By Justin Pelletier,Staff Writer

ORONO – Boston University hockey coach Jack Parker isn’t in the habit of throwing compliments around, especially about division rivals.

So when Parker sat with the media outside his team’s locker room following a tight 2-1 win over the Maine at Alfond Arena recently, and started praising the Black Bears, plenty of heads turned.

“It was the best team we played all year,” said Parker.

This Maine team, without All-American Jimmy Howard, who bolted this summer for the professional ranks, started the season with more questions than apparent answers.

Through 12 games, Maine is 9-3 and has allowed only 18 goals, an average of 1.5 per game.

“I think our team is really that good,” said Lisbon native Greg Moore, this year’s captain. “It’s not luck that we have the record that we have so far. It’s a tribute to the team working real hard, and we’ve been consistent to this point. I just think we have to make sure that our mindset is that we aren’t untouchable.”

According to some players, that attitude was much different last season.

“Last year, we had all of the attention before the season started, and we were ranked high, but we didn’t play like it,” said defenseman Mike Lundin. “We played like we were a good team, and other teams weren’t as good as we were, and that hurt us. This year is the opposite in a way. We were underdogs and no one really expected us to do much, and we are all pretty fired up to prove that we can be a good team.”

Lundin’s brother Matt is one of the two netminders who started the season with the inauspicious task of following Howard into the home crease at Alfond Arena. Both Matt Lundin and Ben Bishop, a freshman from Missouri, have played remarkably well.

“That started in the goal,” said Maine head coach Tim Whitehead. “I think Lundin and Bishop have really silenced our critics that thought we were going to take a big dip. I’m very proud of both of them. Each in their own way they’ve had a different challenge in front of them, and they’ve both risen to the occasion.”

“Our goalies have proved that they’re up to the challenge, too,” agreed Moore. “If they weren’t, we’d be dead in the water this year. We have to just keep working hard and keep focused.”

But the goaltending tandem, as well as it has played to this point this season (1.50 GAA, .935 save percentage), hasn’t scored any of the Black Bears’ goals.

“We’ve generated a lot more offense, including on the power play and shorthanded,” said Whitehead. “That comes from our forwards, and we were very young there last year, which we knew as coaches and other people didn’t really realize, and I kept saying, Don’t worry, we’ll be fine next year.'”

Between Bishop and Matt Lundin and the Moore-led offense is a corps of young defensemen. Mike Lundin is one of the veterans, but even he realizes how young some of them are.

“That was the question mark coming in, our goalies and our defense,” said Mike Lundin. “We were young, not as experienced as the forwards. Now, you look at the team. Travis Wight has stepped up. He blocks more shots than anyone, and he plays great defense for us, and our younger guys who have been in the lineup have been doing well, too.”

Matt Duffy, a Windham native who played at Cheverus High School, is another one of those young defensemen.

After a split over the weekend against Lowell and New Hampshire on the road, Maine sits in third place, just two points out of first.

“I think even I would have been surprised,” said Whitehead of his team’s solid start. “We felt that we could exceed expectations if a lot of things came together, so we’re pleased with the start, but we recognize it’s early, and we don’t want to get too excited.”

Maine continues its season with an exhibition game against the U.S. Under-18 Team on Saturday at Alfond Arena.