Maine Non-Conference Play: Who benefits from Pine Tree State rivalries?

Harold Alfond Forum

By Benet Pols 

The University of Southern Maine brings its 6-11 (3-8 ECAC-east) record into Bowdoin's Watson Arena for a non-conference rematch of Pine Tree State rivals. Bowdoin, ranked third in the country at 15-1-1 (10-1-1 NESCAC), took the opener, 5-2, back on December 4th, out shooting the Huskies 29-20.

This is the last out of conference game for the Polar Bears this season.  They’re off this coming weekend and then face the final six games of their 18 game NESCAC schedule.

The USM Huskies—along with fellow Mainers, the University of New England Nor’easters---play in the ECAC East, a conference led by perennial regional powerhouse Norwich. The USM campus is located n Portland and Gorham, while UNE is in nearby Biddeford and is playing its first season in the new Harold Alfond Forum (yes another rink in Maine named Alfond). Since NESCAC ended its interlocked schedule with the ECAC-East after the 2010-11 season, games between Bowdoin and their ECAC-East regional rivals have taken on a different significance.

On the one hand, the games now mean nothing for the NESCAC standings.  NESCAC and ECAC-E used to play an interlocking schedule with each team playing each team in both conferences once.  The games counted towards the standings within the separate conferences but each conference played their own conference tournament. Since the interlock agreement ended the teams in each respective conference play two games in a home-and-home series with just their 9 conference opponents.  Now any out of conference play is strictly for pride and the potential for consideration in the selection process for at-large (pool-C) bids to the NCAA tournament.

ECAC East and NESCAC used to play inter-locking Schedule

On the other hand, familiarity breeds contempt and competition.  While UNE and USM are fighting for the 8^th and final playoff spot in ECAC-E, Bowdoin sits atop the NESCAC with a six point cushion and recently took their first win at Middlebury since 1993.

Even so, these games are tough.  UNE took the Polar Bears to the limit on Jan. 8^th when Bowdoin needed a third period comeback to secure a 4-3 win over the Nor’easters in Brunswick. Their first game in Biddeford ended with a 4-2 Bowdoin win.  Meanwhile, USM has won two against Colby this year, beating the Mules 5-3 this month in Waterville and taking a 3-2 OT win at home back in November.  Colby will take on UNE January 29^th.

The regional rivalry is good for USM and UNE, programs with nowhere to go but up. But what does it do for Bowdoin, and in better years for Colby?

UNE is in its fourth season of D-III hockey.  Last season, following a 10-2 pasting at the hands of Bowdoin, Coach Brad Holt of UNE thanked Bowdoin’s Meagher for the opportunity. Coach Holt told the Maine Hockey Journal: “I appreciate them keeping us on the schedule, which is really important to us to make that Maine rivalry even better and get the four Maine schools (UNE, USM, Bowdoin and Colby) battling with each other. He (Meagher) sees we’re making progress each year. We pushed them a little more than last year. We’re a better team than last year, but we need to have a game where we push them for 60 minutes.”

Bowdoin coach Terry Meagher

If this season’s performance against Bowdoin is any measure, UNE has made strides. In addition, though still fighting for a playoff spot, for the first time UNE swept a weekend series in the ECAC-E.  Their new, on-campus, Harold Alfond Forum is a feature that is bound to make the program more attractive to recruits; until this year the team had played its home games in a municipal rink in Biddeford.

Regional games are probably good for hockey in Maine. The UNE roster has four kids from Maine. The USM roster includes eight players who either played prep or junior hockey in Maine as well as a couple of transfers from UNE. The transfers are the result of a recruitment violations UNE ran into last season.

Both UNE and USM benefit from serious coaching pedigrees. USM’s Jeff Beaney is the younger brother of Bill Beaney, who has led the Middlebury Panthers to eight Div. III NCAA championships, the most recent in 2006. Jeff , at USM since 1987, has had some good years but not with the consistency of his brother at Middlebury. Meanwhile Brad Holt, the son of UNH’s legendary Charlie Holt, coaches UNE.

But while Bowdoin faces up-and-comers, Middlebury faces traditional longtime in-state rival and regional powerhouse Norwich twice a year.  They also face-off twice with SUNYAC rival Plattsburgh State, another perennial regional power. Williams tangles with Plattburgh and ECAC-East power Babson. In addition, Amherst and Hamilton pick-up some tough OOC matches from year to year.

When playoff time comes will Bowdoin’s weak out of conference schedule hurt in terms of readiness, or in terms of NCAA tournament seeding?