As we start the second half of the school year, the University of Maine men’s ice hockey team is starting the second half of their season. At the moment, the Black Bears sit ninth in the 11-team Hockey East conference standings with only two regulation wins in ten games. UMaine is on a 3 three-game losing streak currently after Boston University swept them in last weekend’s series at Boston.

So why are the Black Bears struggling after having such a good year last year? There may be a few key factors as to why.

First and foremost, the Black Bears lost arguably their best goalie in program history, Jeremy Swayman. After Swayman’s third year, he decided to forego his senior season and turn professional for the Boston Bruins organization. Swayman finished in the final three for the Hobey Baker award, College Hockey’s MVP award and won Hockey East Player of the Year last season. This year the goaltending has been inconsistent compared to last year, and without a clear No. 1, UMaine’s save percentages have fallen from being a top 10 team in the country to a bottom 10 team this year.

Another issue that the Black Bears have going against them is the fact that they have yet to play a home game this season. The UMaine faculty has decided against hosting games so far this season in an attempt to reduce the risk of COVID-19 being brought to campus. This is a respectable and responsible decision, but one that isn’t good for on-ice results. The Black Bears have been doing a lot of traveling and have not had the benefit of playing in their home rink. The Alfond Arena was a fortress last year and the Black Bears went 12-2-2 at home last year. On the road last year they went 5-10-2, which is not too far off from the quality of record they have on the road this year which is 2-7-1. So, when looking back on this season we should cut them a little slack with the position that the pandemic put them in.

The last major reason UMaine has been underperforming this year is due to the fact that they lost some key seniors. The Black Bears lost their two leading scorers, Mitchell Fossier and Tim Doherty. Both players ranked top 20 in the country in scoring last year, and top 20 point players are not easy to reproduce. Losing two at once was an enormous loss for the Black Bears. Currently, the team’s leading scorers are third-year forward Adam Dawe, third-year forward Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup and fourth-year forward Eduards Tralmaks, all having 9 nine points in 10 games this season. Dawe and Schmidt-Svejstrup have been pleasant surprises with their point totals almost being around a point per game. Sadly these two former depth players had to fill the roles left by Fossier and Doherty, which pulled them away from their own talents this season.

Going forward the Black Bears do not have a set schedule. The Eastern Hockey League is making the schedule up as they go from this point in an attempt to have all the teams play a similar amount of games come the end of the season. This means teams like Boston who have played very few games will have a loaded second half schedule, while a team like the University of Massachusetts Amherst will play fewer games than most due to the high total of games they have already played. Currently, there is no set schedule for the rest of UMaine’s season. The schedule for each week will be announced on Tuesdays the week of the games, so teams will only find out their opponents days before the games.

The likelihood of UMaine hosting home games remains slim, which means they will have to continue playing all their games on the road, leaving the Black Bears with an uphill battle to make the playoffs in Hockey East this year. Even though they have the same point total as the eighth place team in the conference, which is the last playoff spot, the Black Bears must work hard to maintain their spot. This season will see fans keeping a close eye on the progress of players like first-year foward Lyden Breen, Adam Dawe and second-year forward Ben Poisson with the hopes that their development will lead to success as a team next year.

On Dec. 8, 2020, Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo faced off for the 36th time. This is the first time the two have faced off since May of 2018. The last time they met, Ronaldo wore the Real Madrid crest. This time, he was wearing the Juventus crest. Ronaldo and Messi facing off was quite common before Ronald left Real Madrid. The two played in the same league in Spain, as well as the same domestic cup competitions. In the nine years Ronaldo was at Real Madrid, arguably the two best footballers in the world faced off against each other 32 times. It was wonderful as a football fan to see the two very best in the world clash so frequently, while both are in their primes. Now, with both being in their mid 30’s, we have to enjoy the times they face off even more.

With both Juventus and Barcelona comfortably through to the round of 16, this game did not mean much for either club, but the game still had that buzz because of it hosted Messi and Ronaldo. Ronaldo was unable to play in the first group stage game between the two sides due to catching COVID-19. This means the game did not matter for standings, but it mattered for pride of who would be triumphant over the other.

Ronaldo would draw first blood in this one early. In the 12th minute, Ronaldo would take advantage of young Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo. Ronaldo made a quick turn outside towards the endline in the box, and Araujo, caught off guard, used his body to take down Ronaldo. This sent Ronaldo to the penalty spot, where he sent Barcelona keeper Ter Stegen the wrong way, and put Juventus up 1-0.

