Bears need playoff intensity

You are a devoted but confused University of Maine Black Bear hockey fan. The Bears got thumped at home by seventh-place Northeastern 6-1 two Friday nights ago and had to go into overtime to beat the Huskies 2-1 the next night.

But then they played impressively last weekend in gaining a split on the road with the nation’s top-ranked team, New Hampshire. And Maine would have swept the series if it wasn’t for UNH goalie Kevin Regan’s career-high 46 saves in Saturday’s 2-1 loss.

Maine is 9-8-1 since an 8-0-1 start but it controls its own destiny with six of its eight games against teams ahead of them in the standings: Vermont, BC and UMass.

But the UNH series was the blueprint for success and one the Bears should follow.

Maine’s upperclassmen need to play the way they did last weekend.

It was the Bears’ best back-to-back performances since the Florida College Classic.

The defensive responsibility Maine lacked in several losses was back against UNH. They limited UNH’s odd-man rushes.

That must continue, especially at home where Maine is just 6-5. Maine was 72-16-11 at home the previous five years.

There can be a tendency to become more individualistic at home. Players want to give the energized and boisterous Alfond Arena crowd something to cheer about so they try to do too much and get caught out of position.

On the road, you want to take the crowd out of the game so you stick to the game plan and try to frustrate the opponent.

Maine is 7-3-1 on the road.

Another positive last weekend was the resurgent play of senior center and captain Michel Leveille. He had just one goal and two assists in his previous eight games but had three assists vs. UNH and had a team-high 10 shots on goal on Saturday.

Leveille is a marked man but when he is playing at his best, it doesn’t matter who is trying to check him. He’s still going to dominate a game.

Maine has scored just 10 goals in its last six games but its slumping power play (3-for-36 in its last seven games) generated 19 shots on goal in seven chances Saturday and scored once. That was a good sign.

Maine has a power-play goal in each of its last three games.

Maine’s 17-8-2 record and seventh-place standing in the current PairWise Rankings, which mimic the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee’s criteria, puts it in decent position to earn a ninth straight NCAA tourney berth.

But that could change so every game should be approached like a playoff game.

Hockey is a simple game.

It is based on work ethic, decision-making and talent.

By playing with passion and a sense of urgency; making smart decisions with and without the puck, you give yourself an opportunity to outwork your opponent.

That’s how they must play.

In addition, if you finish your checks, you can further impose your superiority.

This can be a physical Maine team but its physical play has been sporadic and needs to be more consistent.

They showed great (too much?) restraint in not retaliating against UNH’s Trevor Smith, who picked up a five-minute charging major for nailing assistant captain Josh Soares after the whistle.

Earlier, Smith ran into goalie Ben Bishop, resulting in a groin strain for Bishop.

If backup Dave Wilson has to play, Maine must be even more thorough defensively although Wilson was good vs. UNH.

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