Something was so off in the locker room all of 2025. You can always tell by how they look in the instagram reels heading into the game if they're going to come out confident and swinging or if they'll come out flat. They didn't deserve the hate and fan disappointment after penn state loss. This team was special and was good enough and deep enough and well coached enough and hungry to win a best of 5 with probably any team in the country (except maybe BC) but something was just not gelling at the end, they were so burnt out
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University of Maine 2024–2025: Freel-ing good
- Thread starter UMO Better Blues
- Start date
Something was so off in the locker room all of 2025. You can always tell by how they look in the instagram reels heading into the game if they're going to come out confident and swinging or if they'll come out flat. They didn't deserve the hate and fan disappointment after penn state loss. This team was special and was good enough and deep enough and well coached enough and hungry to win a best of 5 with probably any team in the country (except maybe BC) but something was just not gelling at the end, they were so burnt out
Definitely needs offense and definitely needs enough talent/depth to be able to afford a little more margin for error (like how BU/DU/BC made it through their goose egg days) - but from a pressure/motivation/getting the boys prepped to come out at their best, something is definitely wrong and missing and I hope they're trying to figure out what's going on
Ineverquit
Born a Mainer
Mike McMahon said there was another HEA school and 2 NCHC schools pursuing him. My thought process is if the other team was BC or BU that pursued him and maybe even Providence/UMASS/Maine/UConn then he would of went to one of those schools over Merrimack. So it's a decent possibility the other team after him is one of the other 4 HEA teams (UML, UNH, NE, VT).
walrus
Wind up workin' in a gas station
I thought too much was made about HE championship, good goal and nice win but a parade thru Orono! I think they thought the season was over. Maybe its BS but its what I thought of as soon as I heard they had fire trucks rolling thru Orono.
NorthMike
Well-known member
Burnt out could be the root. Barr works them hard and Id say is very demanding which is tough for some guys over a long season. Yeah thats good for their development, it doesn't get easier in the pros.
Getting off the bus from the HE win, most of the guys just looked done.
tylerzx2002
Well-known member
A Hockey East Championship is exciting but definitely agree that the heroes welcome was probably a bit much.
No idea if that factored into how flat they looked against PSU. Maybe they were exhausted from running the Hockey East gauntlet and it just caught up to them? But they still had a full week to prepare for them and they didn't look ready which is what bothers me the most.
McGoverners
Active member
I disagree about the celebration. It's the first conference championship in 20 years and rallied the community around the team headed into the NCAAs. I would be shocked if it had any bearing on how they played. Sometimes teams just come out flat. The same thing happened at UMass
NorthMike
Well-known member
I would agree, being there it was so fun, the fan support was out the roof. Just nature it extended to the coming home trip.
I dont know about orono but up here when a high school team wins a state championship they get the full firetruck escort back home. Part of the culture.
NorthMike
Well-known member
12 teams had a bad game and missed the frozen four.
Its tough to get there, even tougher to win it.
Takes a certain amount of good fortune and things fine tuned with the team.
The boys had a great season, its a tough road back to being a prominent program.
Wont be surprised to see a few set back seasons.
Barr was a part of a few very successful programs in his past as an assistant. Now he is the head honcho. Im sure there are things he has to learn himself how to best prepare for and win HUGE games. Its probably a learning experience....I remember Walshy often saying how much work went into him figuring it all out. I give Benny the same lea way and time to make it all come together, much of which is the right, talented and hungry guys lugging the puck.
Fishman'81
Black Bear since D-2
Henry H. Christ. Are you people serious?
If anyone on here bemoans where this program is right now, just stop and remember the 10 years of utter futility under Red. This is better than our wildest dreams would have suggested just 4 years ago, ain't it?
I'm fine with the fire-trucks, with fireworks, can-can dancers, even with human sacrifice on the street after winning the trophy in Boston... Maine hockey matters again.
And wasn't that the point in hiring Ben the first fucking place?!?
Sheesh. Some of you would complain if you were hung with a new rope. Maine was #3 PW. BC and Minny were bounced early, too. North Dakota didn't even make the field.
Get a grip, naysayers, and
GO BLUE!
If anyone on here bemoans where this program is right now, just stop and remember the 10 years of utter futility under Red. This is better than our wildest dreams would have suggested just 4 years ago, ain't it?
I'm fine with the fire-trucks, with fireworks, can-can dancers, even with human sacrifice on the street after winning the trophy in Boston... Maine hockey matters again.
And wasn't that the point in hiring Ben the first fucking place?!?
Sheesh. Some of you would complain if you were hung with a new rope. Maine was #3 PW. BC and Minny were bounced early, too. North Dakota didn't even make the field.
Get a grip, naysayers, and
GO BLUE!
Sparkee
Blackbear
Boija got 2nd team all American.
goblackbears.com
Albin Boija named Second Team All-American - University of Maine Athletics
This marks the 44th All-America selection in program history.
goblackbears.com
walrus
Wind up workin' in a gas station
Its the offseason, its something to talk about. None of us on the outside looking in know what really happened but this a discussion board and throwing shit at the wall is what happens here. I couldn't have predicted MAine would end HE champs or 3rd in PWR at the beginning of season. I thought they would improve and they did. . Expectations grew as season went on as they continued to win. I think winning helps breed more success as the programs moves on so obviously the team is headed in right direction.