Senior defenseman David Breazeale fires the overtime-winning goal against Quinnipiac back in October. (Photo: Anthony DelMonaco - UMaine Athletics)

The Maine Black Bears men’s hockey program that seniors David Breazeale, Nolan Renwick, and graduate student Lynden Breen will leave behind at the end of this season is almost unrecognizable from the program they joined as Freshmen during their first weeks in Orono.

When Breen first arrived on campus as a freshman in 2020, the late Head Coach Red Gendron was still at the helm, coaching the team for his 8th and final season before passing away in the spring of 2021. The team went 3-11-2 during his first season, with Breen skating in all 16 games during the COVID-shortened season, scoring three goals and registering eleven points.

The next season, Head Coach Ben Barr’s first in charge of the Black Bears, Breazeale and Renwick joined the team, both skating in all 33 games that season, putting together more than decent Freshman campaigns. But Maine continued to struggle, finishing dead-last in Hockey East with a dismal 7-22-4 record.

Since then, led by Breen, Breazeale, and Renwick, the Maine hockey program has been completely turned on its head. Surging to its most successful period in over a decade, reached the Hockey East semifinals and appeared in the National Tournament for the first time since 2012, putting together an exemplary .649 winning percentage, the program’s best since 2006.

For Renwick, the experience of struggling through the tumultuous period of his early days in the program has made the team’s recent success all that sweeter.

“You look back on my first year, and we weren’t very good and our record reflected that. We really pulled this program out from a position where nobody thought we were going to do well and nobody thought we were going to win, and now we’re in a position where we are contending for Hockey East championships, and we want to be in that Frozen Four and the National Championship position at the end of the day. I think that it makes it a lot more special, coming from where we were to where we are now, and I think that even adds to the memory of my four years here and how far we’ve taken it,” Renwick said.

The leadership trio joined a team that was in the midst of its most turgid stretch in its proud history and will leave with the program in its healthiest position since the mid-200os.

Barr credits Renwick, Breazeale, and Breen as playing invaluable roles in putting Maine hockey back on the map.

“Without those guys I don’t think anything changes here in these last couple of years,” Barr said.

Meanwhile, Renwick, Breazeale, and Breen credit Barr’s vision and each other as being the critical recipe for the program’s night and day turnaround.

“As a Freshman coming in, you really didn’t know what to expect, and you get there early on and things aren’t going well, you’re not winning games, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But I really credit Coach Barr with that; he had his vision, he always told us this is what it’s going to take to get to where we want to be, and he pushed us, pushed us, pushed us, and we slowly started to see ‘okay we can do this.’ And look at where we are now. It’s been a dream come true,” Renwick said.

Where would Maine hockey be without Breen, Renwick, and Breazeale?

Certainly not knocking on the doorstep of the program’s second-straight NCAA tournament appearance for the first time since 2007. And definitely not one win away from securing back-to-back 20-win campaigns for the first time since 2007 as well.

All roads lead to Orono

All three’s journeys to Maine could not have been more varied and unique.

Nolan Renwick is a small-town farm boy who grew up on a 12,000-acre grain farm run by his parents in the endlessly flat prairies of southern Saskatchewan. When he committed to the Black Bears, many in his hometown knew next to nothing about the state he would soon call home.

“A lot of people knew Paul Kariya, that was probably about it,” Renwick said.

Renwick was heavily scouted by current Black Bears’ Assistant Coach Alfie Michaud when he was playing for the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Renwick explained that he was a late bloomer during his time playing junior-A and was not ready to make the leap to the major-junior level and the Canadian Hockey League as a late teenager. Instead, he decided to go the college route after being approached by Michaud.

“Small town Saskatchewan kid, I’ve got to credit Coach Alfie. He made a lot of trips to Western Canada because he is a Western Canadian boy from Manitoba. He always believed in the Western Canadian kids. He came out there and found me. I was kind of a late bloomer. I probably wasn’t ready to play CHL at like 17, 18, 19 years old, so college seemed like the best route. And Alfie was like, ‘hey, come to Maine, ‘and I was like, ‘I really have no idea where Maine is.’ But I’m so happy with the decision I made, and it’s really worked out,” Renwick explained.

