There is a sports adage that goes “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

And there’s plenty of fight in freshman defenseman Bret Tyler of the University of Maine men’s hockey team.

At 5-foot-9, 182 pounds, Tyler is one of Hockey East’s smallest defensemen. But that hasn’t prevented him from becoming a regular along the Maine blue line and manning the point on a power-play unit.

Tyler and the Bears, ranked ninth in both major polls, will host top-ranked Boston College tonight and New Hampshire, ranked seventh in one poll and eighth in the other, on Sunday afternoon.

“He’s a bulldog out there. He’s a fierce competitor. He gets in your face and doesn’t back down. He doesn’t care if you’re 6-foot-4 or 5-4,” said Maine senior co-captain and right wing John Ronan.

“You can’t play this game if you’re intimidated by bigger guys,” said Tyler, who went into the corner against Merrimack College’s standout 6-foot-2, 209-pound defenseman Bryan Schmidt Friday night and came out with the puck in a 3-0 win.

“I went in low, tried to tie him up, and knocked him off balance,” explained Tyler.

Boston University coach Jack Parker said Tyler “reminds me [of 5-foot-10 Terrier sophomore defenseman] Sean Sullivan” in that they are both fearless, solid defensively, and will jump into the attack.

Maine junior goalie Jimmy Howard said Tyler “has good hockey sense, he’s good at moving the puck, and once he gets more familiar with the college game, he’s just going to get better and better this year.”

Tyler has a goal and an assist while playing in the last seven games and his plus-five rating is tops on the team.

The plus-minus statistic gives a player a plus-one if he is on the ice for an even-strength or shorthanded goal and a minus-one if the opponent scores.

“After the first game, once I saw I could play out there, it made things a lot easier. I felt a lot better, I was a lot more confident,” said Tyler. “Hopefully, I can stay in the lineup and keep producing.”

Tyler, a native of Maynard, Mass., had 22 goals and 58 assists in 64 games for the Junior Bruins in the Eastern Junior Hockey League a year ago and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player.

He said the adjustment from junior hockey to Hockey East was huge.

“You’re playing against guys 24 years old who are big and strong and who have played in the league a long time,” said Tyler, 19. “As a rookie, it was real tough. The speed and the size is a lot different. It’s unbelievable. But it’s so much more fun now that I’ve adjusted to it.”

He said he “listened to the coaches and the older guys” and they have helped him make the transition.

“I’m not as nervous now,” said Tyler, who considers it an honor to be on the power-play unit and hopes to be more productive.

“I thank the coaches so much for giving me a chance to play out there on the power play. Hopefully, I can pick it up a little bit. I’ve got to get more shots through. I’m not getting it done right now,” said Tyler.

He said he will have extra incentive against BC.

“They recruited me when I was younger but not when I was older. I’d like to get them back for that,” said Tyler, who has no regrets about coming to Maine.

“The atmosphere is unbelievable. I love it here,” said Tyler.