Graduate student Ross Mitton is all smiles, celebrating his goal 17 seconds into a 6-0 win over Merrimack with senior Taylor Makar, who assisted on the play. (Photo: Anthony DelMonaco - UMaine Athletics)

Maine hockey and collegiate athletics itself, are poised on the edge of a transformation driven by a set of radically changed policies, but the exact shape of that transformation has yet to be fully revealed. The effects of Canadian Hockey League players being eligible for NCAA hockey for the first time next season are not yet clear. Likewise, NIL compensation deals (name, image, likeness) that were newly legal beginning in the summer of 2021 have yet to show their full effect, 

While the impact of these two changes are still unfurling, new rules surrounding the transfer portal, which began in the Spring of 2021 and, allow players to enter the portal and immediately join another team during a multi-week period in April without having to sit out for a season, have already dramatically influenced every college hockey program in the country.

Maine is no exception. It has not only adapted to the changing transfer world but has also been able to utilize that new dimension for the betterment of not only its program but also the advancement of its incoming transfers' overarching careers.

The opportunity afforded by the transfer portal has been paramount for the careers of Black Bear seniors Harrison Scott and Taylor Makar, as well as graduate student Ross Mitton, to become key catalysts to this season’s successes.

For all three transferred Black Bears in their final seasons of college eligibility, Maine has done wonders for their career while they have been key figures in the program’s rise, both on and off the ice.

A special place attracts special people

The unparalleled gameday atmosphere that only Alfond Arena can produce is by far Maine’s biggest leg-up when compared to other programs. The fanatic fanbase and committed community that Black Bear Nation provides is Maine’s ultimate equalizer and competitive advantage when stacked up against bigger schools and their deeper pockets. 

For the likes of Ross Mitton and Taylor Makar, both of whom transferred to Maine this past offseason, competing as opponents in the Alfond’s cauldron as visitors last season played a significant role in their decision to call Orono home for their final year of collegiate eligibility.

“In our world now, speaking to those players when they got here this summer and speaking to them when the transfer portal opened, every single one of them, that’s what they talked about. Like, ‘when we played up here, that was incredible, as soon as we left, I want to play there.’ And now we live in a world where that’s possible, so that aspect for us, that’s our best sell,” Head Coach Ben Barr explained before the season began. “The one thing that can make us stand out amongst our peers is that gameday experience at the Alfond.”

Mitton got his first taste of the Alfond last season when his then-team Colgate Raiders made the trip to Orono in early January. With the game taking place over Winter Break and students not on campus, Mitton was expecting to play in front of a sparse crowd. Instead, Mitton was met with a packed barn on back-to-back nights, including a Saturday evening sell-out.

“It was over Christmas break, a lot of snow and everything. One of my good friends, Brandon Chabrier, from my hometown, was telling me that there’s not going to be any fans there, and it turned out it was a sold-out game, so that was a pretty special moment and a pretty cool experience for sure. I’d say that was definitely a pretty big part of my decision as well,” Mitton recalled.

With four years in the ECAC, Mitton had his fair share of experiences playing in explosive environments such as at Colgate’s geographic rival, the Cornell Big Red’s fearsome Lynah Rink, but explained that the Alfond stands out among the rest.

“I played at a few different places in the ECAC that get a lot of fans, but there’s nothing like the Alfond. It’s sold out every night, it’s super loud, and everyone knows who you are,” Mitton said.

The same can be said for Makar, who played three seasons for the Massachusetts Minutemen, which included the joyful experience of being berated by the Alfond’s Student Section Balcony on four different occasions. Makar explained that the Alfond’s atmosphere is not only fearsome to face off against as an opponent but has an equally positive impact when wearing the Maine script.

“I first got a taste as the enemy at UMass; that was daunting for sure hopping out onto the ice. But having you guys behind our back and having the fans out there, I’ve said this a couple of other times, but it adds like 20% to our game. It just makes it so much easier to play in front of you guys. You guys are so loud; it’s actually amazing,” Makar said on the Black Bear Coaches Show earlier in the season.

Makar was initially recruited to the Minutemen by Barr when he was an assistant at UMass His decision to rejoin Barr in Orono had as much to do with joining the people at Maine as anything else, who Makar believed could get the best out of him as a player and a person.