Nolan Renwick celebrates a goal while playing for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL. (Photo: Alyssa Goelzer - The Forum)

After committing to the Black Bears, Renwick would play two seasons in the top American junior hockey league, the United States Hockey League (USHL), for the Omaha Lancers in preparation for a future in collegiate hockey. In his second season for the Lancers, Renwick had a tremendous campaign where he tallied 22 goals and registered 41 points in 53 games. On top of that, he was voted the recipient of the E.H. Motto McLean Leadership Award, which is given to the Lancer, who best exemplifies dedication and leadership to his team, club, and community both on and off the ice.

Lynden Breen, a fellow Canadian but from just up the road, hailing from outside Saint John, New Brunswick, also knew very little about college hockey when he committed to playing at UMaine.  He credits Orono’s geographic proximity to home as being key to that decision, in addition to the experience of playing for many years in the United States, where going down the collegiate route is much more mainstream.

“I probably couldn’t have named three schools, to be honest with you, since I was so young. Obviously, to play prep school, college was just the route to go and the dream for so many people around me, the people I surrounded myself with, my teammates, and all that, and so on and so forth. The more I learned about college hockey, the more fortunate I was to know I was coming to such a strong program and obviously, it’s a path that I definitely don’t take for granted or regret one bit,” Breen said.

Breen first moved south of the border at age 15, heading off to New Hampshire to play at the New Hampton School. In 2017, Breen decided not to sign for his hometown CHL Saint John Sea Dogs which would have deemed Breen ineligible to play collegiately, instead choosing to commit to UMaine. After two seasons in prep school, Breen played two years in the USHL, first for the Central Illinois Flying Aces for a season before the team folded and Breen moved on to another USHL franchise, the Fargo Force. During his lone season at Fargo, Breen registered 18 goals and 30 assists in 45 games, being named the Force’s MVP.

Lynden Breen playing for the Fargo Force of the USHL. (Photo: Hickling Images)

While Renwick and Breen committed to Maine many years before first arriving on campus their freshman years, David Breazeale’s journey to Orono could not be more different.

A native of Grandville, Michigan, a small city on the western side of the state, Breazeale played public school hockey for the Grandville High School Bulldogs throughout his senior year. The team was coached by his father, Joel, who is still the Head Coach of the Bulldogs.

After graduating from Grandville High, Breazeale traveled south to Louisiana, joining the Shreveport Mudbugs of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), the second-tier American junior league where he played for three seasons. Although Breazeale captained the Mudbugs for two seasons, leading Shreveport to the  2021 Robertson Cup championship in his final season, he didn’t have many Division One programs offering him a place on their rosters.

That is until current Maine Assistant Coach Jason Fortier called Breazeale, who was on his way home after the season from Louisiana to Michigan. Fortier, the Head Coach of another NAHL side, the Odessa Jackalopes, had just been hired by Barr just weeks after he took the Maine head coaching gig. Fortier was impressed by Breazeale’s high character and leadership skills, believing that he would be a good fit for the culture that Barr was trying to build at Maine.

David Breazeale was a two-year captain for the Shreveport Mudbugs of the NAHL. (Photo: Candace Bryan)

“I’d been a captain two years in Shreveport, and a big thing that [Barr] wanted to do up here was to change the culture, and I think for them, they saw me as a person that could come in, be a positive influence on this program and on this place and hopefully contribute on the ice and fortunately I was able to come in and do that. So it was definitely a last-minute thing, it’s a pretty crazy story,” Breazeale said. “Fortunately Coach Fortier believed in me, and Coach Barr believed in me and gave me enough of an opportunity to come in here, and it’s been an absolutely amazing four years.”

Breazeale joined the Black Bears for Barr’s first season as a walk-on but quickly earned himself a scholarship through his impressive play on the ice and off of it as a reliable asset to the dressing room’s culture.

Culture changers

In order for Barr to succeed in turning around the Black Bears on the ice, he understood the critical necessity of changing Maine’s culture off of it. Barr learned about the importance of a healthy dressing room culture during his time as an assistant at UMass, where he helped transform the Minutemen from a 5-22-9 team in 2017 to National Champions just four years later.

