Lynden Breen’s 5-game scoring streak powers UMaine hockey’s resurgence
College of Maine junior middle Lynden Breen is having fun with one of the best stretch of his faculty profession.
As he and his Black Bears start the ultimate legs of the season, Breen is on a seven-game factors streak through which he has registered seven objectives and 4 assists.
The 5-foot-9, 173-pound native of Grand Bay-Westfield, New Brunswick, has scored six objectives in a five-game aim streak, together with a pair of shorthanded objectives on a Merrimack School energy play on Sunday. The third-period objectives tied the sport at 2-2 and set the stage for Ben Poisson’s extra time game-winner on which Breen assisted.
The group has eight Hockey East common season video games remaining, together with Friday evening’s recreation at Boston School, earlier than the convention playoffs
After scoring 12 objectives in 49 profession video games in his first two seasons, Breen has a team-high 14 in 27 video games this season.
“I’ve been in the best spot on the proper time, in entrance of the web, to be sincere,” mentioned Breen. “Apart from the shorthanded objectives final recreation, the others haven’t been fairly ones. They’ve been hard-working objectives. Nevertheless I can put one in to assist our group [is fine with me].”
Breen scored two objectives within the season-opening 4-1 win on the U.S. Air Pressure Academy however managed only one over the subsequent 10 video games. However he scored 11 in his previous 16 video games throughout which the group has gone 10-5-1, bettering to the 12-13-2.
He mentioned he had benefited from the actual fact everyone has been taking part in higher of late.
“It has been a group effort. Kudos to my linemates,” Breen mentioned.
“He has video games when he’s one of the best participant on the ice,” mentioned UMaine head coach Ben Barr. “Within the first half of the sport on Sunday, he blended in slightly bit. Then he type of took the sport over.”
Barr mentioned the group doesn’t want Breen to win the sport for them each evening, however “when he performs on the degree he’s able to, he makes us a manner higher group.”
“He’s our chief,” mentioned UMaine sophomore middle Nolan Renwick. “He is a good hockey participant. We’re going to wish him much more down the stretch. However we want different guys to step up, too, together with myself. If we are able to get everybody rolling like he’s proper now, we’re going to do some injury.”
The Black Bears, who’ve scored 20 factors in 16 video games, are 6-9-1 in Hockey East and eighth within the standings. Seven of their final eight video games are towards groups who’re tight round them within the standings, together with three video games towards seventh-place Boston School (21 factors in 17 video games) and two apiece towards tenth place New Hampshire (14 in 18) and ninth-place UMass (15 in 16).
They’ve three video games towards seventh-place Boston School (21 factors in 17 video games) and two apiece towards tenth place New Hampshire (14 in 18) and ninth-place UMass (15 in 16).
Sunday afternoon’s opponent, UMass Lowell, is in fifth place with 30 factors in 17 contests.
“We positively must take it one recreation at a time,” mentioned Renwick. “It doesn’t sound like we have now loads of video games left, however we have now 4 weeks of essential hockey left, and each recreation is massive from right here on out. We’re taking part in loads of groups near us within the standings.”
The highest-five groups obtain byes for the primary spherical of the league playoffs, whereas the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-place groups host single-elimination playoff video games towards the bottom three seeds.
Barr and his gamers want to lock up a house berth for the primary spherical.
“We haven’t actually talked about what place we’re in,” Barr mentioned. “We must be taking part in our greatest hockey as we get to the tip of the yr.”
He mentioned though his group has received extra video games within the second half of the season, the work ethic hasn’t been as constant because it was within the first half, they usually nonetheless have a “lot of stuff to wash up,” together with reducing down on their penalties.
UMaine is simply the Thirty third-most-penalized group amongst 62 Division I groups, with 10.48 penalty minutes per recreation, however opponents have had 22 extra energy performs than the Black Bears.
“Now we have to be extra disciplined,” mentioned Breen.
Barr famous that they’ve extra confidence and perception in themselves this season. They really feel they’ll discover methods to win a recreation even once they aren’t at their finest.
“They wouldn’t have received Sunday’s recreation final season,” mentioned Barr. “In order that’s constructive.
“However we have now been taking part in three strains and 4 or 5 defensemen as a result of we’ve had three or 4 gamers in every recreation who’ve that deer-in-headlights type of look,” Barr added. “That’s pure, particularly with a younger group. However we want them to snap out of it. Now we have to get to some extent the place we are able to play 4 strains and 6 or seven defensemen. We’d like contributions from everybody.”
“Now we have good confidence proper now, however we have now to dial in on the smaller particulars,” mentioned sophomore David Breazeale. “Now we have to be assured sufficient to make performs and belief one another. And once we make errors, we have now to have the ability to recuperate and never enable the puck to finish up behind our web.”
