Bears. Parker Lindauer, by the boards at the point, refused to give up the puck, stubbornly holding off a Catamount pursuer, shielding the puck, breaking free, and driving towards the half-boards looking to throw the puck into center-ice. Nicholas Niemo, watching Lindauer hold off the Catamounts, darted from the blue line into the slot where Lindauer's inch-perfect pass found the tape of the Vermont native. Niemo, who had played at the Gutterson Fieldhouse plenty of times in his youth, faked the shot on his forehand, deking to his backhand and sending UVM netminder Gabe Carriere sliding the wrong way. From in-tight, Niemo's backhand shot clanked off the inside of the post but ricocheted back at an angle, which was knocked over the goalline by the sprawling Carriere.

With plenty of hometown support in the stands, it was great to see Niemo rewarded for his terrific late play, cementing his place back in the lineup after spending most of 2024 watching on as a healthy scratch. Equally gratifying was the assist-maker, Lindauer, who has also spent much of the season out of the lineup. The Wisconsonite's hard work and strength on his stick was witness for all to see Friday night, as the sophomore was staunchly unwavering in keeping possession of the puck under enormous pursuing pressure before having the poise to pick the perfect pass, setting up the game's opening goal with his apple.

But the Black Bears would squander their lead a few minutes later when the Catamounts broke up the ice with speed. None of Maine's players could get a stick or a body on the UVM puck carriers to slow them down, who could slice through the neutral zone and gain Maine's zone with great speed. The play developed behind the net, where a centering pass from a wraparound caught the Black Bears flat-footed, leaving a Catamount uncontested in front of Boija to even up the contest with five minutes left to go in the first.

The game's opening two goals highlighted Maine's most glaring weaknesses. The Black Bears were simply not strong enough on their sticks.

For UVM's goal, not a single Black Bear could get a body or a stick on the Catamount puck carriers, who all too easily could dance their way through center ice without enough inconvenience. Meanwhile, Maine's goal showcased one of the few times the Black Bears were strong with the puck and how much success stemmed from a Maine puck-handler being tenacious with the puck in the offensive zone, not allowing it to be knocked away on first impact.

The rest of the first period remained scoreless but with the Catamounts in the driver's seat. Maine looked shaky at the back, allowing UVM great success in piercing their way through center ice too easily, using this head of steam built to speed past the Black Bear defenders, creating numerous golden scoring opportunities on Boija.

Maine needed to be much more stubborn in the neutral zone. They allowed Vermont to gain the game's momentum through sheer speed that went too often uncontested. The Black Bears were on the back foot, as the Catamounts had the extra step on them.

This trend continued into the second period as the Black Bears wore down a path to the sin-bin, usually through penalties that suggested Maine was reaching, unable to keep up with Vermont's speed through the neutral zone with penalties such as tripping, hooking, and slashing. In total Maine committed five penalties in the second period, including putting themselves against a five-on-three for about a minute.

But during the first penalty kill, it was the Black Bears, not the Catamounts, who lit the lamp. Coming out from behind his own net, David Breazeale sent the puck high off the glass, where it bounced to center ice. Reading the play all the way, Thomas Freel was the first to the loose puck, picking it up at Vermont's blueline and changing towards UVM's goal with Harrison Scott alongside him on a shorthanded two-on-one. Now at the left face-off circle, Freel dished the puck over to Scott, who was bearing down on goal at the right dot. Scott made no mistake in rocketing in the puck with a vicious one-timer that silenced the Gut and handed Maine a wave of momentum that only a shorthanded goal can muster.

But they would lose their momentum as quickly as they earned it. Penalty after penalty was called against Maine, which put enormous pressure on Boija to keep the shorthanded Black Bears in the lead as his net was under siege for most of the second period.

Not only did Maine's lack of discipline make life frantic for their netminder, but it kept the same Black Bears on the ice for much of the second period. The PK units were called on over and over again to bail out their team, leaving the killers worn out and run ragged after being forced on the ice for so many minutes, blocking shots, and utilizing every ounce of energy they could find to keep the puck out of their net.

The Black Bears would bend but not break through much of the second period man-disadvantages as the Catamounts peppered Boija with dangerous shots that looked increasingly threatening as the minutes ticked by and Maine's legs grew tired.

