The first hurdle for the team was dealing with the sheer amount of new faces as more than half of the previous season's players had departed.

While the Black Bears would be getting a new starting goaltender, most of their top offensive players were back, which at least gave the team a foundation for this season.

With Lynden Breen leading the way, The Black Bears posted several more impressive wins, taking four games from ranked teams.

The Black Bears entered the postseason in a decent position, facing off against Hockey East bottom-feeder Vermont.

Victor Östman was pulled for an extra attacker to give the Black Bears a de facto 2-man advantage.