It felt like the floodgates were opened and the attack was all Juventus. In the 20th minute an unexpected player would score for Juventus. Twenty-two-year-old USA international Weston McKennie would have an extraordinary finish off a Juan Cuadrado cross into the box. McKennie threw himself in the air and volleyed the ball acrobatically past Ter Stegen. These two Juventus goals came within seven  minutes of each other. Juventus would go into the half up 2-0, with Messi having more chances, but Ronaldo having the only goal between the two.

In the 50th minute Ronaldo would get another goal. Clement Lenglet of Barcelona controlled the ball with his hand in his own box, and the video assistant referee would it and deem it as a penalty. Ronaldo again would go to the spot and send Ter Stegen the wrong way, putting Juventus up 3-0, which is how the game would end.

This game would put Juventus into first place in Group G of the champions league, and with Barcelona finishing second. However, this is not a big deal since both teams will be on to the round of 16. The draw to see who Juventus and Barcelona will face off against in the round of 16 will take place on Monday, Dec. 14 at 12:00 Central European Time which is 6 a.m. EST. We could potentially get another Messi vs. Ronaldo matchup in the knockout rounds of the Champions League.

As for the Messi vs. Ronaldo rivalry, this win brings Ronaldo a little closer to Messi in the total number of wins total from Messi-Ronaldo matchups. Messi still has a commanding 16-2-11 record against Ronaldo. These two goals for Ronaldo put him just one behind Messi in the scoring records for these two when they face off, Messi with 22 goals, and Ronaldo now with 21.

Let’s hope we get to see these two icons face off a few more times before they hang up their cleats. No matter who you’ a fan of, be sure to appreciate the talent of each individual and realize you are watching greatness from both of these footballers. Before you know it, they will be gone and all we will have is memories of these great matchups, wishing we could watch them go toe-to-toe once more.

Women

The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team swept the University of New Hampshire Wildcats on the road with a pair of 2-1 victories this weekend.

On Friday afternoon, the Black Bears got the scoring going early. Third-year forward Liga Miljone scored the opening goal just over one minute into the first period. Miljone found the puck in the slot and roofed it past second-year UNH goalie Nikki Harnett after it was worked to the net front from the corner by second-year defenseman Amalie Andersen and third-year forward Ally Johnson. UNH responded not too long after when second-year forward Jada Christian tipped in a shot from the point by first-year defenseman Charli Kettyle, giving first-year forward Ciara Wall her secondary assist. UMaine would once again take the lead in the second period on the powerplay. Third-year defender Ida Press would rip a shot from the circle, a snipe that would put the Black Bears up 2-1. UMaine would hold onto this lead for the rest of the game to pick up the win. UMaine goalie Loryn Porter made 21 saves in a solid performance.

On Saturday afternoon, the Black Bears completed the sweep over their arch rivals UNH. This time, UNH picked up the first goal in the second period. Early in the second period, first-year forward Chavone Truter won a puck battle behind the boards and set up teammate and second-year defender Rae Breton for a shot from in close which beat goalie Porter glove side. UMaine would not get their first goal in this one until there was less than 10 minutes left in the game. The Black Bears took advantage of an odd man rush when trailing third-year forward Ali Beltz received the puck at the top of the zone and took a wrist shot through traffic that found the back of the net to make it 1-1 with around eight minutes left in the third period. UMaine would score the game winner with a minute and a half left in the game on a Ida Kuoppala, a second-year forward, goal. First-year forward Rahel Enzler took the puck around the back of the UNH net and fed Kuoppala who was sitting back post for a shot that UNH goalie Ava Boutilier had no chance on, leading to an impressive comeback by the women’s team. UMaine goalie Porter would turn in another good performance with 21 saves on 22 shots. She has been rock solid thus far this season.

The Black Bears improved their record to 3-1 on the season. Their next scheduled series will be next weekend on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 20 at 3 p.m. Both games are set to take place in Orono at the Alfond Arena.

Men

The UMaine men’s ice hockey team split their opening series at UNH. The Black Bears won in the shootout on Friday. The Wildcats won 6-2 on Saturday.