“I really enjoyed my time at UMass. I loved it there, but three years later just decided that maybe I needed something else, needed a change, and I thought nowhere better than to come here looking at the team, how they play, how Benny coaches would be a good decision, keep that contact [with Barr] going and I couldn’t be happier to meet all these players and have the coaching staff here,” Makar explained. “He is a really personable coach and a great guy.”

As crucial as the place, it is the people of the Maine hockey program that have made it such an advantageous destination in the past few years.

“The best thing we can do, as far as work in the transfer portal, is have a bunch of good kids that other players want to come play with, and they want to win,” Barr said. “You have a good culture and good kids; good players will want to come play with them.”

While Scott never played at the Alfond as an opponent, he did play against Maine with Bentley, scoring two goals in a 5-1 Falcons victory over the Black Bears in October 2022. After his sophomore season at Bentley, Scott wanted to elevate his game and surround himself with like-minded, high-achieving individuals. He saw Maine as being the perfect spot to chase his ambitions.

“It’s been great for me, what makes me so successful is being around the teammates I’m around and the staff that we have. You’re playing with elite guys, high caliber guys, and that’s only going to push your game and elevate you and the group that we have here, nobody is ever satisfied; everyone is pushing each other every single day, and it comes down to the culture in the room, and we’re pushing for something big here, bigger than ourselves,” Scott explained.

Barr acknowledges that he and his coaching staff had very little to do with Scott’s development but believes that much of his meteoric rise has been due to his teammates pushing him to be the best version of himself every day.

“When you get around like-minded people, I think the guys get the best out of each other because of how hard they work and how much they care about each other. We get credited as coaches for a lot of that, and if I'm being honest, that is really very little of it. You’re just hoping to get a good couple of people around, and then they push each other past any boundaries that they may have had in the past. I think Scotty has done that to himself; he’s made himself into one of the better players in college hockey this year. There’s no coaching involved in that; it’s just a player taking ownership of his development, and it’s been really fun to watch these past couple of years,” Barr said.

Harrison Scott reflects the California surfer-boy stereotype to a tee. Away from the ice, Scott is laid back and always smiling, spending as much time as he can hitting the waves when he is at home in San Jose. But on the ice, Scott is completely the opposite, playing an explosive and abrasive game. When Scott is flying around the ice, he looks like a man possessed.

“He’s the total opposite off the ice as he plays on the ice. He’s a crazy man, he’s always going, never stops, and then off the ice, he almost has kind of a surfer mentality, maybe that’s just from being a California kid, he’s super nice, low-key. It’s really funny when you talk to him off the ice and how nice and laid back he is and then he goes on the ice, and he’s like the Tasmanian devil out there running around,” Barr joked.

Harrison Scott roars in celebration after his last-minute game-tying goal in a Border Battle tie and shootout win on February 14th, 2025. (Photo: Anthony DelMonaco - UMaine Atheltics)

Scott joined the Black Bears from Bentley two seasons ago. When he arrived, he was an unknown commodity to fans and the coaching staff alike, a hard-working two-way forward who produced 12 goals and 14 assists during his 65 games over the course of two seasons played for the Falcons.

When Scott was approached by Barr and his staff to possibly transfer to Orono in the Spring of 2023, Barr had just wrapped up his second season behind the Black Bears’ bench and was focused on improving the culture and attitude around the program. Barr saw Scott as potentially being a role-player on the ice but also viewed his endless work ethic and high character as being the right type of personality in the dressing room to push Maine to the next level.

“We took him as just a hard-working guy, wasn’t a huge producer at Bentley, but he just worked hard, so we were like, hey, guys that work hard fit in here pretty good,” Barr recalled.

Nobody could have predicted the immediate impact Scott would have, quickly becoming one of Maine’s most influential players in the Black Bears’ exponential rise last season, ultimately continuing his ascension into one of the most complete two-way forwards in the nation, as seen with his Hobey Baker Award nominee this year. In each of his two seasons at Maine, Scott has outmatched his two-season production from Bentley, scoring 15 goals and 12 assists last year while this season manufacturing a team-leading 31 points, tied for the team lead in goals with 16.

