Bears off to surprisingly quick start

Whenever a team loses four of its top eight scorers and two reliable senior defensemen, there will be a maturing process.

And when its first eight games include four road games against perennial NCAA championship contenders Minnesota, North Dakota (2), and Boston University, you’d be foolish to think the record would be much better than .500.

You wouldn’t expect that team to challenge a record established by one of the nation’s best college teams of all time.

And you definitely wouldn’t anticipate that team being ranked No. 1 in the country for three consecutive weeks.

But that is what the University of Maine men’s hockey team has accomplished so far.

BU goalie John Curry’s save on Billy Ryan’s breakaway in overtime of their 2-2 tie prevented the Bears from setting a school record for best start at 8-0. Maine’s first NCAA championship team (1992-93) went 7-0-1 en route to its remarkable 42-1-2 season.

The blueprint for success is the same as it has been since the late Shawn Walsh led his third Maine team (1986-87) to its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. Between Walsh and current coach Tim Whitehead, there have been 16 NCAA tourney trips over the last 20 years.

Exceptional goaltending and team defense have been the trademarks of prosperity.

This team is the second stingiest in the nation, having allowed just 1.50 goals per game. Sophomore goalie Ben Bishop is tied for second in save percentage (.942) and third in goals-against average (1.41).

The surprises have been the fact it has the nation’s top power-play percentage (27.9 percent) and sixth-best goals-per-game output (4.38).

The return of second-team All-American Michel Leveille for his fifth year – he was a redshirt his freshman year – has sparked the offense.

Leveille, slowed by a bad knee last year, has evolved into a dominant player.

Keeping him on a line with Josh Soares, with whom he played a year ago, was a smart move, and the coaching staff found a perfect fit on the right wing in dynamic freshman Teddy Purcell.

Having a high-powered top line creates matchup problems for opponents and can create favorable matchups for Maine’s other three lines.

Among other developments, Wes Clark has emerged as a productive two-way center, and defensive specialist and speedster Keith Johnson has added an offensive flair to his game as have hard-nosed grinders Brent Shepheard and Rob Bellamy.

Mike Hamilton hasn’t allowed a scoring drought (three goals in 78 games) to prevent him from becoming a valuable defense-oriented center. Ryan and Keenan Hopson have been important point-producers.

Smooth-skating sophomore Matt Duffy is emerging as a topnotch two-way defenseman along with senior Mike Lundin and junior Bret Tyler, while Travis Ramsey, Simon Danis-Pepin, and Bryan Plaszcz continue to progress nicely.

Bishop has been superb as he has efficiently limited his movement and improved his recovery technique and angles to take full advantage of his 6-foot-7 frame.

His terrific puck skills have significantly aided the breakout.

There is a long way to go. There will be bumps along the way. There is a lot of room for improvement (i.e., killing penalties).

But Maine could put itself into position to sew up a ninth straight NCAA berth early rather than having to make a dramatic stretch run.

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