Previewing the Maine Black Bears.

It is now that time of year where every single Hockey East point matters and the Eagles need at least three this weekend as they travel up to Alfond Arena for two games vs the Black Bears. BC dominated Maine in their first meeting this year by a score of 5-1 @ Conte Forum, BC's PP was great on that day as they 2/4 and outshot the Black Bears by a 27-21 margin. Over the course of the past few weeks though, Maine has stepped up their game a little as they have nice wins over UMass, UNH, and a tie @ Merrimack. The best player on not just the Black Bears, but in the country is Spencer Abbott who has tallied a whopping 12 goals and 23 assist so far this season. I would definitely say that Maine's first line of Abbott-Flynn-Diamond is the best in the league and maybe in the country. Yes, they may have some superstars on their first line but this Maine team lacks in terms of depth offensively. I think BC could really take advantage of the second and third line matchup's as I look for a big weekend from the Gaudreau-Mullane-Whitney line. Goaltending wise, the Black Bears rank near the bottom in every major statistical category in the league. Maine has yet to find a night in and night out goaltender so far but compared to BC, I would say their situation is much worst. Ever since Ben Bishop left, this team has been killed by their goaltending. I look for two hard fought games with a great flow to it since both these teams play a great up tempo style.

Players To Watch 

1. Spencer Abbott- The best player in the league. 35 points on the year. Very dangerous.

2. Matt Flynn. Second in the league in scoring. 32 points on the year for the Black Bears.

3. Joey Diamond. Third in the league in scoring. Leads the team in goals with 15.

Keys for the Eagles 

1. Need to find a way. Yes, it will be VERY hard to overcome this team @ Alfond  but if BC stays poised and gets the offense going, they will win.

2. Score First. BC is 12-2-1 when they score the first goal. It would be nice to get off to a good start at Alfond

3. Goaltending. I think Chris Venti will be great again. Let's hope he turns is another solid performance that leads to a victory.

4. Limit Abbott and Flynn. You cannot shut them down but at least try to limit their chances.


All Time Series- BC leads 58-40-9 all time vs Maine. Coach York is 31-24-8 vs Maine.

Prediction- BC gets three points on the weekend

News- Chris Venti will be in net. Lines will be...

Carey-Arnold-Kreider

Gaudreau-Mullane-Whitney

Almeida-Hayes-Linell

Smith-Sit-Brown

Note- I am going up to Maine (I am extremely excited) so check in for Twitter updates. @bchockeyblog1