Weekend Preview Vs UMass

The final regular season weekend welcomes the Minutemen, who march up to Orono hot on the Black Bear's coattails.

It all comes down to this.

After thirty-two regular season games, twenty-two in Hockey East play, the Maine Black Bears are set to square off for their final regular season weekend in a pivotal set with everything still to play for against the Massachusetts Minutemen.

It's been one-hundred-forty-eight days since the Black Bears dropped the puck to open their season against Rensselaer. This season has seen tremendous highs, shadowed by more recent lows. But if you were to tell any of the Alfond Faithful present on that early October night, that the Black Bears would have the opportunity to clinch a quarterfinal playoff game on home ice in their final weekend, most would undoubtedly be foaming at the mouth for the opportunity that presents itself this weekend.

And if you were to tell them that a single win would all but solidify an at-large bid to the National Tournament, most probably wouldn't believe you.

That's how far Maine has come in such a short period of time. That's how quickly they've risen.

So, while the drop in performances and results has been steep in the past month, nobody should forget just how much the Black Bears have shattered the expectations of even the fanbase's most optimistic supporters.

It's still only year three of the Ben Barr project, which looks miles ahead of schedule. Some of this year's freshman sensations were committed to Maine before Barr even came through the door after all. What's going to happen in a few years when the team is entirely made up of Barr recruits? Like Union had in their 2014 National Championship winning side, Providence in 2015, or UMass in 2021.

Paralleling the program's leaps and bounds on the ice, the recently announced forty-five million dollar renovation to Alfond Arena and the adjoining Shawn Walsh Hockey Center showcase the University’s continued commitment to rebuilding the program in all aspects, from top to bottom.

The Black Bears are building something special and lasting.

But while it's natural to get caught up in the malaise of this season's frustrating recent results, it should never be forgotten just how early into the journey we are.

This is only the beginning, not the end.

But while Black Bear Nation shouldn't get overwhelmed by the 'must-win-now' narrative, Maine's players do look as though they are feeling the pressure. After all, for some of them, this is their last chance to compete for college hockey's most prestigious honors.

The pressure they are under, which has ramped up exponentially since their red-hot start took the nation by storm, has all but extinguished the underdog mentality they began the year with out of them. The Black Bears, who started the season with a chip on their shoulder, out to prove the world wrong for underestimating them, are now playing not to lose.

This was noticeably apparent in last weekend's sweep at Vermont. The Catamounts, who were fighting for their lives, played with the same hunger, aggressiveness, and front-footedness that Maine oozed with in the Fall.

Meanwhile, Maine looked to be fighting with themselves. Instead of playing to win, they looked devoid of confidence, scared to lose, playing tentatively, worried about making mistakes, and therefore sitting back on their heels.

Defending what they held rather than attacking the challenge ahead of them, Maine has been their own biggest adversary of late.

However, the Black Bears did escape Burlington with a split, thanks to a mature third-period effort on Saturday, which may give hope that the mentality change needed could already be emerging.

The main difference is that the Black Bears started playing desperate. Carrying this edge over into this weekend will be vital if things are able to start going back in the right direction. If a team can't begin playing desperate now, when can they?

All Maine needs to do to secure their quarterfinal game on Alfond ice is win a single game against UMass this weekend in any fashion. Providence's loss to BU Thursday night means that if the Friars lose to Northeastern on Saturday, Maine wouldn't need any results from the weekend to earn home ice. But of course, heading into the playoffs with at least a bit of wind in their sails will be top priority for Maine.

From a national perspective, the Black Bears are tantalizingly close to guaranteeing a berth in the National Tournament. One more win, whether this weekend or in the playoffs, would probably be enough to secure an automatic bid to the big dance.

The Minutemen, fighting tooth and nail for their own spot in the Hockey East quarterfinals and a bid to the National Tournament, sit directly behind the Black Bears in both Hockey East standings and the Pairwise rankings. Just two points behind Maine in the conference standings, the Minutemen are also only one spot behind the Black Bears in the national rankings. UMass will be marching up to Orono this weekend intent on leapfrogging the Black Bears in both.

With very little splitting the teams in terms of their records, the Minutemen are a mirror image of the Black Bears in the way they play as well. Like Maine, strong and fast, UMass loves to get physical on the forecheck, looking to grind their opponent into submission through relentless pressure.

A Brandon Chabrier goal and an Albin Boija shutout separated the two sides last month in Maine's 1-0 squeaker over the Minutemen in Amherst. In that contest, both teams essentially negated each other's offenses, with both stepping up to block countless shots. UMass did, however, have considerable success when winning their puck battles behind Maine's net, setting themselves up for grade-a chances all alone in the slot. These golden opportunities were mainly missed by the Minutemen, who fired high and wide time and again. The Black Bears cannot expect the UMass sticks to continue this inaccuracy again and must be significantly tighter in their defensive end.

However, the biggest distinction between the two programs is UMass's significant experience, which is head and shoulders greater than Maine's. The Minutemen have been here and done that. They know what it takes to win at this time of the season, while the Black Bears are brand-new to playing meaningful games in March.

UMass not only can draw on its veteran experience to find ways to win late in the season, but it also has the invaluable experience of winning on the road, particularly at the Alfond in high-pressure end-of-year games.

It feels like deja vu from last season, when UMass came to the Alfond during the last week of the season, sweeping the Black Bears and ruining Maine's senior weekend.

But this is a different Maine team that shouldn't roll over quite as easily. They're playing the most significant games in program history in over a decade.

The game plan is simple. Maine needs to want it more than UMass.

If they get frustrated when things don't go their way, they are much more likely to start playing tentatively, afraid of making mistakes, and therefore less on the front foot. Playing this way makes it next to impossible to outwork an opponent, as Maine must refind their ability to play desperate hockey with an underdog mentality. They have to walk the fine line between not trying to force plays that may not be there, but not playing hesitantly and tentatively with the puck.

According to Assistant Coach Alfie Michaud, Maine will look to put the puck in deep and keep it there. During the first and third periods, Maine must get the puck underneath the balcony and utilize their physical presence to get the crowd above them into the game, making life as difficult and uncomfortable as possible for UMass.

The Bears need their sixth man.

Offense will be the Black Bears' best form of defense. The more the puck is kept under the student section, the less time Maine will have to deal with UMass' elite offense, which can break through even the best defensive structures at a moment's notice.

As equally important to Maine's on-ice success, the Alfond Faithful will need to be in full voice this weekend. After going relatively quiet in recent weeks, a return to a pulsating Alfond atmosphere will be crucial in getting the best out of the Black Bears and limiting the Minutemen's ability.

A return to Fortress Alfond is vital. A playoff performance from the Mainiaks could be the difference-maker between the two evenly matched sides.

Remember, before the season began, we would have all given anything for this situation.

The chance to control our own destiny on home ice.

This is what we live for. It doesn't get bigger than this. It doesn't get better than this.

Don't take anything for granted; we are the lucky few.

Loud and proud, let's show our Black Bears how much we appreciate them. It's up to all of us, each and everyone, to maintain positivity and help Maine release the pressure they put on themselves.

Let’s go out and earn our ‘Greatest fans in College Hockey’ name tag.

Leave nothing to regret.

This is the journey of our lives; let's enjoy every minute of it.

For all intents and purposes, the playoffs start now.