“I don’t think anybody expected him to have the impact [he’s had], and it really was immediate, right from the start last year. We were in practice before the season, and we were like, man, this guy, he’s a lot better than we thought he would be, and then he just started scoring and scoring, and he never stopped. That’s a credit to how hard he works,” Barr said.

It’s no coincidence that Scott’s arrival last season directly coincides with Maine’s resurgence back into the national spotlight. Perfectly embodying the Black Bears’ style of play, Scott’s gritty tenacity, tireless energy, powerful physicality, and exceptional end product embodies everything Barr wants to see from his team.

Scott, the spark plug, has jolted the Black Bears back to prominence. As a result, after only one season on the team, Scott was given the responsibility of being one of Maine’s assistant captains this year.

“He does everything for our team. He’s always there, making his teammates better, making his linemates better, and making plays,” Barr said earlier in the season.

His work ethic has been contagious to the rest of the team and has been seen as an inspiration to even some of the foundational players in the program.

“The way Scotty lives his day-to-day routine is so consistent where it’s just very admirable in the sense that he’s the hardest working guy, and he wants to be the hardest working guy day in and day out,” Lynden Breen said. “His leadership on and off the ice, doing all the small little details, and it all falls back to how great of a person he is and friend outside of the rink as well. Someone I'm definitely grateful to have crossed paths with and still have the opportunity to do something great with this year.”

Scott’s soaring climb to becoming one of the most complete players in college hockey has been surprising for himself as well, his time at Maine eclipsing his wildest expectations.

“It’s more than what I could have imagined. It’s been a special experience. I had no idea what I was coming into, to be honest, when I came here. I knew there was going to be a push for a higher culture and to be a winning team, and I was somebody they envisioned at the time who had the character they wanted. Everything’s been a dream, it’s been such an incredible experience, so special,” Scott said.

While he was brought in to help improve the team’s culture, Scott credits the highly ambitious attitude and the personable individuals who were already present when he arrived as being paramount to his growth as a player.

“Just the camaraderie between the coaches and the players, they are just so personable, they’re just incredible. They are great people on and off the ice, there’s no real hierarchy in terms of how it is here. Everyone’s here for a reason, everyone’s learning from everyone, and that approach I think, makes this place special and why we’re so successful here. Because you can really just grow into the person you are supposed to be. We have all the tools here to be the best person you can be, be the best player you can be, it’s very special,” Scott explained.

Having scored 31 goals in the white and blue of Maine, including a hat trick at home against Lowell last January, Scott says that his most memorable moment at Maine was seeing TD Garden transformed into Alfond South last March.

“What was very eye-opening was last year at the Garden against BU, more Maine fans were cheering there than there were Boston University fans, and I think that was the most eye-opening like ‘oh, Maine’s really rallying around us,’ and it was more of a home game for us as it should have been for them. That was such a special experience for us. Going into this season, we’re looking to rewrite the story there and take that one home,” Scott said.

While Scott looks to continue his hockey career in the professional ranks after this year concludes, he ultimately looks forward to returning home to spend his days on the golden California beaches after his hockey career ends.

“For me, it’s settling down in California and just surfing every day. That’s kind of my love outside of hockey. So just find a way to surf every day and enjoy the California dream,” Scott said.

Taylor

When Taylor Makar was announced as an incoming transfer this past offseason, Black Bear Nation wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from the 7th-round NHL Draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche, the team his superstar defenseman older brother Cale led to Stanley Cup glory in 2022.

Having struggled to live up to the unfairly high standards set by his brother, also a UMass alumnus and 2019 Hobey Baker Award winner with the Minutemen, a fresh start at Maine helped Taylor’s game skyrocket to career-highs.

The effect Maine had on Makar was instantaneous, as the Calgary, Alberta native scored just seconds into his first shift as a Black Bear before proudly showcasing in celebration the scripted Maine he now proudly wears on his sweater.

Taylor Makar instantaneously endeared himself to the Alfond Faithful, scoring on his first shift as a Black Bear on October 5th, 2024, before proudly repping the Maine sweater in celebration. (Photo: Anthony DelMonaco – UMaine Athletics).

