Maine's men's hockey team begins its 50th varsity season with two road games against Holy Cross on Oct. 2 and 3 in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Friday's opener is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Hart Center Rink. Saturday's game moves to the DCU Center, also at 7 p.m. Both games will be available on FloHockey, and Friday's matchup is scheduled for NESN+.
Ben Barr enters his sixth season as Maine's head coach. The Black Bears finished last season 18-14-3 overall and 12-11-1 in Hockey East. This is their first season-opening road trip since a game at Air Force on Oct. 7, 2022.
Maine leads the series with Holy Cross 6-2. The Black Bears won both meetings in Orono last season, 5-2 and 6-0. Holy Cross finished that season 18-18-2, including a 14-10-2 conference record, and was picked fourth in its conference preseason poll.
The Crusaders return Matt Kursonis, who recorded six goals and 15 assists for 21 points last season. Maine's first home games follow a week later, with Quinnipiac visiting Alfond Arena on Oct. 9 and 10. Both are scheduled for 7 p.m.
Graduate forward Owen Fowler will captain Maine this season. The Tewksbury, Massachusetts, native scored 12 goals and finished with 22 points last season, when he received Hockey East's best defensive forward award.
Fowler has played 72 games for Maine and accumulated 42 points, evenly divided between goals and assists. His leadership group includes seniors Sully Scholle and Max Scott.
Scholle enters his fourth season with the Black Bears after producing seven goals and 11 assists in 35 games last year. Scott is beginning his second season at Maine, following a five-goal, 13-assist season in 29 games. Before joining the Black Bears, he served as Brown's captain in 2024-25.
For Maine supporters following the opening trip by radio, the university lists broadcasts on 92.9 FM in eastern Maine, 100.5 FM in southern Maine and 1310 AM.
Sources:
https://goblackbears.com/news/2026/9/4/mens-ice-hockey-mens-hockey-names-2026-27-captains