Maine is on the schedule for Boston College hockey this weekend - a game that carried great national significance not long ago. The Eagles and the Black Bears had memorable clashes throughout the ‘90s and ‘00s, and even met twice in three years for the Hockey East title in 2010 and 2012.
But Maine has really struggled in recent seasons, making it harder for this matchup to be considered a “rivalry.” The same story is true about UNH - another classic BC rival that has fallen on hard times.
With the exception of BU, which obviously has been BC’s most significant rival for a century, rivalries rise and fall in significance depending on how teams are doing.