“That experience really taught me the importance of having the Davids and the Lyndens and the Nolans; those are the guys that lead that. As much as we want to think that we affect everything and we’re the best coaches on the planet and all that kind of stuff, that’s now how it works, in college at least. It works with the culture that you build, your culture is only as good as the players you have in that room,” Barr explained.

The culture that Barr, through Renwick, Breen, and Breazeale, has created is an ethic of endlessly hard work, a relentless, never-say-die attitude, tight-knit togetherness, and a never-ending striving for daily improvement on and off the ice. For Barr, this trio’s impact off the ice has been heads and shoulders more important than their standout play on it.

“They are good hockey players, no question, but they’ve turned themselves into good hockey players. It’s not like they were just giving all the talent in the world, so that’s contagious to everybody else, and it’s contagious to the coaches. You know you’re always in the game when those guys are your leaders because they are going to bring everybody else with them, and that’s what they’ve done,” Barr said.

Breener

The heart and soul of this Maine team, Breen’s five-year Black Bear career started out with a bang, scoring a goal in his first-ever game at UNH.

He hasn’t looked back.

A silkily skilled offensive player and equally as effective on the defensive side of the puck, Breen’s tremendous two-way play and knack for scoring clutch goals has turned him into a fan favorite.

Currently, with 47 goals and 111 points, the second-year co-captain was one of the first players Barr spoke to after being hired as Head Coach and was an integral piece in the smooth transition for Barr’s coaching staff.

Lynden Breen celebrates a goal scored against UNH earlier this season. (Photo: UMaine Athletics)

“I think he was one of the first players that I spoke to when I got the job because I was hoping he wasn’t going to leave. In our world, when a coaching staff change happens, the team is struggling, and you’re a pretty good player, you have options to go other places, especially in the portal world because you don’t have to sit out anymore, so I remember speaking to him and introducing myself to him, and I don’t think [leaving] had ever crossed his mind, and 99 out of 100 kids in today’s world that would have been like ‘okay I’m going to see what’s out there,’ and rightly so. He’s Maine hockey through and through, and he’s a huge piece of everything we do here,” Barr said.

Eligible for a fifth season because of his COVID-shortened freshman campaign, Breen got off to a slow final season this year but caught fire late in November, scoring four goals in two games, including his first collegiate hat-trick on November 30th at RPI. But minutes after securing the hat-trick, Breen went down with a broken fibula. When Breen was writhing on the ice in Troy, New York, the possibility of his return to the ice this season looked bleak, and the future of his career suddenly seemed unknown.  His remarkable recovery and return to play just 83 days after a broken leg, rejoining the lineup last Friday at UConn, is an inspirational story and perfectly sums Breen up in a nutshell: a never-ending workhorse who doesn’t understand the meaning of quitting.

“I don’t know if any of us ever thought after that injury happened that he’d be there. I was talking to David Breazeale before practice today…I think it changed him as a person going through that. Watching him, just how hard he worked. Not that he didn’t work hard before, but there’s a different level of work ethic that it takes to get back from a broken leg and surgery,” Barr said on the Black Bear Coaches Show. “I think he found a whole new level of commitment. It would have been very easy as a fifth-year player, last year to feel sorry for yourself and go, that’s a really bad break, and nobody would have held that against him. And he did the opposite; he came in, he was at the rink basically all day, every day, to do everything he could so that when he was able to go back onto the ice, he was as ready as he could be. It’s pretty incredible that he was out there.”

More of a lead-by-example type of captain, Breen’s never-ending, energizer-bunny battery and easy-going nature help keep the team focused and switched on even through the grind of the long season.

“Breener is a pure energy guy,” Renwick said. “He’s one of those guys that seems like he never gets tired, never doesn’t have energy. I think that’s a big part, especially when you get into the depth of the season with playoffs, last weeks of the regular season, it can get to be a grind, it can be long. He’s one of those guys that always has a smile on his face always brings energy with him. He’s always there to crack a joke and get the boys laughing, so I think that’s one of his best traits as a leader. Especially in practice, this guy’s got a motor that never quits, and his compete level is always there and it inspires other guys to want to do the same.”

Breen, who has made countless memories that he will cherish forever both on and off the ice from his time at Maine, believes the best is yet to come.