Maine has been revolutionary to Makar’s career, who just had the best regular season of his collegiate career with the Black Bears, surpassing his production totals of 15 goals and seven assists in 86 games for the Minutemen by scoring 16 goals and registering 11 assists in just 34 games played for Maine.

“I just love Maine, I love being here, and I’m really proud to be here,” Makar beamed after scoring the game-winning goal against his former team on February 2nd.

Makar credits the coaching staff’s role in honing his playstyle and the resulting on-ice success that followed, which emphasized his 6’3” 190lbs frame and skillset, converting him into more of a power-forward type of player.

“I think the coaches have helped me make an identity here, we’ve worked on just trying to be that power forward and just creating a role for myself,” Makar explained.

As equally skilled with his hands as he is terrific on the forecheck, sealing the half-wall, Makar is not only one of Maine’s physically hard-nosed players, but he may just be the fastest skater, too.

“He’s been extremely hard-working, focused, and he just seems to keep getting better,” Barr said. “He’s produced because of how hard he works on and off the ice, and he’s getting rewarded for it. He’s one of those guys that I don’t think anyone wants to play against on the other team. He’s physical, he can skate like the wind, and he can make plays.”

Maine hasn’t only gotten the best out of Makar, but Makar has certainly gotten the best out of Maine this season, a crucial catalyst to the one-ice success the Black Bears have enjoyed. Makar almost single-handedly dragged Maine to results during a February stretch where the rest of the Black Bears’ regular producers were struggling.

“It’s been great for him, it’s great for us,” Barr said about Makar during this streak.

Makar’s sizzling stretch of 11 goals in just nine games between January 18th and February 28th is one of the hottest months in recent Black Bear history and earned Makar the Hockey East Player of the Month for February. During this 9-goal run, Makar, the man for the moment, scored four game-winning goals, including the game’s lone-tally in overtime against Providence on February 8th and his first collegiate hat trick against Vermont on February 28th. 

Ever since Makar began working with the coaching staff in the summertime, he believed that a resurgent season in terms of offensive production and overall performance was more than possible.

“Yeah, I would have thought it’s possible. I just felt like the coaches, after maybe talking to me in the summer, I would have thought I had the potential to do it. But having this coaching staff and this team behind is something that’s helped a lot, and I think they’ll bring anyone’s potential out,” Makar explained.

Makar’s revitalization at Maine has not been a surprise to Barr either.

“That’s a credit to him. His process is really good, he works really hard, so it’s not surprising to me,” Barr said.

“I was kind of hoping he would come a year or two before, but obviously, you never push those types of things; he’s had a real breakout year for us. He’s a great kid; the family is second to none. We’re fortunate to have him here, and he’s having his best year in college hockey. He’s been extremely impactful in every game,” Barr added

Paired for much of the season alongside fellow college hockey veterans Nolan Renwick and Ross Mitton, this heavy, in-your-face line has been Maine’s most consistent trio all season, having driven the Black Bears’ offensive wagon for much of the year with their explosive much-and-grind game that leaves the opponents black and blue and sore all over, and the puck more times than not in the back of the opposition net.

“He came over from UMass, and honestly, he just needed an opportunity to show what he can do. He’s always been a great player. Playing alongside of him makes it easy, we’re such a hard-working, heavy line, and we dominate everyone on the ice,” Linemate and fellow transfer Mitton said. “I love Taylor, great roommate, great person, very personable, very friendly, and he’s just an awesome person. I’m really happy for his success.”

Ross

Ross Mitton’s lone season in Orono hasn’t produced the same offensive stats as his past couple of campaigns at Colgate, which included a double-overtime game-winner in the ECAC Tournament Semifinal in 2023. But Mitton’s sheer reliability in every area of the ice has been a key clog in keeping the Maine machine running smoothly, as well as being a critical piece in both Renwick and Makar’s stellar seasons.

Linemates Nolan Renwick and Taylor Makar celebrate with Ross Mitton after his first goal as a Black Bear on October 19th, 2024. (Photo: Anthony DelMonaco - UMaine Athletics)

“He’s just so consistent, every game, every practice. You know exactly what you’re getting out of him. He just plays hard; he’s going to go through the body every single time, he’s not missing a check. You just know what you’re getting, if you chip the puck, he’s going to be the first one to go get it. If you’re in the corners, he’s going to be giving 100%, and I think that really helps our line, always being on top of the puck, always being on top of the other team,” Renwick said about Mitton.

