The University of Maine men’s hockey team is in trouble in its quest for a seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. The Bears are 18th in the PairWise Rankings that determine the at-large teams to the NCAA Tournament.

But the positive aspect for the Bears is that they still control their own destiny.

They can earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Hockey East Tournament. But that’s a tall order since it will probably require them to beat three teams ranked above them in the PairWise Rankings and the national polls.

Still, it’s possible.

They can also secure an at-large berth by winning their last four regular-season games and dispatching their Hockey East quarterfinal opponent in two games.

UMass Lowell, tied for seventh in the PairWise Rankings and ranked 10th in the country, invades Alfond Arena for a pair this weekend. UML is 15-2-3 in its last 20 games, including a sweep of injury-plagued Boston College last weekend.

Maine will then travel to BC, which is tied for third in the PairWise and is the nation’s No. 5 team.

If the Bears win their next six games, that would give them a 22-10-6 record entering the Hockey East semifinals and that should be good enough to claim a tourney berth unless there are a rash of upsets in conference tournaments.

The question is, have the Bears given anybody any reason to expect them to win their next six games?

Not really. They’ve only had one weekend sweep in Hockey East play. Heck, they even lost to a Providence team on Friday night that hadn’t won a Hockey East game since October.

The irony is that if Maine does make the NCAA Tournament, the Bears could win it.

Seriously.

After all, the team that usually wins the NCAA championship is the team with the hottest goaltender.

Goalie Jimmy Howard hasn’t had the season he had last year, but he is playing his best hockey right now.

The defense corps has improved significantly. The defensemen keep things simple by chipping the puck out of the zone at the first sign of danger.

That must continue because they get in trouble when they overhandle the puck.

The forwards have done an effective job back checking to enable the defensemen to step up on opposing forwards at the blue line instead of having to fade deeper into the defensive zone.

And Maine’s 2.00 goals-against average is fifth best in the nation.

Offense remains an area of concern.

What is needed is simplicity and desperation like they displayed in Saturday night’s 6-2 win over Providence.

They have no other options.

If they can’t generate chances on the initial rush, they have to get the puck deep, outwork teams for loose pucks, and battle tenaciously for net-front space and garbage-goal opportunities.

They have to establish a physical presence to support their speed.

They will also need their two most creative forwards, centers Derek Damon and Michel Leveille, to produce consistently. Damon was benched Saturday due to a prolonged slump (two goals in 18 games).

Leveille had a goal and three assists last weekend, which is good news for Maine fans.

Now Damon must follow suit and elevate his game with more grit and tenacity.

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600 or by e-mail at lmahoney@bangordailynews.net.