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ORONO — Alfond Arena, this is Justin Poirier. Justin, this is Alfond. I think you’re going to hit it off.

Playing in his first collegiate hockey game, a 5-2 Maine win over Holy Cross, Poirier showed the offensive skill that made him a fifth-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2024 NHL draft. Poirier recorded a hat trick, and also played with a little grit, acknowledging that to take his game to the next level, mentally and literally, he has to become a better two-way player.

“When I scored my first goal, I just turned my back around to the crowd. Amazing,” Poirier said. “I can’t describe the feeling. It was just unbelievable, and that’s fun to play in front of a good crowd.”

Poirier said 14 members of his family made the trip from Valleyfield, Quebec, to witness his strong debut. He was a gifted scorer in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League over the last three seasons, scoring 210 points (122 goals, 88 assists) in 181 games with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Last season, Poirier was fourth in the QMJHL in goals with 43 in 58 games. The season before, he was second in goals with 51 goals in 68 games.

Poirier is one of nine former major junior players on the Black Bears’ roster, taking advantage of a new NCAA rule that makes them eligible for college hockey. He learned in last week’s scrimmage against rival UNH, a 2-2 tie, that what worked in junior hockey won’t necessarily work in the college game.

“I just thought the work ethic was much better than it was last week,” Maine coach Ben Barr said not just of Poirier, but the entire team. “We’re going to make mistakes. Everyone does. But when we work as hard as we did for the most part tonight, it covers it up.”

That was apparent on Poirier’s second and third goals, blistering one-timers from between the circles. The first came on a power play at 7:42 of the second period, off a Jaden Lipinski pass. It triggered a short Maine outburst, with Lipinski scoring just 17 seconds later to give the Black Bears a 3-0 lead.

Poirier’s third goal, the one that sent hats raining onto the ice, was another one-timer, this one off a Max Scott pass at 3:43 of the third. He said he studies video of NHL players with shots he admires, like Cole Caulfield of the Montreal Canadiens. More importantly, Poirier knew he had to keep his feet moving to create the space needed for his dangerous shot.

“That’s the difference between junior and here. I realized a lot of things in last week’s game. The guys are older, bigger, and the play’s faster,” he said. “I just have to move my feet quicker, and I think I did that pretty well tonight. What happened when I moved my feet? Great chance, and I can capitalize on that chance.”

Poirier’s first goal was the result of that hard work. When his initial shot rebounded off the right pad of Holy Cross goalie Connor MacKenzie, Poirier skated hard to the front of the net to get to the puck and score for a 2-0 lead at 5:56 of the second period.

At 5-foot-8 and 185 pounds, crashing the net is a serious commitment for Poirier.

“My shot is my weapon. I like to use my shot. But sometimes I just have to work hard and go to the front of the net,” Poirier said. “I know I’m short, but I know I can play against older and bigger guys. I just have to go to the front of the net and work hard.”

Now the UMaine faithful know it, too.