The University of Maine men’s hockey is headed to Springfield, Mass., for the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday against ECAC champion Cornell. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel
After a dozen years away for the NCAA men’s hockey tournament, the University of Maine will make its return at 5:30 p.m. Thursday when the Black Bears take on ECAC champion Cornell (21-6-6) at MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Maine (23-11-2) earned the No. 2 seed in the region. With a win, Maine would play in the regional championship game Saturday against either No. 1 Denver (28-9-3) or No. 4 UMass (20-13-3).
“It’s a place this program hasn’t been in a while. We’re proud and looking forward to seeing what we can do,” said center Lynden Breen, one of the team’s captains.
This is Maine’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012. From 1987 through 2012, the Black Bears made 18 trips to the NCAAs, reaching the Frozen Four 11 times and winning national championships in 1993 and 1999.
Even with a 4-1 loss to Boston University in the Hockey East semifinals Friday, Maine was assured of an at-large bid based on the resume it built throughout the regular season. The Black Bears are ranked No. 5 in the PairWise rankings, the mathematical formula used by the NCAA to determine the 16-team field. Early season wins over Boston College, which has spent much of the season as the unanimous No. 1 team in the weekly USCHO.com poll, and defending national champion Quinnipiac helped Maine’s case, along with a third-place finish in a strong Hockey East.
Playing at one of the two eastern sites is nice, Coach Ben Barr said, but it wasn’t a primary concern to the team.
“I don’t think these guys cared where we play. They just want to play,” Barr said.
Both Breen and defenseman David Breazeale, also a captain, noted how many Maine fans were at TD Garden in Boston for the Hockey East semifinals, and expect Black Bear fans to fill the arena in Springfield, too.
“We’re looking forward to having a good crowd down there as well,” Breazeale said.
Maine is 7-7-3 all-time against Cornell, but the teams haven’t played each other since a 1-1 tie on Dec. 29, 2013, in the Florida College Hockey Classic in Estero, Florida. Barr said Cornell is a big, physical team, and compared the Big Red’s style of play to Hockey East rivals UMass and Providence.
“They don’t give you much space,” Barr said. “We have to be structured and win our 1-on-1 battles.”
In addition to Denver, the other No. 1 seeds are Boston College (Providence, Rhode Island), Boston University (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) and Michigan State (Maryland Heights, Missouri).
The four regional champions advance to the Frozen Four semifinals in St. Paul, Minnesota, on April 11. The championship game is on April 13.
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