“I don’t think the best moment has happened yet,” Breen said. “We still have a great memory to build on and to work towards, so I hope that the best memory I get is coming up soon.”

Renny

Renwick’s the type of player who has the opposition looking over their shoulder whenever he’s on the ice.

“I remember at UMass playing against him. You just have to watch out when he’s on the ice because he’s a big body, and he can throw it at you.  My last year at UMass, he made a play or something, and I remember skating by him and saying something nice to him, like, ‘wow, that was a nice play,’ and then here we are, and I’m playing with him now, which is kind of funny,” Renwick’s linemate Taylor Makar said.

Marred by an ankle injury for much of his junior year, Renwick’s effectiveness this season has been one of the biggest reasons for Maine’s improvement, building on last year’s successes.

Nolan Renwick came out of the gates for his senior season strong, scoring two goals in the season openor against AIC. (Photo: Anthony DelMonaco - UMaine Atheltics)

Renwick’s senior campaign has been his best as a Black Bear. His chemistry with other veteran linemates, Makar and Ross Mitton, has turned that line into one of the most consistent producers all season. Playing in all roles, Renwick’s physically imposing two-way play has him excelling at five-on-five, penalty killing, and on the power play as well. Tied for a team-leading plus-minus of +20 alongside Makar, Renwick’s diligent defensive play and significant improvement in his offensive game this season has made him one of the most important players on this Maine team.

But according to Barr, Renwick’s biggest leap forward has been in his leadership.

“He’s a guy that everybody loves, but I think that this year especially, he’s really taken a step as a leader, and his play has been fantastic, but he’s also helped everyone else out too, and that’s not always easy to do. I think last year at times that was tough, he had injuries, but this year he’s been exemplary in every area,” Barr said.

Breazeale has lived with Renwick since their freshman year in the dorms and recalls with appreciation how Renwick helped him adapt to the college game during that first season. More broadly, he credits Renwick’s professional routine off the ice with having a lasting effect on how he himself now goes about his business.

“Renny had been committed here for a while, so he kind of knew what he was getting himself into and I was able to kind of follow along with him and with his journey. One of the biggest things for me spending time with Renny the past four years is his process off the ice. He’s such a pro, taking care of his body, eating the right way, sleeping. And I think that that’s something that helped me really elevate my game, being able to follow in his footsteps with that and learn from him. That made such a big difference for me, especially that freshman year, making big strides in my game, and that’s a testament to him as well as the person he is,” Breazeale said.

Breazeale also notes that Renwick is the glue of the dressing room, a huge part of bringing the team together and making sure everyone is on the same page.

“He’s contributed so much to this program, he lives and breathes it every single day. This is his passion. He loves this school, this team, and he’s been such a huge part for us as a leader as well. The guys love him, he’s the guy on the team that’s going to make sure we’re all getting together and make sure that everybody is getting to know each other, stuff like that. He’s just such a crucial piece to our success here, We’re so fortunate to have him, it’s been awesome for me to be able to go through these four years with him,” Breazeale said.

For Renwick, the memory that will stick with him the most from his time in Maine is hearing the ‘Let’s Go Black Bears’ chant cascading down onto the ice as the teams line up before every game.

“I’ve played over 50 home games probably, and still, I get chills every time that happens. It’s just the energy and the passion that the fans bring. That will never leave me,” Renwick said.

Renwick hopes to continue his hockey career into the professional ranks but also wouldn’t mind taking over the family farm once he decides to hang up the skates for good.

“My dad always tells me that the farm isn’t going anywhere, so I want to play hockey for as long as I can. It’s what I love to do, and it’d be pretty special to have a professional hockey career, so that’s what I’m working towards, but once that’s all over and once I can’t skate anymore, then maybe I’ll head to the farm,” Renwick said.

Breaze

And then there’s David Breazeale.

There’s a running joke among the Black Bears’ dressing room that Breazeale is the perfect human, and it’s hard not to argue with that. As kind and warm a person and as charismatic and inspirational a leader as you will ever find, there’s no question as to why he has named an Alternate Captain as just a sophomore and has worn the Captain’s ‘C’ for the past two seasons.

