The season of firsts continued for the University of Maine’s hockey team on Saturday night.
UMaine’s convincing 5-0 victory over New Hampshire in their Hockey East quarterfinal at a sold out Alfond Arena in Orono snapped a string of 12 straight league playoff losses dating back to a 4-2 win over Vermont in the middle game of a best-of-three opening round series on March 7, 2015.
It was UMaine’s first Hockey East playoff shutout in 17 games since Martin Ouellette made 29 saves in a 2-0 opening round win over Merrimack on March 8, 2014.
The seventh-ranked Black Bears are now 23-10-2 and winners of four straight entering Friday night’s 7:30 p.m. semifinal against second-ranked Boston University, 25-8–2, at the TD Garden in Boston. The first semifinal is at 4 p.m. between the nation’s No-1 ranked Boston College Eagles, 29-5-1, and 20-12-3 UMass, who rank 12th in one major poll and 13th in the other.
It will be UMaine’s first appearance in the Hockey East semifinals since the 2011-12 season and, regardless of the Hockey East tournament outcome, the Black Bears will also return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since that same year.
UMaine will finish the season with the best record since the 2005-06 team went 28-12-2.
Of the 42 National Hockey League draft choices on these four semifinalist rosters, 41 come from Boston University (14), Boston College (14) and UMass (13).
Eight of BU’s picks were chosen in the first three rounds; BC has seven, and UMass has three.
Boston University also has Macklin Celebrini, who is projected by many to be the first overall pick in this summer’s upcoming NHL draft.
Then there is UMaine’s only draft choice, freshman left winger Bradly Nadeau, a first-round pick (30th overall) of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Nadeau and his older brother and linemate Josh, also a freshman, began their Hockey East playoff careers with two goals and two assists apiece against UNH. They were named the Hockey East Co-Rookies of the Week.
The other goal was scored by graduate student left winger Ben Poisson, one of just five current Black Bears who played in Ben Barr’s first Hockey East playoff game as a head coach, a 6-2 loss to Merrimack on March 9, 2022.
The others are Donavan Houle, Lynden…
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