The Maine men's hockey captain is the only remnant of the program from a bygone era

ORONO It started with a quiet conversation with his coach on the bench of the Boston Colleges Conte Forum before a pregame skate.

Lynden Breen, a freshman just trying to make his way on the University of Maine men's hockey team, hung on coach Red Gendron's every word. Before you leave Maine, Gendron told Breen, you will win a national championship.

I hold onto that every day. That's something I play for every day, said Breen, now 23 and a fifth-year senior center for the Black Bears.

Breen is the only remnant of that shortened 2020-21 season, Gendron's final season before his unexpected death that spring. Breen is the bridge from a bygone era to current head coach Ben Barr, who is now in his fourth season.

The 2024-2025 season kicks off Saturday night when Maine hosts American International in what is sure to be a raucous and sold-out Alfond Arena. Breen and defenseman David Breazeale were selected as team captains for the second consecutive season. A 2023 All-Hockey East selection, Breen enters the season as Hockey East's active leader in points (102), goals (42), assists (60), faceoff wins (1,157) and shots on goal ( 362), and is second in shorthanded goals (4).

The Black Bears, making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 12 years, have re-emerged as a national power. And leading the team is an admittedly shy player from Grand Bay-Westfield, New Brunswick, a small town about the size of Hallowell on the west bank of the Saint John River.

Maine players and coaches say Breen has grown in his role as a leader.

David (Breazeale), it comes across a bit more naturally. Breener, he's just a hockey player who became more than that, Barr said. What he means to our program and the community happened mostly with his play on the ice, and now he has really grown. Whenever a new coach comes in, it's never easy for the returners. That first year you need really good people who understand that they are here for the right reasons. (Breen) has always been like that.

Breen acknowledged that he was shy when he arrived in Maine in the middle of a pandemic, when social distancing was the norm. Coming out of that shell hasn't been easy. He doesn't really like speeches, but relies on his playing to set the tone.

Effort and attitude is something we emphasize a lot, and that's something I try to live by every day, not just on Friday and Saturday nights (during games), Breen said. It's not all obvious, but the way we do things here is based on effort and attitude. That is our identity, and I always try to do that as best as possible.

Breen's teammates notice. Sophomore forward Josh Nadeau is the team's leading returning scorer. He had 18 goals and 27 assists in 37 games. Nadeau skated on the flank of the Breens line for much of last season, and he studied his captain intently.

When I came in as a freshman last year, I looked up to him a lot. I tried to copy his playing. He's an experienced player and he knows how to play both ways, Nadeau said. He's a great player. He has a high IQ. It's easy to be creative on the ice with him and make good plays.

HIS BIGGEST FANS

If Breen doesn't see himself as a natural leader, those who have known him longest see it differently. His two older sisters, Jill and Hannah Breen, insist their brother has long had leadership qualities; it just took him time to grow into it. It didn't start with that brief interaction with Gendron almost four years ago. That moment was reinforcement, not origin.

It was clear from an early age that Lynden had leadership qualities, said Jill Breen, his older sister by nine years. He was always the kid who made everyone else on the team feel seen. He coached younger kids at hockey camps.

Jill and Hannah teased their brother about family vacations that coincided with hockey tournaments. There was a 10-day trip to Edmonton for a tournament that included a family visit to the West Edmonton Mall, Canada's largest. The family pool was converted into an ice skating rink in the winter, says Hannah, now 27.

Breen's life revolved around hockey. That constant banging in the garage of their Grand Bay-Westfield home? That was just Lynden firing pucks at the old washing machine he used for target practice. He hung cans and bottles from the net he kept in the garage and also used them as targets. He wanted to film as well as NHL star Sidney Crosby, Hannah said. Day after day, Breen dressed for school by putting on a hockey jersey, while his mother, Carole, demanded he wear something more normal.

Jill and Hannah say their brother is quiet but competitive. Off the ice, his hobbies are athletics, things that can help him stay in shape and improve his game, which in turn improves the Black Bears. He hasn't seen nearly enough golf, basketball or pickleball at home with friends since he started high school at age 15. Meditation and yoga to clear his head. Zack Bryan or classic R&B form the soundtrack of Breen's life. A highlight of his summer was Luke Combs' concert in Bangor.

The sisters would like to tell stories about Lynden as an annoying little brother, but that doesn't work. They don't have one.

We always teased him, but he was a good kid, Hannah said. He was patient, caring and listened.

Breen appreciates the sacrifices his sisters made to support him as the family traveled the continent for hockey tournaments. In his official team biography, Breen lists his hobbies as golf (he represented New Brunswick in junior tournaments as a teenager) and spending time with his sisters. He also enjoys being an uncle to Jill's young son. Hannah is also expecting a child soon.

My sister and I weren't big sports fans, Jill said. Whether they were hockey fans or not, they were Lynden fans.

RAISE AND UP

When he was 15, Lynden left home and enrolled at New Hampton School in New Hampshire, where he played hockey for a year before moving on to the Central Illinois Flying Aces of the USHL, the junior league that produces a large number of players . of players on collegiate hockey rosters. The Flying Aces folded after Breens one season, in 2018-19. The Fargo Force had the first pick in the dispersal draft to reassign the Flying Aces players. Breen was the obvious choice, said former Fargo coach Pierre-Paul Lamoureux.

All the information, the scouting report, conversations with coaches, Lynden's work ethic, his character and desire to win, it was all there, he said. His play supported that. We knew what we were getting.

Jill Breen believes leaving home at a young age accelerated her brother's maturation process and refined his leadership skills. In 2017, Breen made one of the toughest decisions of his life, turning down the opportunity to play for the hometown St. John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Breen was selected in the fifth round. At the tour, Breen donned a Sea Dogs jersey and posed for photos. He had already committed to Maine and knew that signing with St. John would eliminate the opportunity to play NCAA hockey. Players at the highest junior level are not eligible for the NCAA because the leagues feature players who have signed NHL contracts.

You're so young and there are so many difficult decisions. I was stuck here before I was drafted. There was a 50/50 chance I would have gone there. A lot of thought went into that, and a lot of stress. It's never easy for a 16-year-old to make that decision, Breen said. There are no regrets about this decision.

Breen was among the top three Maine scorers in each of his first four seasons. He will be a key player in the Black Bears offense this season. Last season, Breen had a career-high 347 faceoff wins. As a junior in the 2022-2023 season, Breen led the nation with four shorthanded goals. At 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, Breen's playing style doesn't rely on overwhelming opponents, though he doesn't shy away from physical contact.

He is so fast and so direct. He drives defenders back with his speed, said Lamoureux, now a scout for the NHL's Calgary Flames. There is no cheat in his game. He's a good two-way player.

CHASING THE PREDICTION

Gendron's recruiting pitch made it easier to spurn the hometown team and choose the USHL College route instead of major junior hockey. Breen said he and his parents, Kevin and Carole Breen, felt an immediate connection with Gendron. The fact that Orono is only a three-hour drive from home was a plus.

Coach Red, he was so family oriented. He made you feel welcome straight away. He made you understand that there is more going on than just hockey. He guided me in the right direction, especially as a freshman, Breen said. We only played about fifteen games, but he gave me a lot of ownership. That's a big part of why I acquired some leadership skills.

When this season is over, Breen hopes to sign a professional contract and continue his hockey career. First, there is one final college season to play and continue to help the Black Bears improve. Then there is Gendron's prediction. Breen would like to make it happen.

This is the last step for me and I only want to go one way, Breen said. That's a big reason why I came back, for another year of development and another year of leadership. I don't think there is a better place to get better and stronger in college hockey than with Coach Barr.

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