UMaine men’s hockey team looks to regain its culture
ORONO — Ben Barr, head coach of the University of Maine men's hockey team, addressed the team on Tuesday, thanking the players and staff for their dedication and noting that the squad is getting the rest it needs. “I expect them to bring effort and attitude, and they’ve been bringing that every practice since we started,” Barr said after practice. “That doesn’t mean we go out and win just because we work hard. There’s another level for that, but at least we know we’ll be in the fight with the work ethic I think we’ve established so far.”
The Black Bears open the 2025‑26 season this weekend with a pair of games at Holy Cross. After capturing the Hockey East title in 2025 — the program’s first championship since 2004 — and reaching the NCAA tournament the following year, Maine finished the 2024‑25 campaign with an 18‑14‑3 record. Many view that result as a disappointment, and the team is treating the upcoming season as a reset.
College hockey underwent a major shift last season when players from the three Canadian major junior leagues and Canadian colleges became eligible for NCAA competition. Maine added nine players from those leagues, but five of them have since entered the transfer portal. Barr acknowledged that the influx created a turbulent year and that not all additions fit the program’s blue‑collar culture.
The team’s internal issues came to a head in a December home loss to rival New Hampshire. Barr takes responsibility for the cultural shortcomings, but players say accountability starts with them.
Captain Owen Fowler said the Black Bears intend to use their size to forecheck aggressively and play a gritty style that wears down opponents. “We’re going to wear teams down a lot. Kind of similar to my first year (that Hockey East title season), where there were definitely a lot of games we won in the third period,” Fowler said.
Maine’s roster includes 15 newcomers among 28 players, nine of whom are transfers with college experience. The departures of the top four scorers from last season — Brandon Holt, Josh Nadeau, Justin Poirier and Miguel Marques — have created a need for new scoring sources.
Barr believes the team has enough talent to compete with anyone, but stressed that execution must be accompanied by an extra level of will. “We have enough good hockey players on this team to go out against anybody. The execution piece is just finding that little bit of extra will. That will be the challenge,” he said.
Assistant captain Sully Scholle said the team is done discussing last season and is focused on the present. “I’m done talking about last season. The focus has to be on the now,” Scholle said. Assistant captain Max Scott noted that the current group already feels more tightly knit than the previous year’s squad. “This season’s team already feels like a tighter‑knit group that last year’s ever was,” Scott said.
Barr observed that the players care about one another, a quality he says has been evident for months. While acknowledging that hard work and camaraderie do not guarantee success, Barr views the current foundation as sturdy. Whether last season was a temporary setback or the start of a downward trend will be determined in the months ahead.
