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Monday, February 24, 2003
UMaine Hockey: Kevin Thomas
Is Maine all done talking?
Copyright 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
ORONO - The guys are sounding confident, but we've heard it before.
After the University of Maine hockey team beat Massachusetts 4-0 Saturday night, smiles spread through the Black Bears' locker room.
"The guys are real happy," forward Greg Moore said. "Everyone is talking positive."
Senior Tom Reimann said Maine's recent slump "has been tough, but you have to have faith in yourself and your teammates, and that's what we've done."
So, the Black Bears have finally turned that troublesome corner?
Maine Coach Tim Whitehead was not so sure. He called the victory over UMass a "building block" and said the team has made "some progress."
You can't blame the players. They desperately want to believe that they're on their way to a hot streak, despite the fact they've put together consecutive wins on a weekend once in the last eight weeks.
Whitehead said his team became victim to a common case of over-confidence. "We thought we were better than we were."
Whitehead said the same thing happened to Providence College after its 7-0 start. The Friars followed that streak with a 2-6-1 record before turning it around the last two months. Whitehead said his team's so-called wake-up call took place later and the Black Bears are just now getting it.
The message: If you think you're good and stop working, you're done.
The players talked confidently before Friday's game with UMass. But talking about being focused is different from being focused. After the 4-2 loss Friday, a frustrated Whitehead said it was time to stop talking and "play with that passion and that enthusiasm that we've talked about."
On Saturday, Maine showed a better effort and got results.
"We needed a win and that was huge for us," Reimann said. "And, right now, our concentration is on Boston University."
BU brings a big test to Maine this weekend. A rival that competes hard, the Terriers will provide a benchmark for the Black Bears.
Have the Black Bears finally turned the corner? Or are they still talking about it?
LOOKING BACK: The Maine-BU games bring to mind another turnaround that occurred when these teams met at the end of the 1996-97 season. BU came to Alfond already the Hockey East regular-season champ. Maine, ineligible for the Hockey East tournament that year, routed the Terriers twice, 3-0 and 7-2.
BU Coach Jack Parker said those two games woke his players from their feelings of being unbeatable. The Terriers went on to win the Hockey East tournament and reach the NCAA championship game, losing to North Dakota, 6-4. (That, by the way, is the last time BU has been in the Frozen Four).
LOOKING BACK II: This Maine team can be compared to the 1994-95 group. That team also got off to a fast start, started to fade in the latter months, but held on to share the regular-season title with BU. The '95 team had good goaltending (Blair Allison), but had to have a total commitment to defense to win. That broke down in the Hockey East tournament (a 7-3 loss to Providence). The Black Bears regrouped and reached the NCAA title game.
THE LEAGUE RACE: Hockey East leader Boston College (33 points) plays two games with second-place New Hampshire (31) this weekend. One win or two ties gives BC the regular-season title. If UNH sweeps, the Wildcats win the title.
The teams will finish tied for the title if UNH wins one, and the other game is a tie. Maine could make it a three-way tie if it sweeps BU.
The Terriers come to Orono in their own battle for fourth place (and home ice in the first round of the Hockey East playoffs). BU and Providence are tied with 25 points.
The Friars have only one game left, home against UMass-Lowell. Providence holds the tie-breaker between the two teams (a 2-0-1 head-to-head record). If the Friars beat Lowell, BU has to take three points from Maine to get the No. 4 seed.
Northeastern and Lowell are also in a duel for the eighth and last playoff spot. Northeastern leads by one point, and the race could come down to Saturday's game with Northeastern at Lowell.
HIGH ON HOCKEY EAST: As many as five Hockey East teams could make the expanded NCAA tournament field, according to Ian McCaw, Massachusetts athletic director and chairman of the NCAA Hockey Tournament Selection Committee. The field was expanded to 16 teams. Maine, BC, UNH and BU appear to be locks for an NCAA bid, and Providence is on the bubble.
According to the latest Pairwise Rankings - the ratings that mirror the NCAA's selection formula, and published by U.S. College Hockey online magazine - Maine is No. 2 , BC and UNH are tied for fourth and BU is seventh. Providence is tied for 14th. The top 14 teams are likely to be invited along with two teams from the newer conferences, CHA and MAAC.
Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at:
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