University of Maine men’s hockey coach Ben Barr skated against Cornell as a player at RPI 20 years ago. He coached against Cornell as an assistant coach at Union College and has seen the Big Red in action for more than 20 years.
So Barr knows the challenge his team faces in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday in Springfield, Massachusetts.
“Anyone we play at this time of year is a fantastic team. I played in that league (ECAC) as a player. Cornell was ruling that league when I played 20 years ago and obviously they’re still doing their thing. It’s going to be an incredible challenge for us,” Barr said minutes after learning his team’s first-round opponent Sunday night.
The No. 2 seed in the region, Maine (23-11-2) will face No.3 Cornell (26-6-6) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at MassMutual Center. The winner will face either No. 1 Denver (28-9-3) or No. 4 UMass (20-13-3) in the regional championship game at 4 p.m. Saturday, with the winner moving to the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minnesota, on April 11.
Maine (23-11-2) is in the tournament for the first time in 12 years, earning an at-large bid. No. 3 Cornell (26-6-6) clinched its spot in the 16-team field with a 3-1 win over St. Lawrence in the ECAC championship game Saturday.
Cornell Coach Mike Schafer said his team’s experience playing in big games, including reaching the final eight in the NCAA Tournament last season and a Nov. 25 game against Boston University at Madison Square Garden, a 2-1 Cornell win, helped prepare his team for tournament play.
“We’ve played in big venues. Madison Square Garden, it doesn’t get any bigger stage than that,” Schafer said. “That’s why we played in that game. It gives our guys an opportunity to play on a big stage… All the nerves and anxiety and anxiousness that goes along with it, this will be no different.”
The only hotter opponent Maine could have drawn for the first round is Hockey East champion Boston College. Cornell carries a five-game win streak into the tournament, and is 15-2-5 since Christmas, including a win over defending national champion Quinnipiac, which will play a first-round game Friday in Providence, Rhode Island, against Wisconsin. In Cornell, the Black Bears face a big, strong team that reminds Barr of Hockey East rivals UMass and Providence.
“Can we stay on the right sides of pucks? Can we play fast? Can we use our speed and try to play fast with the puck from the start of the game until the end?” Barr said Wednesday. “If you let them hold on to a lot of pucks, they’ve got some big bodies in there, and it becomes tough.”
Maine co-captain Lynden Breen said Cornell’s defense-first style of play reminds him of the Black Bears.
“It doesn’t matter who you’re playing or what division you’re in. To lose (only) six games in college hockey is quite the accomplishment,” Breen said. “They play a tough defensive game similar to us.”
The Big Red have one of the top goalies in the country in Ian Shane, who boasts a 1.70 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. Shane won the ECAC’s Ken Dryden Award as the top goalie in the conference. Shane’s play is a big reason Cornell leads the nation in fewest goals allowed per game, 1.88.
“They’re big. They’re fast, and they defend really well. They have a really good goaltender,” Maine co-captain David Breazeale, a defenseman, said of Cornell. “We’ll have to get to the net. Playoff time, it’s all about owning the dirty areas in the corners. If we can do that, hopefully we’ll have some success.”
If Maine is able to get pucks in deep and forecheck well, it can open opportunities for high-scoring freshmen Bradly and Josh Nadeau. The first-round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes last June, Bradly Nadeau leads Maine with 19 goals and 27 assists for 46 points. With 18 goals and 27 assists, Josh Nadeau sits just one point behind his younger brother for the team lead.
Breen (nine goals, 21 assists), Harrison Scott (14 goals, 12 assists), and Donovan Villeneuve-Houle (nine goals, 14 assists) are the Black Bears’ other top scoring threats.
Since taking over as Maine’s starting goalie midway through the season, freshman Albin Boija has been strong, with a 2.01 goals-against average and .916 save percentage.
“There’s not a team (in the tournament) without great players. The Nadeau brothers are great players. They have great goaltending. You could say the same thing about all 16 teams in the tournament, and probably eight or nine teams that aren’t in the tournament,” Schafer said.
Gabriel Seger leads Cornell with 14 goals and 28 assists. Dalton Bancroft has 12 goals and 19 assists for the Big Red, and Kyle Penney has nine goals and 17 assists.
The Black Bears 11-7-1 this season against teams ranked in the top 20.
“At this time of year, it comes down to who’s going to play their game the best,” Barr said.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.