Sparkee
Blackbear
Eastern Maine Sports… https://easternmainesports.com/2025...6e6NTfgaGJTwqMZ5bA_aem_CsvAMxr5Zn6kxV9VfLZdIg
Could be like the Bennett hire… takes a month to put it on go blackbears.com after news outlets report it.
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University of Maine 2024–2025: Freel-ing good
- Thread starter UMO Better Blues
- Start date
Could be like the Bennett hire… takes a month to put it on go blackbears.com after news outlets report it.
McGoverners
Active member
I'm not surprised about the OOC schedule. It aligns with what they have done in the past. In hindsight, we probably should have went to Denver last season to deliver marquee matchups each year. Colgate is no pushover though. They finished 3rd in the ECAC last season. Holy Cross and Lindenwood should hopefully be cannon fodder.
umhockey91
Well-known member
Here's the deal.....they need X amount of home games. We got Denver and Q at home in the same season last year......it stands to reason that they would both be on the road this year. Next season they will likely be at Lindenwood and Colgate so hopefully they can start a brand name series against a Big Ten team.
McGoverners
Active member
I doubt they end up at Lindenwood. We usually bring in an independent in because they don't require the home and home agreement. They haven't played at an independent since the Alaska trip in October 2014
UncleRay
M-A-I-N-E, GooOOO, Blue!
Lindenwood is a much better OOC opponent than Stonehenge. I get the history of playing teams struggling to fill their dance card - and I agree with it to an extent - but you have to take care of yourself first. And as others stated, I doubt Lindenwood or Holy Cross will by H&H. If those teams want to get on Maine's schedule, they should come to Orono.
Since we're talking about future schedules, here is my prediction for Maine's HE schedule in '26-'27.
BC - 2 home
BU - 1 home, 2 away
ZooMass - 2 home
UML - 2 home, 1 away
UHN - 2 away
NU - 2 home
Prov - 2 home, 1 away
UConn - 2 away
UVM - 1 home, 2 away
Merrihack - 2 away
You heard it here first.
Since we're talking about future schedules, here is my prediction for Maine's HE schedule in '26-'27.
BC - 2 home
BU - 1 home, 2 away
ZooMass - 2 home
UML - 2 home, 1 away
UHN - 2 away
NU - 2 home
Prov - 2 home, 1 away
UConn - 2 away
UVM - 1 home, 2 away
Merrihack - 2 away
You heard it here first.
umhockey91
Well-known member
Lindenwood has Denver, Wisconsin & Miami at home this season.......St. Louis is a good area for the program to be seen. I think that Lindenwood is a H & H.
AMC
Registered User
This line of thinking suggests that the UMaine athletic department has zero agency in scheduling hockey games. Like the vagaries of scheduling occur TO UMaine, as opposed to UMaine actually planning ahead and scheduling in a sensible manner so they get a decent home non-conference series. Just out of comparision's sake, look at these non-conference schedules:
| BOSTON COLLEGE | BOSTON UNIV. | UCONN | UMASS |
| Quinnipiac | LIU | @Colorado College | Northern Michigan |
| @MINNESOTA | Colgate | @Colorado College | Northern Michigan |
| @MINNESOTA | Colgate | Ohio State | @Stonehill |
| @RPI | Michigan State | Ohio State | Bentley |
| Denver | Michigan State | Harvard | @Omaha |
| Holiday Faceoff (Wisco, LSSU, WMU) | @Quinnipiac | Connecticut Ice (Yale/QPac/Sacred Heart) | @Omaha |
| Holiday Faceoff 2 | Cornell @ Madison Square Garden | CT Ice 2 | Cornell |
| Beanpot | Beanpot | tbd | Cornell |
| Beanpot | Beanpot | tbd | @Army |
Providence hasn't completed their schedule but they are hosting Michigan this year and go to Colorado College and St. Thomas.
Now, is Maine in Boston so they can catch Denver for one? No. Do they get the Beanpot? No. But these schools that I would consider Maine's peers in actually trying to win a national championship out of Hockey East all figure out how to get a name opponent home and away each year. Maybe it's a bit more hard work getting someone to come to Orono, but it's not like Storrs is connected to an international airport for Ohio State to fly in for 2. UMass skipped over Colgate and went right for Cornell. This is doable.
If the entire OoC schedule was all creampuff games, then it would make sense that you could say that they want to have a soft OoC schedule to pump up that PWR for the end of the year. Or on the contrary, if the entire schedule was full of top tier teams, then you could say you know they want to play tough games. But its almost like they're trying this weird fence strattling strategy, of scheduling a few elite teams, a la Pios and Bobcats, and the others all being pushover joke games, though maybe "pushover joke" is kind of harsh for Colgate and even HC to an extent, top team in AHA last year. It would be interesting to see them pick an identity, if you will, but maybe this type of schedule pattern is their "identity".
umhockey91
Well-known member
Maine has to get to a scheduling place where they have a premiere team at home and a premiere team away......hopefully that starts next season. I really don't have any problem with the upcoming schedule (17 home games!) other than the disappointment of not starting a series with a Big Ten team. Last season they had AIC, Stonehill and Bentley (Portland).....I didn't hear anyone whining about that group of uglies. The other thing to remember.....the Alfond renovation. Maybe they wanted to be sure that all renovations were complete before getting a Big Ten program on the docket.