All of Maine's penalty killers were great, but particularly impressive was David Breazeale. The co-captain's leadership was on display as the junior from Michigan time and again coolly and calmly revocred control of the puck behind Maine's net, before having the poise and vision to find a gap in the Catamounts' forecheck, sending the puck down the length of the ice, allowing the pressure to momentarily ease off his goaltender and allow the Black Bears to get fresh-legs onto the ice.

But Maine's fourth penalty committed in just under eight minutes was the one to break the camel's back. Midway through the period, with Vermont again on the powerplay, a centering pass from the corner found its way onto the stick of Timofei Spitserov in the slot. The Muscovite sniped a blistering shot through Boija, tying the game all square at two.

While Maine's penalty kill was largely successful in only allowing one goal while playing half the period shorthanded, being forced to defend for such a prolonged period of time kept the Black Bears entirely on the back foot for the entire frame. Maine could only manage four shots on goal during the second period, allowing the Catamounts to grow in confidence and take control of the game's momentum.

With the puck set to drop on Maine's most important period of the season, a mature performance under the bubbling pressure would be vital for the Black Bears to come away with a crucial victory.

Maine's true colors were about to be revealed.

And did they ever pass with flying colors? It was one of Maine's most controlled periods of play all season.

While UVM started the frame on top through their superior neutral zone play, Maine was able to absorb the early pressure and slowly turn the tide in their direction. The Black Bears began to pepper shots on Vermont's net, but while the chances were not significantly dangerous, they slowly put the Catamounts on their heels.

The Black Bears were given a power play but couldn't capitalize on the man advantage as UVM's collapsed defensive structure stopped Maine's powerplay in its tracks. The Black Bears couldn't cycle the puck quickly enough to get the Catamounts PK out of position as Vermont was allowed the time to recover positioning with every Black Bear hesitation.

But just as Vermont halted the Black Bears, the Catamounts committed another penalty, putting Maine right back on the powerplay. After the Black Bears' young and inexperienced scorers struggled to find their offensive rhythm, it was Maine's veteran leadership that dragged the Black Bears into the lead. Fourth-year teammates Breen and Poisson linked up to score perhaps the Black Bears' most important goal of the season. With Breen on the puck at the perimeter of the right face-off circle, the New Brunswick native patiently surveyed his options. Catching his eye was graduate student Ben Poisson, who parked himself directly in front of Vermont's net. Breen slung the puck towards Poisson, who outmuscled the UVM defenseman, lifting the Catamounts' stick off the ice before getting his own blade down in time to redirect the pass under Carriere's blocker. While it won't make any highlight reels, Poisson's thirtieth career Black Bear goal in his one-hundred-fiftieth collegiate game was perhaps his most important.

With Poisson's goal coming midway through the third period, there was still plenty of time for the Catamounts to roar back. But the Black Bears layed down the hammer, not only tightening up their defensive game, but utilizing the offense is the best defense approach by continuing to play in UVM's end, refusing to take their foot off the pedal.

After Friday's terrific third period, the Black Bears matched their effort with an equally dominant final frame display on Saturday. The Black Bears were all over the Catamounts, penned them back in their own end for most of the final minutes. It was a mature finish from the Black Bears, who chose to shield the puck deep in Vermont territory, keeping it up against the boards and allowing the clock to trickle down without too much Catamount fight-back.

Maine dug deep and bore down when they needed to the most.

The final horn sounded to the cheer of the traveling Alfond Faithful. But while the blue-clad supporters were joyous in their celebrations, the Black Bears on the ice were not equally enthusiastic. Clearly, as relieved as they were exhausted, the Black Bears came away from Burlington, taking care of business by grinding out a gutsy win at the Gut.

But it's only the first step for Maine to get their train back on track just in time for the playoffs. While the result is the only thing that matters, the Black Bears were only able to turn it up a notch in the third period for the second night in a row. Maine now needs to take the next leap, putting together complete sixty-minute performances while playing with the same spark and desperation we saw in this weekend's third periods.

That urgency needs to be there from the opening puck drop.

But who cares about the performance right now? Maine got the job they needed done; that's all that matters right now.

A massive three points in the Hockey East standings puts them in control of their destiny heading into the final regular season weekend, with everything still to play for.

The Black Bears were Gutsy and resolute, showing they wouldn't flinch when things got hard.

Winning is the only thing that matters at this time of the year. The Black Bears can beat anybody, but they can also lose to anyone.

We are in for a roller coaster end to the season.

Would we want it any other way?