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The Barr Has Been Raised at UMaine

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Drew S. said:
For whatever reason I was a little discouraged with this weekend. It wasn’t that Maine played bad or anything like that, it just seemed like they lacked belief.

When I look forward it looks to me that Maine probably has more talent this year than they will either of the next couple of years. Obviously they could add more players but when you look overall it’s hard for me to see where the talent level of recruits is much better than what they have now.

Does anyone know what Alfie and Fortier’s responsibilities are? Ben’s comments make it sound like Alfie is out on the road and Fortier is in Orono but to me it would make a lot more sense if it was the other way around.

This post isn’t intended as criticism of Ben or anything like that, it’s just to me the outlook doesn’t look great right now. Hopefully things turn around but other than blind faith in Ben there isn’t really anything else to get excited about.
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Blind faith is all you got when the cupboard is nearly empty. Couple forwards and a goalie ain't beating alot of teams. Barr has to get his players recruited and in place, going to take a few years. Just like it took Shawn a few years.
 
Drew S. said:
Does anyone know what Alfie and Fortier's responsibilities are? Ben's comments make it sound like Alfie is out on the road and Fortier is in Orono but to me it would make a lot more sense if it was the other way around.
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Actually, if this is accurate, I think Coach Barr has it right, Drew. Michaud probably has encyclopedic knowledge of both the school and the program, while Fortier just showed up a couple of months ago, and lacks Michaud's first-hand personal experience to relate (and sell) to the recruits. The longer Fortier is around the program in Orono, the quicker he picks all that stuff up.

Like they say, you only get one shot at making a good first impression. And if Coach Barr is going to be minding the store in Orono to get the season underway, and probably act as the "closer" later in the process, Michaud is clearly the best of the two alternatives in the interim, for now.

It doesn't mean they won't give that role to Fortier in the future, once he gains more hands-on experience with the program and the school, and hopefully makes some progress on that topic we are not allowed to say in public, even though it is quite obvious to anyone with functioning vision ...
 
Just received this via email:

Per University of Maine system guidance, UMaine Athletics will require all guests attending home hockey and basketball events to provide full proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test, which must be administered within the previous 72 hours. Patrons must have a mask in place covering their nose and mouth prior to entry to the venues. The updated policy will go into effect on Friday, Oct. 15.

Face coverings remain required indoors for all persons - students, staff, faculty, and visitors, on campus at all UMaine Athletics sporting events, regardless of vaccination status. All guests over the age of two will be required to wear a face covering, except while eating or drinking.

The University of Maine reserves the right to request additional screening of patrons prior to entering the building. The additional screening would consist of a symptom check and temperature scan.

If guests are unable to provide valid proof of vaccination, a valid negative test, or fail the enhanced screening, guests will be turned away from the event.

Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets to UMaine Athletics events prior to arriving at the venue and also are encouraged to arrive early to the venue on gameday. Gates to all on campus venues will open 90 minutes prior to the start of the events.

Additional information and policy updates will be provided as they become available. Please see below for a synopsis of the UMaine Athletics COVID-19 vaccination policy.
  • Accepted proof of vaccination includes: Valid COVID-19 vaccination card, a photocopy of a valid COVID-19 vaccination card, a photo of a valid COVID-19 vaccination card, or a UMaine PointNClick green confirmation screen.
  • Children under the age of (12) will not be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test or a valid COVID-19 vaccination.
  • UMaine Students will be required to show a valid MaineCard or PointNClick green confirmation screen upon entry to the venues.
  • The UMaine Athletics COVID-19 vaccination policy will also pertain to events held at the Cross Insurance Center, Cross Insurance Arena, and the Augusta Civic Center.
  • Guests who undergo enhanced screening will be asked a short list of questions related to COVID-19 symptoms. Guests will also sustain a temperature scan and must have a temperature reading of 100.4 fahrenheit or lower to be granted entry into the venue.
  • The UMaine Athletics COVID-19 vaccination policy will be in effect for all men’s and women’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s basketball events.
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So the Alfond will open 90 minutes before faceoff instead of 60 minutes. More time to get a hot cocoa and a baked potato before the game starts.
 
walrus said:
Blind faith is all you got when the cupboard is nearly empty. Couple forwards and a goalie ain't beating alot of teams. Barr has to get his players recruited and in place, going to take a few years. Just like it took Shawn a few years.
Click to expand...

+1....with a hint of Patience 101.
 
Mike McMahon thought that the weekend was an overall success FWIW.
  • The scores weren’t pretty for Maine, but they played two competitive games against Omaha, on the road, and I thought they got better on Saturday night compared to Friday night. That’s all good signs for new head coach Ben Barr. I watched a good chunk of those games and thought Maine made adjustments in the second game and generated more opportunities because of it. Puck possession was fairly even, whereas last year the Black Bears were getting out-possessed most nights. I don’t want to overreact to one weekend (good or bad), but it was a competitive weekend against what should be one of the top teams in the NCHC.
 
acs64 said:
Rebuilding a hockey program is a lot like managing a stock portfolio. Ignore the day to day noise and focus on the trend. :):)
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Not at all sure that we'll see even a trend this year. This team isn't any good, and it won't trend anywhere.

Barr's first and second classes of recruits will likely tell the tale as far as the future goes. Scotty Bowman couldn't coach this sub-mediocre team into a contender. Maine needs an infusion of actual talent.
 
Fishman'81 said:
Not at all sure that we'll see even a trend this year. This team isn't any good, and it won't trend anywhere.

Barr's first and second classes of recruits will likely tell the tale as far as the future goes. Scotty Bowman couldn't coach this sub-mediocre team into a contender. Maine needs an infusion of actual talent.
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Who is saying anything about them being a contender? The style of play, their compete level, amount of mistakes all can tell an upward trend.
 
In case anyone thought next weekend might be a nice easy home opener, the final from Agganis Arena:
Sacred Heart 3
(12) Boston U 2

And it wasn't a fluke. Sacred Heart looked solid.
 
ticapnews said:
In case anyone thought next weekend might be a nice easy home opener, the final from Agganis Arena:
Sacred Heart 3
(12) Boston U 2

And it wasn't a fluke. Sacred Heart looked solid.
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Not trying to siminish SHU, definitely not an average AHA cupcake, but methinks BU might be overrated, again. Lost to UConn at home too.
 
walrus said:
Who is saying anything about them being a contender? The style of play, their compete level, amount of mistakes all can tell an upward trend.
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Last I checked, moral victories are still counted as losses. Trend, schmend, until there are W's on the ledger.

This is still a Red-level team. I'm hoping that Barr can recruit some talent at forward, and clean out some guys who will never pan-out.
 
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