On Friday night, in the Black Bears’ first game of the season, the Wildcats pelted them for the first two periods, as they were outshot 25-4. Despite the control of the game that UNH had, the game was scoreless through two periods. UNH would finally break through with less than eight minutes to go in the third when second-year defenseman Kalle Eriksson willed his way through the UMaine defense and beat UMaine goalie Matthew Thiessen, who had been flawless up until this point. UMaine responded with a goal of their own just 32 seconds after the UNH goal. The first line of the Black Bears took advantage of the odd man rush when first-year forward Lynden Breen scored his first collegiate goal. He finished the cross crease after both his linemates, third-year forward Adam Dawe and fourth-year forward Eduards Tralmaks worked it to him. The game went into overtime, neither team scoring. The game then went into a shootout to determine who got the extra point in the Hockey East standings. UMaine was victorious, with third-year defenseman Simon Butala getting the game winner beating UNH goalie Mike Robinson fivehole in the fifth round. Big props to Thiessen who stood on his head Friday night, stopping 37 shots in the game, as well as making some key saves in the shootout., wWithout his great performance, UMmaine would not have won.

On Saturday night, the Black Bears got lit up by the Wildcats 6-2. UMaine started the game off on the right foot when third-year forward Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup got his first goal of the season, and put the Black Bears up 1-0 just five minutes into the game. It all fell apart for UMaine midway in the first period when third-year forward Angus Crookshank of UNH scored on the powerplay to tie it. Then near the end of the first period, UNH scored two more goals within a minute of each other to put the Wildcats up 3-1. The Wildcats’ second goal was scored by fourth-year defenseman Benton Maass, and their third goal was scored by fourth-year forward Patrick Grasso. UMaine would get the lone goal of the second period, and fourth-year forward Emil Westerlund would get his first of the season on the power play around the halfway point of the period. Going into the third, the Wildcats had a 3-2 lead, and they took the game by the throat when Crookshank scored his second goal of the game. UNH would score two more goals in the last 10 minutes, coming from first-year forward Cam Gendron and second-year forward Joe Hankinson to give them the 6-2 victory over UMaine.

UMaine exits the weekend with a 0-1-1 record. Despite winning in the shootout, the game is counted as a tie, and they receive an extra point in the Hockey East standings for the shootout win. UMaine picked up two points this weekend in the Hockey East Standings. The team’s next game will be Saturday, Dec. 19 at UMass Lowell at 6 p.m.

Last year the University of Maine men’s ice hockey team surprised many by finishing fourth in the Hockey East standings to earn their first home playoff series since 2012. This year, with many key departures, will be intriguing to see if they will be able to build on what they did last season, or if it was just a flash in the pan.

This year has already been off to a rough start, but it has nothing to do with what’s happening on the ice. The season was originally scheduled to start on Friday, Nov. 20, but UMaine has postponed the start of the season until at least Dec. 11. UMaine had to postpone their first three series against UMass, UConn and Merrimack. This was due to COVID-19 cases on the UMaine campus according to a statement released by UMaine Athletics. Hopefully, with on-campus students at home for the rest of the semester, this will mean we will be able to start the season against UNH in Orono on Dec. 11.

In the preseason poll, UMaine was picked to finish ninth out of the eleven teams in Hockey East. Only Merrimack and Vermont were picked to finish lower. It seems harsh on the surface considering that UMaine finished fourth last year, but this team has a lot of question marks coming into this season. Most notably because of the players who departed UMaine after last season. Preseason polls do not really mean much; they are fun to discuss but are rarely ever proven to be completely right.

UMaine lost their two leading scorers from last season, Tim Doherty and captain Mitchell Fossier. Doherty transferred to Penn State and Fossier is now with the Rockford Ice Dogs of the American Hockey League. Fossier finished tied for seventh in the country in points, and Doherty finished tied for 18th. Top 20 scorers in the country do not grow on trees, and their offensive production will be tough to replace. UMaine will need returning forwards to take the next step. Adam Dawe, Eduard Tralmaks and Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup are the top scorers who are returning and they all have to take a step forward to make up for the loss of Fossier and Doherty, as well as hope other players who had lesser roles last season will step up.

They also lost arguably the best player in the country last year in goalie Jeremy Swayman. Swayman unsurprisingly decided not to return for his senior season and go pro by joining the Boston Bruins. Swayman was a Hobey Baker finalist for the top player in the country, won the Richter award for the top goalie in the country and won the Hockey East player of the year. Matthew Thiessen is the expected starter for UMaine this upcoming season. He is the only returning goalie from last season. Thiessen was drafted 192nd overall in the 2018 NHL draft by the Vancouver Canucks. He has had one appearance at the college level, and it did not go well for him, letting in three goals on six shots. Obviously, that is not a fair sample size to judge him on. It was the only time another goalie besides Swayman made an appearance last season. At this point there is no guarantee he has the job, and the two first-year goalies Connor Androlewicz and Victor Ostman could definitely see significant ice time if Thiessen does not prove himself to be the definitive No. 1 goalie. This position is definitely the biggest question mark on the roster and it will be intriguing to see who gets the most starts.