The line's tremendously impactful effect, especially during the opening few weeks of the season, is in large part due to the chemistry the three have with each other, which originated long before any of them reunited in Orono this past summer. Mitton and Makar have known each other for a long time, while Mitton and Renwick played one year of junior hockey together for Omaha Lancers of the USHL during the 2019/20 season. This chemistry and all three being veteran players well-versed in what it takes to perform at the highest level in college hockey helped the line tally four goals in Maine’s season-opening 6-0 victory over AIC.

“I’ve known about Taylor for a really long time. Me and Renwick, we actually played in Omaha together so there was a little chemistry there already. Being veteran players, we are all very comfortable on the ice, playing our positions, so I think that makes it easier. We’ve all played college hockey for four or five years now so we know how everything works, we know how to take care of our bodies, and we know what to do out there together, so it’s been great,” Mitton said.

A native of Long Island, Mitton also has an extensive background with a number of current Black Bear teammates. He grew up playing prep school hockey with fellow Long Island North Shore native Brandon Chabrier at the Portledge School for two seasons, as well as in the same AAA youth hockey program for the North Jersey Avalanche with Chabrier and Staten Island native Anthony Calafiore, although Mitton was in a different age group than both. Maine defenseman Frank Djurasevic, a native of New Rochelle, New York, also played for the North Jersey Avalanche but played a few years after Mitton was there

Barr, who spent much of his time scouting and recruiting on the road while as an assistant coach and associate coach for Providence and Western Michigan, said that he had been watching Mitton play since he was 14 years old. He credits Mitton’s relationship with fellow tri-state area Black Bears as being key to bringing him to Maine.

Watching him at Colgate, obviously, you knew he was a good player, but I think a lot of it was the relationship that he had with some of our current players. He’s really close with Chabrier and Calafiore,” Barr said.

Mitton quickly became a fan-favorite for the Alfond Faithful through his explosive, front-footed, and suffocatingly aggressive play and stated that his experience at Maine has been “more than I could have ever imagined.”

But it has been another Mitton that, in Ross’ eyes, might be more well-known around hockey-crazed Central Maine than even he is. Ross' father, Herns, became an instantaneous rockstar, both at the Alfond and on the road. Herns has been present at almost all of Ross’ games this season, sporting the same jumbo-Black Bear cap while proudly holding two oversized cutouts of Ross’ face. Poppa Mitton, as he is affectionately referred to by Black Bear Nation, can routinely be seen on the video board hyping up the crowd or up in the balcony leading the students with his personal twist on the M-A-I-N-E chant. After Mitton scored his first goal of the season against Quinnipiac on October 19th, Herns took off in a lap of celebration, following the Naked Five in their scamper around the Alfond concourse.

“He’s always been like that. He’s always had the fatheads since I’ve been in juniors, but the custom big hat, that’s new this year. He’s definitely taken the role of being the biggest fan at the game, and he loves it, he’s signing autographs taking pictures with fans. He’s honestly more famous than me; it’s pretty funny.”

While Ross and Herns’ time in Orono may have been short, there’s no question that the Mitton family will long be remembered fondly in these parts.

For Ross, his first game at the Alfond as a Black Bear was a highlight of his season, but he hopes that the best memories are yet to come.

Proud dad Herns Mitton celebrates his son’s first goal as a Black Bear with a lap around the Alfond. (Photo: Anthony DelMonaco - UMaine Athletics)

For Ross, his first game at the Alfond as a Black Bear was a highlight of his season, but he hopes that the best memories are yet to come.

“The first game is always a special one, the first game at the Alfond was awesome. But hopefully, a National Championship and Hockey East Championship would top it off this year,” Mitton said.

These three transfers, Scott, Makar, and Mitton, have made possible Maine’s robust rise to being ranked currently the #3 team in the nation.

Only here for a brief period, they nonetheless leave an imprint on the Maine men’s hockey program that will be felt for generations to come. 

They set the standard, raised the bar, and will leave Maine better than they found it.

Once a Black Bear, always a Black Bear.