Simple, efficient play key for Bears’ defense corps

They aren’t fast, they aren’t particularly physical, and their point production is minimal.

But University of Maine defensemen Troy Barnes and Mat Deschamps, both juniors; sophomores Steve Mullin and Jeff Mushaluk, and freshman Mike Lundin have simply done their jobs in a quiet, efficient manner in helping lead the Bears to their fourth Frozen Four appearance in six years.

Swift-skating All-Hockey East second teamer Prestin Ryan is the leader on the blue line, supplying Maine with a one-man breakout and jumping into the attack when the opportunity presents itself.

Ryan and nifty freshman defenseman Tom Zabkowicz are the top goal scorers among the defensemen with four apiece.

Barnes, Deschamps, Mullin, Mushaluk, and Lundin have combined for nine goals and 42 points in 171 games between them.

However, their points have come at important times.

Four of Barnes’ 10 points (1 goal, 3 assists) have been game-winners, all three of Mushaluk’s goals have decided games, two of Mullin’s three points have been game-winners, one of Deschamps two assists points was a shot from the right circle that Ben Murphy tipped home in the third overtime to beat Massachusetts 2-1 in the Hockey East championship game, and Lundin had three game-winning points (1 & 2) and 11 power-play points (2 & 9) among his 18 points.

“They’re very solid players who make good, quick decisions with the puck. Their strength is getting the puck to their forwards. They’re also very active and that makes them very dangerous and effective,” said Providence coach Paul Pooley. “Look at the goal in the UMass game. Deschamps comes in, gets his shot to the net, and Murphy tips it in. I’ve been impressed with their gapping and ability to read the ice.”

However, most of the time they are making simple plays to protect goalies Jimmy Howard and Frank Doyle and letting their forwards worry about the offense.

“They’re very smart at reading plays, relieving pressure by chipping the puck out [of the defensive zone],” said UMass Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald. “They can also find the seams [with a pass] to relieve the pressure that way.”

Northeastern University coach Bruce Crowder said Maine’s defensemen play a pro style game in that “they throw the puck up and put it in the hands of their forwards.”

He said the fact they aren’t flashy and don’t have a lot of points is irrelevant.

“Hey, you’ve got to be good to get to the Frozen Four,” said Crowder.

“It’s important for us to play a really simple game. In the pros, they say give the puck to the guys who make the dollars [forwards],” said Deschamps. “In a sense, that’s what we try to do and we’ve been pretty consistent at that. When we’ve done that, we’ve done pretty well. The forwards have all the skills and are able to make plays.”

“No one our team tries to make the highlight reels,” said Barnes. “Prestin comes up with some big hits, but he has a special ability that way, an ability to read plays and get big hits. Guys like me, Deschamps, Mushaluk, and Mullin have to angle guys off. It’s the same with Lundin. You don’t see him banging too much, but you don’t see him getting beat too often.”

“The simpler game we play, the better we play. A lot of it comes from the forwards,” said Mullin. “The more they come back and help us, the more they enable us to play that much better. And the forwards have been doing a great job lately.”

Mullin added that Ryan and Barnes are able to skate the puck out of the defensive zone, but for him and the other defensemen, they’re better off “chipping it out of the zone and doing what we can [to get it out of the zone].”

Deschamps said another vital ingredient has been their communication.

“You’ve got to make sure you’ve got your guy [covered] and communicate out there. That’s very important. If everybody knows what’s going on, it makes the game that much simpler.”

The Bear defense corps will face perhaps its biggest challenge tonight at 6 against a talent-laden BC team that is seventh in the country in goal production (3.46 per game) despite being without 2003 Hobey Baker Award finalist and Hockey East co-Player of the year Ben Eaves for 15 games with a fractured kneecap.

The line of brothers Ben and Patrick Eaves and Tony Voce is probably the most prolific line in the country.

“We’re going to have to gap up well and make simple plays in the neutral zone,” said Mushaluk. “We can’t cough the puck up and let them counterattack on us three-on-two. And we have to be aware of the guys who can make you look bad, so to speak. We have to be aware and rise to the occasion.

“You aren’t going to keep that line with the Eaves brothers and Voce from getting shots. The key is where they’re getting their shots from. If we can force them to shoot from along the boards and outside the dots, Jimmy [goalie Jimmy Howard] should be able to stop those shots. He’s been stopping them all year. We can’t let them get good shots from the inside.”

“We practice against guys like their top players every day in practice, guys like Todd Jackson and Colin Shields,” said Barnes. “We’re all used to it. We have to communicate and bear down. If you lose track of your guy, they’re quick and they’ll bury one on you.”