A great thing for UMaine is that all six defenders who played the majority of the games are back. This should mean that the UMaine defense should see a decent bit of improvement. UMaine ranked 10th in the country for fewest goals against, despite allowing the eighth most shots. It will be interesting to see how both those rankings change: can they allow that many shots and keep the goal totals down without Swayman in the net? UMaine was the only team in the top 10 of shots against to have a winning record. So let’s hope they do not concede that many shots to opponents this year. It will be intriguing to see if anyone not on the blueline last year will crack the lineup regularly this year. With first-year Kabore Dunn the sole new defenseman on the roster, it seems unlikely, but you never know who will step up and take someone’s spot.

It will be a strange year for NCAA hockey, we have no idea how many games will actually be played, or if the season will be completed. What we do know is what is planned. UMaine will only be scheduled to play teams in Hockey East, there will be no out of conference games. Also to qualify for the NCAA tournament you will have to have played at least 13 games. Right now UMaine has 21 games scheduled for the season. Nothing has been released on whether the six games that have already been postponed will be rescheduled.

So let’s hope that we can watch some UMaine men’s hockey come Dec. 11.

On Nov. 7, Glover Teixeira extended his win streak to five by submitting the No. 1 contender in the light heavyweight division Thiago Santos. This win vaulted Teixeira over Santos to become the new No. 1 contender, and made him the clear cut choice to be next in line for a title fight against current UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. Whether that will happen or not is to be determined. Right now it looks as if Blachowicz is interested in fighting current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in a super fight. 

In the main event of the fight night on Nov. 7, Santos was the betting favorite going into the fight. Santos was a year removed from his last fight, where he took former champion and UFC legend Jon Jones the distance. Despite losing, Santos gained the respect of almost every MMA fan. Throughout his fight against Jon Jones, Santos tore his MCL, ACL, PCL and meniscus in his left knee, and reinjured his right knee. In the fight, his knee buckled on him multiple times and he was shown in visible pain throughout the fight. Despite these injuries, Santos showed the heart of a fighter and completed the fight. Over a year later after having both knees surgically repaired, people thought Santos would solidify himself as the next contender for the light heavyweight title. 

Teixeira going into the fight as an underdog was no surprise, but the 41-year-old seemed like he was in the best form of his career going into the fight against Santos. Teixeira was riding a four fight win streak, and most recently had an impressive TKO victory over top five  contender Anthony Smith. Teixeira has been in the UFC since 2012 and has had one title shot. That title shot, as did Santos’ came against Jon Jones at UFC 172 back in April of 2014, and just like Santos, Teixeira lost a five round decision to Jon Jones. Since then, Teixeira has been a mainstay in the top 10 rankings of the light heavyweight division, but up until now he had been struggling to put together enough consecutive impressive wins to put himself back in the title picture. This fight against Santos gave him an opportunity to make himself undeniable. 

Early in the first round, Santos came very close to ending Teixeira’s night with an early knockout, but Teixeira was able to absorb some big shots from Santos. He eventually took Santos to the ground where Teixeira would prove to be the better fighter. After a close first round, during the second round Teixeira started showing he was the better fighter. Immediately taking Santos down and punishing him on the ground for the whole round, Teixeria would have submitted Santos had the time in the round not run out. The third round started with fireworks, Santos surprisingly dropped Teixeira to the ground with a stiff left jab. Santos would attempt to pound Teixeira out, but Texeira was able to absorb the strikes and get back to his feet. Once Teixeira got to his feet he was able to take the back of Santos, take him to the ground and apply a rear naked choke on Santos, which would make Santos tap out 1 minute and 49 seconds into the third round. 

Teixeira would be a lock to face Blachowicz if Adesanya did not have an interest in taking the light heavyweight title. The reason Adesanya wants to win the title is because of his beef with Jon Jones. Jones, who gave up the light heavyweight title to move up to heavyweight, has had some heated interactions with Adesanya, so Adesanya wants to take the title Jones used to have to tempt him to come back to the light heavyweight division and fight him. Adesanya naturally is a middleweight, and him going up to heavyweight to fight Jones is not feasible. It is quite a shame for Teixeira who is clearly the most deserving of a title shot, but the UFC is a business and an Adesanya versus Jones fight would make big money. Teixeira should get the next title shot versus Blachowicz, and then Adesanya can face the winner of that fight if he still wants to move up to light heavyweight in hopes of getting a fight against Jones.