The Black Bears and the Eagles are ready to get defensive.
BOSTON – Jerry York knows the top-ranked University of Maine hockey team about as well as anyone south of the Piscataqua River.

Still, the Boston College coach paid close attention to the Black Bears’ regional final against Wisconsin 12 days ago and came away with a new perspective on his Hockey East rival.

“You really appreciate how hard Maine plays and how strong they are in all three zones,” York said. “Granted, (goalie) Jimmy Howard is playing very well, but they play well in front of him, too. We have to get to him first.”

Indeed, goals should be hard to come by for both teams in tonight’s Frozen Four semifinal, which features the top two defensive teams in the nation at a sold out FleetCenter.

Yet, neither York nor Maine coach Tim Whitehead is taking a tight, defensive game for granted.

And neither coach has reason to, at second glance. No. 2 Boston College (29-8-4) is ranked seventh in the nation in scoring (3.46 goals per game) and boasts one of the most prolific lines in the nation in Tony Voce (29-18-47), and brothers Patrick Eaves (18-23-41) and Ben Eaves (9-25-34). Each scored a goal in BC’s regional final against Michigan.

“We just have to play our game, play our team defense, recognize when they’re out on the ice and take a little more initiative when they’re out on the ice,” said Howard, a sophomore who leads the nation with a 1.20 goals-against average and a .954 save percentage.

“It’s going to be difficult to contain their top line. They’ve scored 56 goals when you add up their totals together. That’s a lot of production, so certainly very few teams have has success shutting them down,” Whitehead said. “We had some success against them defensively up here, but this will be a different venue, of course, the FleetCenter, their second home. And I think they’re playing better now.”

Maine (32-7-3) did frustrate BC’s offense in sweeping a pair, 3-0 and 4-3, in Orono on the final weekend of the season, which is when their current nine-game winning streak began. But the Eagles were playing without Ben Eaves in the first game, and they did manage much better production in a 4-1 win in the team’s lone meeting in Chestnut Hill earlier in the year.

“Our top line is very good, very balanced. All three are very dangerous players,” York said. “But I still think we need scoring from other people on our team if we’re going to advance.”

A leading candidate to do some of that scoring is Ryan Shannon, who leads the Eagles’ second line with 14 goals and 41 points.

“They’ve got some elite players on their other lines and certainly in their defensive corps that can really burn you, so I think you have to be careful of putting too much into one aspect of your team defense,” Whitehead said.

Maine isn’t the only team that specializes in team defense. BC ranks second in the nation behind Maine with a 1.93 goals-against average. Goalie Matti Kaltianinen posted a 1.75 GAA and .908 save percentage in 37 games. The junior missed the season-ending series in Orono due to a groin injury, from which he appeared to fully recovered during a strong performance in the Northeast Regional.

Maine’s 11th-ranked scoring offense (3.34 goals per game) has shown flashes of explosiveness this year, particularly in a four-goal third period in its comeback win over Harvard in the Eastern Region semis. But the Black Bears rely on a more balanced attack than BC.

“We defend by committee and we score by committee,” Whitehead said.

The scoring committee is led by seniors Colin Shields (18-26-44) and Todd Jackson (21-12-33). Sophomores Greg Moore (15 goals, including a team-high seven on the power play) and Michel Leveille (6-34-40), who is second in the nation in assists, led the comeback against Harvard. Freshman Mike Hamilton has two game-winning goals in the post-season, including the overtime capper against Wisconsin.

If the game lives up to low-scoring expectations, special teams could be the deciding factor. Maine went 1-for-13 on the power play in the Eastern Region and is 2-for-31 in the postseason. BC, meanwhile, is 5-for-25 with the man advantage this postseason and is ranked No. 1 in the nation in penalty kill.

“Our ability to capitalize when they make a mistake or take a penalty is going to be crucial,” Whitehead said. “(The power play) is an area we’ve been very hot and cold with this year, more cold than hot on the whole.”