The University of Maine men’s hockey team has experienced a fluctuating start to the season, but co-captains Brandon Holt and Thomas Freel, along with assistant captain Frank Djurasevic, express optimism about the team’s future. Currently, the Black Bears hold an overall record of 8-5-1, with a 5-3 standing in the Hockey East conference. They are ranked 10th in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll and 11th in the USA Hockey poll.
As the team approaches the conclusion of their schedule for 2023, they will face two home games against New Hampshire on December 5 and 6, followed by a matchup against Lindenwood on December 13 and 14. Additionally, they will play a critical game on December 10 in Portland against UMass Lowell.
Holt, a senior defenseman, notes that the team has shown “flashes of greatness” but acknowledges that improvement is necessary. “I’m really happy with where we’re at. I’ve seen some really good things from this group. We’re headed in the right direction,” said Holt, who was named to the 2024-25 All-Hockey East third team and is a runner-up for the league’s best defensive defenseman award.
Freel, who plays as a senior left winger, reflected on the team’s progress since their 2-2 overtime tie against New Hampshire in an exhibition match on October 3. Despite facing challenges, he believes the team has tightened its play significantly. “Overall, we are playing a lot tighter and a lot more structured hockey than at the start of October,” Freel stated. “We’ve been unlucky in the last few losses. We didn’t get the results we were looking for because we had breakdowns at crucial points that led to goals against us.”
Djurasevic described the initial game against New Hampshire as “eye-opening,” indicating that it served as a catalyst for team growth. “Since then, we’ve grown a lot as a team within the locker room, our culture, our standards, all things like that,” he expressed. “We’re playing good hockey. Although we have lapses throughout games that are costing us, the ship’s pointed in the right direction, and we just have to keep pushing every day.”
Moving forward, one critical area of focus for the Black Bears is winning battles in front of the net. “That’s where a lot of the goals are scored for both our team and the other team if you look back at these last few weeks,” Freel explained. “Being better both offensively and defensively at finding loose pucks and either putting them in the back of the net or getting them out of there is going to be key moving forward.”
Another challenge for the team has been their penalty-killing performance, which currently ranks 45th among 63 Division I teams with a success rate of 76.3%. The Black Bears have allowed 14 power play goals, the second most in their division. “We have a lot of new personnel on the penalty kill, so there is a bit of a learning process,” Holt noted. “It’s about being on the same page. It seems at times we’re disjointed, which leaves holes in the coverage that other teams are taking advantage of.”
Djurasevic emphasized the need for improved discipline, as the Black Bears are averaging 12 penalty minutes per game, ranking 19th in college hockey. “If you don’t see that box, that means someone is disconnected. When there are loose pucks, we want to be aggressive and go get it, but the other three guys off the puck have to make the right read as well,” said Djurasevic.
On the offensive side, the power play has been inconsistent, operating at a 17.9% success rate, placing them 38th in the nation. Nonetheless, there have been recent improvements, with the power play operating at 21.7% over the past six games. “It’s moving in the right direction. We’re starting to score a little more on the power play, which is good for us,” Djurasevic added.
As the team prepares for a critical stretch in their season, the leadership trio remains hopeful that their hard work and focus on improvement will pay off. The Black Bears aim to build on their recent successes and address their challenges as they push towards the latter half of the season.
