ORONO — This has been a season of resurgence for the University of Maine men’s hockey team, which is ranked in the top 10 nationally and on the verge of earning its first NCAA tournament bid in a dozen years.

On Saturday, the Black Bears (22-10-2) will host rival New Hampshire (20-14-1) in the Hockey East quarterfinals at 7 p.m. at Alfond Arena – the first home playoff quarterfinal for Maine since 2012. The 22 regular-season wins are the most for the Black Bears in 18 years. Maine is ranked No. 8 in the latest USCHO.com poll and No. 7 in the PairWise rankings used by the NCAA to seed the 16-team tournament.

A big piece of the turnaround this season is the play of freshmen Bradly and Josh Nadeau. From the small town of St-François-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick, just over the border from Aroostook County, the brothers are tied for the team scoring lead with 41 points. Bradly, the first-round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in last year’s NHL draft, has 17 goals and 24 assists. Josh, the older of the brothers, has 16 goals and 25 assists. Earlier this week, Bradly was named to Hockey East’s all-rookie team.

While the Nadeau brothers have enjoyed a successful rookie season, it hasn’t been without hurdles. Adjusting to the college game is a process. After each brother enjoyed a hot start to the season, they went through a lull. Lately, they have become scoring forces once again. Each had a goal and an assist in last weekend’s sweep of UMass to end the regular season.

They’ve had to learn how to play under constant pressure from bigger, stronger defenders determined to give them no space to breathe, much less handle the puck.

“You’ve got to make plays and when you don’t have ice, you’ve got to sometimes grind down low. That’s one thing I’ve learned,” Bradly Nadeau said after Friday’s 2-1 win over UMass clinched the No. 3 seed in the Hockey East tournament. “Sometimes there’s games where you won’t have any ice, so you’ve just got to get the forecheck going and get some chances from that.”

Bradly Nadeau scored Maine’s first goal in Friday’s win, and it was an example of how he’s worked to make himself a two-way player.

At Maine’s blue line, Nadeau fought for and won the puck from a UMass defender, triggering a 3-on-1 break. With Nolan Renwick skating down the right side, Nadeau skated down the left, then passed to his brother, who was trailing the play. Josh sent the puck back to Bradly, who fired a one-timer past UMass goalie Michael Hrabal to even the game at 1-1 late in the first period.

The hard work of Bradly Nadeau in his own defensive end is what triggered the scoring opportunity, said Maine Coach Ben Barr.

“There’s not always going to be a ton of rush chances. Winning that battle off the blue line is huge. This time of year, those are battles you have to win,” Barr said. “That was their best game, work ethic wise, in a while. It was good to see.”

Both Nadeau brothers started the season strong. Bradly had 13 goals and 11 assists in the 16 games prior to the new year; Josh had 10 goals and 15 assists. Since the start of January, however, in which all but two of Maine’s 18 games were against Hockey East competition, it’s been far tougher for the brothers.

Both went through a stretch in which they failed to record a point in five of six games. Maine went 2-4 over those six games against UNH, Northeastern and Vermont. Not surprisingly, Maine’s best game over that stretch was a 5-1 win over Northeastern on Feb. 23, in which Bradly Nadeau scored two goals and had an assist, and Josh added two assists.

Josh Nadeau admitted it can be frustrating when playmaking doesn’t come easily, but he has to stay focused on the little details. Josh is 5-foot-8, 165 pounds. Bradly is 5-10, 170. They’re learning how to play against opponents who are almost always bigger. They know they have to get stronger and faster.

“That’s the most important part for me and my brother, especially because we’re not as big as these guys,” Josh Nadeau said. “It’s on us to be more creative, find open ice, and be making plays.”

Senior captain Lynden Breen, who centered a line with the Nadeau brothers for the first half of the season, said playing hard at both ends of the ice and playing a physical game is something every college player has to learn, and he’s seen the brothers improve.

“They’re not used to their coaches (in junior hockey) the last couple of years to tell them to be more physical, because they’re going to put four or five points up a night. But here, even if you’re putting up those points, our coaches are going to expect you to be physical,” Breen said. “I learned that myself. When things aren’t going well every period, every shift, you’ve got to find a way to make an impact. Block a shot, finish a check.”

No matter how long Maine’s season goes, it’s playoff hockey the rest of the way. Playing two-way hockey is essential to the team’s success, Bradly Nadeau said.

“It’s just a different game, and I still have to get used to it. But I think playoff hockey is going to be like that,” he said.

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