Saco native Laliberte, now at BU, to face Maine

Boston University sophomore center John Laliberte said he was a “always a big University of Maine hockey fan” when he was a youngster in Saco.

“I grew up watching Paul Kariya and Jim Montgomery. I had a Maine hockey hat I wore for 10 years. I still have it hanging around somewhere,” said Laliberte. “I was at the age when college hockey was real big.

“I hoped someday I’d get a chance to play at that level,” added Laliberte.

He won’t be wearing that Maine hat this weekend because the Bears are one of the teams standing in the way of the upstart Terriers and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

BU, 12-16-9, had to beat New Hampshire 4-3 in overtime in Durham, N.H., just to wrest the eighth and final playoff spot away from Northeastern.

Then the Terriers shocked top seed Boston College 4-2 in the third and deciding game of their best-of-three quarterfinal series to earn a 5 p.m. Friday date with second seed Maine, 28-7-3.

They must beat Maine and the winner of the New Hampshire-UMass game in Saturday’s final to claim an NCAA Tournament berth courtesy of the automatic qualifier.

Laliberte said being from the state doesn’t necessarily give him added incentive. There’s enough incentive already.

“Maine is a big rival of BU. It’s always a big game when we play Maine. It’s big in the standings,” said Laliberte. “They’re always at the top of the league and we are most of the time. They’re usually ranked high in the country so we get a little more up for it.

“Whenever we go to Orono, I have a lot of friends who go to school at Maine. It’s a big deal that way,” said Laliberte.

Laliberte said Maine recruited him but not as hard as other schools and added “I always wanted to come down this way anyway.”

Laliberte has been bothered by a groin injury of late but said it feels better.

He has five goals and 11 assists in 34 games and was moved from wing to center in January.

“He has played pretty well for us. He’s still learning the position,” said BU coach Jack Parker.

Laliberte said the Terriers are playing some of their best hockey right now and “we feel our best hockey is ahead of us. We have to win both games this weekend to go but we feel we can do it.”

He and Maine center Derek Damon played together for two years with the Exeter Snow Devils of the Eastern Junior Hockey League and they were linemates for one year.

“It’s always good to play against guys you played with. It’s always fun. It makes it a little more interesting. We’re still pretty good friends,” said Laliberte who expects another war with the Bears.

“We’re going to have to match their intensity,” he said. “They always forecheck real hard. They’re obviously a very skilled team. We’re going to have to take care of our defensive responsibilities.”