Black Bears mired in slump after strong start

After a terrific start, the University of Maine men’s hockey team finds itself mired in a 1-2-1 stretch capped by two straight home losses.

The string has included squandering a 2-0 lead in a 2-2 tie at Boston University and an 8-2 drubbing at home to New Hampshire, followed by Sunday’s 4-3 overtime home loss to Boston College. Maine’s unbeaten streak of 116 games in which it took a lead into the third period (110-0-6) fell by the wayside in the loss to BC.

Maine led BC 2-1 after 40 minutes and extended it to 3-1 on Michel Leveille’s second goal of the game, but saw the Eagles rally to tie the game and win it in overtime.

Maine had outscored its opponents 12-4 in the third period over its first nine games but has been outscored 5-1 in its last two games.

The Bears hope to regroup for a difficult Saturday afternoon test at Vermont.

“The past four games, we haven’t really been playing consistently,” said senior center and captain Leveille, who has scored five of Maine’s 11 goals in those four games. “We’ve been making mental mistakes, and when we do, they always seem to end up in our net. It’s nobody’s fault. We’ve got to figure it out. We’ve got to play as a team and make sure we all collapse in front of [goalie Ben] Bishop and help him out.”

Leveille wasn’t aware of the 116-game unbeaten streak but said, “All I know is we lost and it’s unacceptable to let [BC] come back like that.”

“Two home losses in a row is uncharacteristic of a Maine hockey team,” said senior center Mike Hamilton. “We’ve got to be a little more defensive-minded, especially when we’re up 3-1 in any game. We’ve got a little work to do this week, and then we’re on the road and we’ve got to get a big win at Vermont.”

Maine coach Tim Whitehead said, “The key for us was when we had the 3-1 lead. That’s when we always put the clamp down on the opponent. We gave them some looks we shouldn’t have and, unfortunately, it came back to haunt us.”

But Whitehead expects the team to handle the adversity in a positive way.

“There’s only one way to react. … We don’t blame people within the team and we come back stronger,” said Whitehead.

“In many ways, this was a good thing,” added Whitehead. “I’d rather lose that lead now than down the stretch. It’s a reminder [that] if you think you’re in control of a game, you’re not. … We’ll bounce back strong. That’s our only choice.”

King is Buchanan Award finalist

Matt King’s domination at defensive end this season for the University of Maine has earned him the distinction of being a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award.

The honor is given annually to the most outstanding defensive player in Division I-AA.

King, a senior from Stoughton, Mass., was announced Monday as one of 16 finalists for the award. He joins San Diego Chargers linebacker Stephen Cooper as the only Black Bears to be named finalists.

The 6-foot-3, 242-pound King has been a headache to Atlantic 10 opponents all season. He racked up an Atlantic-10 best 111/2 quarterback sacks, the second most in school history, and ranks second in the country with 1.05 sacks per game.

King compiled 60 tackles this fall, including 18 for negative yardage, which led the A-10 and ranked sixth in the country (1.64 per game). He also forced three fumbles and recovered two.

The senior tri-captain capped his career by making at least one tackle for a loss in 14 straight games. He helped anchor a defense that ranks first in I-AA in rushing defense (63.9 ypg), second in total defense (229.9 ypg), third in sacks (3.45), fifth in tackles for a loss (7.64) and seventh in scoring defense (13.1 ppg).

The Buchanan Award is voted on by I-AA football sports information directions and media covering those teams. The winner will be announced Dec. 14 in Chattanooga, Tenn., prior to the national title contest.

Skate with the Bears set Dec. 10

The Friends of UMaine Hockey will hold their annual “Skate with the Bears” Dec. 10 from 2-3 p.m. at Alfond Arena.

This is an opportunity to join the UMaine men’s and women’s ice hockey teams for a skate on the Alfond ice. The event is free to the public, and a limited number of skate rentals are available on a first-come, first-served basis.