Red Gendron’s Black Bears Brace For Return Vs. Nation’s Best B.C.

The University of Maine men's hockey team is set to return to the ice this weekend for the first time since January 23 and the Black Bears will have their hands full as they face the nation's #1 team, Boston College.

Red Gendron joined The Drive on Wednesday to discuss what the last month has been like for his program as they've navigated COVID-19 pauses, practicing when allowed.

Maine is currently 2-7-1 this season, and jumped from 10th to 8th in the Hockey East Standings when the conference adopted the 'Hockey East Power Index' formula instead of the traditional points standings to account for an imbalanced schedule.

B.C., meanwhile, is the #1 ranked team in the country and brings a record of 13-3-1 into this weekend's series. The teams will drop the puck in Boston at 7 p.m. on Friday night and 5 p.m. on Saturday. Friday's game can be seen on NESN+, while Saturday's game will be broadcast on NESN.

Catch Coach Gendron's thoughts on the UMaine athletics facilities announcements, as well as how his team has dealt with the layoff, below -