As the University of Maine hockey team heads into its mid-season break 8-7-2, it takes with it new-found strength to build on, a suprising weakness to attend to, and a monumental task to consider.

Foremost on the Bears’ minds is the fact they took three of four points out of their series with UMass-Lowell last weekened – and did so with a solid defense, which has been Maine’s liability.

“We got back on track, improved our defensive game,” junior defensemen David Cullen said. “We had a big weekend, a win and a tie. It gives us a fresh look at the second half. Sure we have to work on a lot of stuff. We don’t want to dwell on it. Negative is not a word we have around the locker room.”

Yet, considering the River Hawks are seventh in Hockey East in team offense, Maine has much work to do. Even if the Bears were at the top of their game, they would be heading for their greatest challenge this season.

When Maine returns to the ice in January, it will play six of its next seven games against three of the league’s – and the nation’s – top teams when it plays No. 9 Boston College once, No. 4 New Hampshire three times and No. 1 Boston University twice.

The other game is against a Merrimack team that has won three of its last five meetings with the Bears.

UMaine coach Shawn Walsh said he would rather the games were spread out. The Bears say they’re happy to have the rigorous stretch. Either way, the test will prepare Maine for a run at the NCAA Tournament – if it doesn’t destroy its chances.

“I think its a great thing,” UMaine tri-captain Shawn Wansborough said. “The way we struggled early in the season, now we get a chance to play really good teams. We’re going to be out of our funk by then. We’ll have a chance to prove ourselves coming down closer to the stretch.”

However, the most telling review came from Walsh who said Maine will have to fight its way to the NCAA Tournament – and stay above .500 through February.

“It is unrealistic to expect all of a sudden for us to be a top-five team. We’ll have to scratch and claw for every game,” Walsh said. “We’re not as good on the blue line as I would have hoped at this stage.”

Up until the UMass-Lowell series, Maine was forcing offense and chasing the puck. Looking back, Walsh said he can’t fault his team for shirking its defensive responsibilities when it was running from a .500 record.

Against UMass-Lowell, Maine got back on defense, and kept Michaud from seeing second shots, back-door passes and odd-man rushes. And the Bears turned the puck over less. As a result, Michaud looked like he did when he went 12-2 at the end of last season.

Bear tri-captain Brian White said a lot of what the Bears needed to do against UMass-Lowell was to maintain their confidence.

“Coach had some meetings. We looked in the mirror. We started playing well,” White said. “We were wondering why we were losing. We told people, `Don’t leave anything on the ice.’ ”

Wansbourgh said Maine’s improved defensive play should continue because it came from a more intense work regimen. However, White and Wansborough could not explain the Bears’ slow start.

They said if inexperience was the reason Maine has struggled to stay above .500, then the painful early lessons will pay off. Maine has used seven freshmen on a regular basis and four of Maine’s top scorers are first-year players.

The freshmen’s contribution in the second half would help. Freshman Tuomo Jaaskelainen had five points this weekend, scoring the tying goal with 3 minutes, 7 seconds left in Saturday’s game.

Yet one aspect of its game Maine needs to attend to is the area in which it led the nation last season and at the start of this season: its power play.

Maine’s power play has slipped from a 40 percent success rate to 28 percent. Walsh said getting the power play clicking again will be key, but teams have clearly solved Maine’s strength.

Wansborough, who has been on the team’s top power-play units the for two years, is not worried.

“Obviously, we want to take a look at it and see what we want to do to improve,” Wansborough said. “I don’t think we’ll get too frustrated with that.”

Michaud’s continued improvement is also crucial. Walsh points out Michaud doesn’t have the defense in front of him that he had a year ago. But many players feel Michaud will rebound as he did last year after a 5-6 start.

“[Last weekend] was an improved defensive effort, and Alfie played well – he stuffed everything he saw,” White said. “It reminded me of last year. Once we started getting going. He is a catalyst of the team. If we don’t have him, it will be a tough road.”