Im at the game, got in a little late but in time to see the goal. Bit of a soft rebound on Ostman's part. I did like the response after the goal for the most part, they held MC in their own end for a while and got one really good chance and a few other chances as well.
USCHO Fan Forum
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
-
The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.
The Barr Has Been Raised at UMaine
- Thread starter acs64
- Start date
- Status
Bit of a frustrating one to watch. There were many stretches of the game when Maine was the better team. We killed em on the shot clock, but shots are only worth so much when they don't go in. Still appears to be zero finishing talent up front, but the D is the real deal. One thing that really irritated me was how it seemed like Maine was never crashing the net and getting guys at the top of the crease, hope that can be something they work on and adjust the gameplan.
BlackBearFan19
Active member
Didn’t generate the scoring like I had hoped but much of the same tonight. Hard to be upset with the guys given the effort but have to find ways to win rather than finding ways to not lose.
A long ways to go still, compared to last year’s game at lawler, it was much better. Personally, I could see Merrimack making the tourney. Rough stretch results wise for Maine but they’re playing up to the competition. The record might be bad but they’re a tough team.
Fishman'81
Black Bear since D-2
Maine remains unwatchable. Looked like another Red team during both nights. Absolutely no hands.
At least they made it a game in the end, but still a really frustrating and disappointing weekend. I expected one win out of this and they failed. 21 SOG against I would think would win you a decent amount of games, but Mack 3/3 on the power play is just brutal. So is a goal with 0:01 left in a period. Speaking of the power play, Maine's is wretched, something needs to get done about it. The next stretch of the schedule is quite soft, but hard not to be dejected with the way the last three weekends have played out.
Jackcurtis23
New member
Not sure what you guys watch….and apparently the guys who do the pbp and color for Merrimack and UConn can’t either. Both programs commented on the noticeable improvements only one year into the rebuild.
THIS team looks like a Gendron coached team?!? That regime had the program for how long, 7 years? Were big, slow and undisciplined. Did nothing. (With NHL goalie for 3 of them). This is Barr’s year 1.2, they fly all over the ice. The D men can actually skate and move the puck. Play relentlessly most of the time. They are so young and give up PP goals, and are struggling to find the back of the net. It’s frustrating. But to not see the obvious improvement in speed and style of play is short sighted IMO. This isn’t 1996, Scott Borek has had 8 seasons and has made Merrimack arguably a top 5/6 team in HE.
I know everyone wants to win every game, and Ben himself said there are no moral victories….but lets not lose sight of the trees for the forest
THIS team looks like a Gendron coached team?!? That regime had the program for how long, 7 years? Were big, slow and undisciplined. Did nothing. (With NHL goalie for 3 of them). This is Barr’s year 1.2, they fly all over the ice. The D men can actually skate and move the puck. Play relentlessly most of the time. They are so young and give up PP goals, and are struggling to find the back of the net. It’s frustrating. But to not see the obvious improvement in speed and style of play is short sighted IMO. This isn’t 1996, Scott Borek has had 8 seasons and has made Merrimack arguably a top 5/6 team in HE.
I know everyone wants to win every game, and Ben himself said there are no moral victories….but lets not lose sight of the trees for the forest
BlackBearFan19
Active member
I tend to be overly optimistic about Maine hockey and I think there are some unfair reactions here. Maine isn’t close to competing for a tourney berth yet so we need to stop judging them on that scale.
The comment about Maine being unwatchable, are we watching the same team? If they’re unwatchable now, what have they been for the last 10 years? I’m frustrated too because they’ve left points on the table during this stretch. The power play is tough to watch, they tend to generate more offense 5 on 5.
Hockey East seems to be loaded this year, I think Maine finishes 9th. I think they edge out UVM and UNH but behind 8th place BC. I think there is a clear line between the top 7 and the bottom 4. With that said, Maine hasn’t played any of those teams who will likely be around them in the standings. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them rip through the next stretch of schedule and end the year with some momentum.
The comment about Maine being unwatchable, are we watching the same team? If they’re unwatchable now, what have they been for the last 10 years? I’m frustrated too because they’ve left points on the table during this stretch. The power play is tough to watch, they tend to generate more offense 5 on 5.
Hockey East seems to be loaded this year, I think Maine finishes 9th. I think they edge out UVM and UNH but behind 8th place BC. I think there is a clear line between the top 7 and the bottom 4. With that said, Maine hasn’t played any of those teams who will likely be around them in the standings. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them rip through the next stretch of schedule and end the year with some momentum.
BlackBearFan19
Active member
+1…. Same wavelength.
walrus
Wind up workin' in a gas station
Most of the whining will come from old guys(like me) who were around for the glory days. In reality I'm not sure why as the team hasn't been good for 10 years or more.
I see improvement and I hope it continues but it hasn't shown up in the win loss column yet. If the team continues to play hard even when they are losing its a good sign that Barr has their attention and they believe in him..
Jackcurtis23
New member
I get it. You all are a huge part of one of the best fanbases in college hockey! Im a grown man (hopefully not an “old guy” yet haha) and the Shawn glory days were some of the best memories of any sport.
I say stay the course. I think there are way more positives than negatives. If the school supports him, think we have our guy. Down 4-1 a Red team would have just let it get out of hand….they deserved better last night.
NorthMike
Well-known member
Im 100% bought in to give Barr 4 to 5 years to see meaningful progress in the win column and standings. I think it will come and things are more promising with the program than they have been in a long time.
The locker room is now at a critical point, can they stay positive and hold together or do they lose faith and allow negativity to creep in that destroys team chemistry. Do they take losses as a challenge and motivator or does it take to them to their knees. Especially with how this next stretch to mid January plays out.
The locker room is now at a critical point, can they stay positive and hold together or do they lose faith and allow negativity to creep in that destroys team chemistry. Do they take losses as a challenge and motivator or does it take to them to their knees. Especially with how this next stretch to mid January plays out.
Last edited:
It will be interesting what happens with his contract. I believe he only signed a three year deal(it should have been longer) and typically you don’t let a coach get into the final year. The other part is salaries around the league have gone way up so not sure he would just accept any old offer.
I was impressed again this weekend how hard Maine played and it doesn’t seem like the losing streak has dampened their enthusiasm at all. I didn’t hear Barr post game either night but he sounded good both nights on the pregame show. Hopefully he was just having a bad night after the UConn game and it was a one-off.
To me the next eight games are probably the most important games of Barr’s time at Maine. You win say six of them you build some momentum and hopefully finish with a respectable record. If you only win say three, finish bottom of the league, and only win eight or so games total it is so much tougher to retain and attract talent. It seems like a true fork in the road for the program.
BlackBearFan19
Active member
I believe it was a 4 year contract with the potential for an extra 2 if they hit certain milestones so probably be negotiating around this time next year. It’s important to keep everything in perspective, this program was really down when Barr arrived and it needed to be gutted. Given the circumstances of Barr’s hire, this is the first true year of the rebuild. Maine has competed in every game even if the results haven’t been there.
I could easily see them winning a lot of these games, I think the UVM series should be a really good benchmark for us.
The positive I took from this weekend was the Poisson-Breen-Trudeau line. They look like
they have some chemistry and they scored a couple gritty goals.
Seems to me like the coaches are hard enough on themselves and the players, don’t need the fans piling on as well.
- Status