Breazeale is the kind of person who would probably excel at anything and everything he decided to do in life due solely to the infectious positive energy he brings day in and day out.

“Just to see the attitude and energy he brings every day to the rink, the positive charisma, and polite and kind to other people, he just pushes other people to be better. He’s been an inspiration not only for me but for our whole team, and I'm very fortunate that he decided to be a Black Bear,” Renwick said.

“He’s the most detailed, humble, hardworking guy that there is, that you can yourself around. For him, he’s driven this program to so much success, and through the trenches, he was here through it all. With our new coaching staff, he made it so easy for them, just with his leadership skills, he’s just a natural leader that does everything right. It’s cliche to say that, but he’s definitely someone we all look up to and I look up to as a captain and learn from everyday. He deserves everything he’s gotten and everything he’ll continue to get in the future,” Breen added.

Barr summed up Breazeale best when he said this:

“I have three little kids, and I hope that someday if I could pick one person that they grow up to be like, I’d pick him. He keeps all of us happy, he keeps all of us sane, and that’s not the easiest thing to do, but that’s just his presence, he is something pretty special.”

And that’s only Breazeale, the person.

Breazeale, the hockey player, is exemplary as well, having turned himself from a last-minute walk-on into one of the best defensive defensemen in Hockey East. But Breazeale isn’t just a defensive-minded blueliner, he has a knack for scoring some massive goals as well.

Call him Captain Clutch.

His first-ever goal for Maine was an overtime winner over Merrimack during his freshman season to seal a 6-5 thriller that gave Barr his first-ever win as Maine’s Head Coach. Four years later, by that same tally and at the same end of the ice, Breazeale scored in overtime to cap off a memorable barn-burning comeback against Quinnipiac. Then, a couple of months later, it was Breazeale’s game-winning goal that sent the Alfond into delirium during an incredible win over Denver. Barr credits Breazeale’s mental toughness for his ability to step up in the game’s biggest moments when his team needs him the most.

“He can just will himself to do things because he is so mentally strong. He just seems to find a way to come through in those big moments, which is awesome. That’s leadership, it’s also a kid that works on all those things, not on the ice, but in behind-the-scenes stuff. He visualizes those things; he imagines those things in his mind, so when he has a chance to do it, it’s there. It’s not like we look at him to provide a ton of offense for us, but as a leader, he just seems like the kind of guy you want on the ice in tough moments,” Barr said earlier this season.

Harrison Scott celebrates David Breazeale’s game-winning goal over Denver. (Photo: Patience Hanley - UMaine Athletics)

The place and the people

While their journeys to Orono and their Black Bear careers are as varied and unique as their individual backgrounds, all three of Maine’s longtime fan-favorites have forged connections to the University of Maine, the greater Bangor area, the entire State of Maine, and the wider-Black Bear Nation fanbase that will forever leave their mark.

They will never be forgotten by the people in these parts that they have touched, both on and off the ice.

And for these three Black Bears,  this place and these people that they will forever be in their hearts. 

For me, the friendships and the time and experiences I’ve built with my teammates have been special. And to be able to be in a position now where this all matters so much more at the end of the year, I’m super fortunate,” Breen said.  It’s special; we’re fortunate to have been on the journey together, and we’re really just trying to walk it off with a banger.”

“It’s been a really special four years, and I think a big part of that is the people around you, a lot of people say it’s not always the place it’s the people that make it special, and I think Maine is one of those cases where we’ve been blessed with a great fanbase, great teammates, great coaching staff, and that’s just made it all the more special so we’re pretty lucky,” Renwick said.

“I’ll be telling people about this my entire life. This has been four of the best years of my life, and I’m looking forward to the last few months here. I’ll be excited to share these moments with my kids eventually one day and everybody that I meet back home,” Breazale said. “This place is so special, whether you’re winning or losing games, they’re going to love you no matter what, they want the best for you. Not a lot of places can say that. It’s a testament to this community, this school, and this entire state. We’re so blessed, so fortunate to have that support; I’m so grateful for the people that have made these four years so special for me.

Breaze, Renny, and Breener will be names forever etched in the storied legacy of Maine Black Bears hockey.

Once a Black Bear, always a Black Bear.