AMC
Registered User
Last season they hosted home games against Denver (2) and Quinnipiac (2).
My issue isn't with playing Colgate, Lindenwood, and Holy Cross. BC plays RPI, BU has LIU and Colgate, UMass has Stonehill, Bentley and Army. Playing creampuffs is fine. My issue is that those schools all figure out some way to get a name team in for a non-conference series every year. It is befuddling that Maine cannot.
McGoverners
Active member
blackbears9
Active member
Under Gendron Minnesota Duluth and Quinnipiac were the only high profile teams to come to the Alfond. Maine was scheduling home and homes with Princeton. I'm sure they'll get it evened out next year but if one year of no high profile OOC weekends was the cost to get Denver to Orono last year I can live with it. If the biggest thing people have to bitch about heading into the season is the home OOC slate, I think it shows the program is in a great place compared to a decade ago.
Regarding Colgate, Maine did a home and home with them in 22-23 and 23-34. Except for his first year Maine has made a trip to the greater NY Capital Region every year under Barr. It wouldn't shock me to see them make the trip next year.
Regarding Colgate, Maine did a home and home with them in 22-23 and 23-34. Except for his first year Maine has made a trip to the greater NY Capital Region every year under Barr. It wouldn't shock me to see them make the trip next year.
Sparkee
Blackbear
You don’t really get much pairwise out of playing low end teams. Beating teams with winning records count more.
If we go by last year’s pairwise we have Denver at 9th, Quinnipiac at 12th, Holy Cross at 26th, Colgate at 29th, and Lindenwood at 54th. So Holy Cross and Colgate were above the median.
Playing Denver and Quinnipiac on the road is definitely difficult. I think Maine’s OOC is as tough as you want to have it.
Next year Maine will likely have Q at home again since the two schools like playing each other in OOC. Then probably a premiere school in similar to Denver last year. Then an ECAC team, likely away at Colgate. Then a couple more teams in at Alfond, the best they can get in.
umhockey91
Well-known member
Taking a look at recent locations for the 2 game series vs. BC.......
2019-2020: at BC
2020-2021: at BC
2021-2022: at BC (COVID shortened season)
2022-2023: Orono
2023-2024: Orono
2024-2025: at BC
2025-2026: at BC
Prior to 2019-2020 HE alternated home locations every season. Guaranteed when HE decides to switch this up again....BC will benefit and Maine will get screwed out of hosting BC for 2 games 2 years in a row. Maine football deals with similar location scheduling BS in the CAA.
2019-2020: at BC
2020-2021: at BC
2021-2022: at BC (COVID shortened season)
2022-2023: Orono
2023-2024: Orono
2024-2025: at BC
2025-2026: at BC
Prior to 2019-2020 HE alternated home locations every season. Guaranteed when HE decides to switch this up again....BC will benefit and Maine will get screwed out of hosting BC for 2 games 2 years in a row. Maine football deals with similar location scheduling BS in the CAA.
grooverider
Your Team Sucks
Its a little baffling the scheduling. I mean Providence comes up for 1 game? Don't give me travel as an excuse these teams have the budgets.
At a minimum every year we should have home and home games with:
BC, BU, UHN
Its not that hard. Instead we are not rotating at all
umhockey91
Well-known member
Somehow UNH can play H & H with UMass (2.5 hours) and UConn (2.5 hours) every season but not Maine (3 hours)??? Gimme a break!
Sparkee
Blackbear
It is because that is the third game with Providence. Earlier in the month Maine plays Providence down there for two game weekend.
The entire hockey east schedule, who we play, how many times we play them, and where they play the games is set by the hockey east management. Maine likely gets to work with the other teams on the date that is best for both teams.
I really think that stretch of 8 out of 9 games on the road between Jan 2nd through Feb 6th is the only real gripe we should have. It is because the hockey east schedule is a grind enough once that time of the year roles around. So to add insult to injury we have all that stretch away. This is with a team that lost almost all of its leadership. Maine has 13 new players.
But it is the off season and we don’t have anything else to complain about really. We have awesome recruits coming in, Boija stayed a year more when he could have gone pro, we have two promising new assistant coaches, a near carbon copy of Harrison in Max, new addition to Alfond, new lobby, concessions, locker rooms, weight rooms, recovery pools, film theatres, offices for coaches, etc… So much positive that we can’t complain about, so we have to take it out on our schedule.
umhockey91
Well-known member
Still no official release of the schedule….weird.
They must be negotiating something with Colgate. HC, QU, DU, and Lindenwood have all officially released their schedule, while 'gate has only released their ECAC schedule.
Sparkee
Blackbear
They likely are going to add an exhibition game too. Probably need that on there before releasing the schedule on the site.