Maine’s Alfond Arena isn’t the largest in college hockey — it isn’t even the largest in Hockey East.
But it’s a far cry from where Maine’s Nadeau brothers played youth hockey.
“Where I’m from, we have, like, 50, 60 persons coming to every game,” said Josh Nadeau, who, with his brother Bradly, hail from Ste-François-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick, population 460. “It’s amazing here, seeing all the fans support us.”
Alfond, always known for its energetic atmosphere, is even more feisty these days with the Black Bears off to their best start in years. Maine enters the weekend as one of the hottest teams in the country, with a 13-3-2 overall record, a No. 7 ranking in the USCHO.com D-I men’s poll and the No. 4 spot in the most recent edition of the PairWise.
The Black Bears’ hot start is thanks in large part to the efforts of Nadeau and his brother Bradly, who are neck-and-neck in the race for the team lead in scoring (10-16-26 for Josh and 13-12-25 for Bradly). Josh Nadeau was named NCAA national player of the month for December.
“They find ways to get on the scoreboard and affect the game, even if they struggle a little bit,” said Maine third-year coach Ben Barr. “That’s a good trade to have. Pretty impressive for a freshman (Josh) to go out there to be player of the month for the whole NCAA. Credit to him and his work ethic. I’m sure he’s going to keep getting better.”
Though not twins, the Nadeaus share a bond common to siblings close in age (Bradly is 18, Josh is 20 — both are listed as freshmen forwards). Josh said their hockey bond formed early in the backyard of their childhood home in Canada.
“Ever since we were young, we’d play together all day,” Josh said. “My dad built a rink at home and we’d stay until midnight sometimes. My dad would put up lights and we’d stay out in the dark — all day and all night. That’s kind of why we’ve been playing good together, (having) a lot of success. We’ve been working hard all summer and all season to get where we’re at.”
Another big part of the Black Bears’ success has been depth at the goaltender position. While senior Victor Ostman has received the majority of the starts, freshman Albin Boija posted a 1.06 goals-against average, .964 save percentage and 53 saves, going 1-0-1 vs. Colgate (ECAC Hockey) this past weekend, earning Hockey East goalie of the week honors. Ostman has thrice received the same honor this season, making the Swedes the only pair of teammates to be so feted by the league.
“He’s worked hard all year, really,” Ostman said about Boija. “It’s cool for a friend to get a chance. (He) didn’t play a ton the first half, but he’s worked hard in practice. To see it in games is really cool to see. We all know what he can do in practice.”
With inter-conference play now in the rear-view mirror, Maine will focus on maintaining its place among the cream of the crop in Hockey East. The Black Bears sport a 5-2-1 league record, good for third behind Boston University and Boston College, and kick off the remainder of the season with a two-game series at Connecticut starting Friday.
While expressing pride in his personal accomplishments and gratitude for the accolades received, Josh Nadeau said success will be measured by where Maine as a team finishes the season.
“I’m not satisfied — I want more,” he said. “I want the team to have success and hopefully win the national championship at the end of the year.”
