ORONO — A month into the college hockey season, it’s apparent every game is a test. So far, 11 ranked teams have lost to an unranked opponent. Last season at this time, that number was two. Maine fans fretting after the Black Bears lost to Colgate on Friday night probably don’t find solace in the fact those upsets are happening all over the place.

Now, Boston University is coming to Orono for Maine’s first Hockey East games of the season. Those first six nonconference games were short quizzes for the Black Bears. This weekend against the Terriers is a doctoral defense.

Maine comes into the weekend ranked No. 12 in the USCHO.com poll while BU is No. 5. The preseason favorite in Hockey East, BU is the team most likely to wrestle the conference title out of the Black Bears’ claws.

Coach Ben Barr knows the Black Bears need to elevate their play this weekend to come out of what will undoubtedly be a raucous Alfond Arena with a win or two.

“It’s always a little more amped up in here (against BU), if that’s possible,” Barr said. “For us, and I’m sure it’s the same thing for them, we’re just trying to find ourselves. They’re trying to find themselves.”

The Black Bears are searching for their grit. Through an exhibition game against the University of New Hampshire and six regular-season games, it comes and goes. In a 3-2 loss to Colgate on Friday, it was nowhere to be found. In a 3-2 overtime win Saturday over the Raiders, it showed up after Maine spotted Colgate a 2-0 first-period lead.

When the Black Bears think about how they want to play, they think of that third period. That’s the template.

“Saturday was a good culture win,” co-captain Thomas Freel said. “In the third period there, it showed a lot of character to come back and not give up. I thought the third period was our strongest period in a long time.”

If the Black Bears need an example of what Barr wants, they can look at their own fourth line. Center Oskar Komarov, and wings Thomas Pichette and Will Gerrior have combined for four goals and three assists, but more importantly have provided energy with every shift. Barr said the line played second-line minutes this past weekend, because they earned them.

“They go out and work. That work ethic pulls them through. It gets them offensive chances. It gets them ice time. It gives us momentum,” Barr said. “It gives us juice in the game when things are going a little stale. They’ve been the one line that’s consistently done that for us this year.”

Thirteen of Maine’s players are new to the team, and 12 of those are new to college hockey (transfer Max Scott is the exception). They’ve been here throughout the summer and now have played six regular-season games. The time to adjust to college hockey’s rigors is now.

“I think at this point, yeah they’re new to college hockey, but we’ve been here for so long, and we’ve been a group together, we’re going to have to stop calling them new guys pretty soon,” co-captain Brandon Holt said. “I don’t think that can be an excuse much longer.”

Holt is right. Every college hockey team is going through the same growing pains. With the calendar flipping from October to November, it’s time to figure out if you’re a good team, or just expect to be a good team.

“We’re not going to go up and down the ice and create chances with them. That will get us on the wrong side of things,” Barr said. “We have to be physical. We have to be willing to get pucks in and forecheck.”

Barr called this weekend’s series a chance for his team to find an identity and prove to itself it is capable of doing some things. Can the Black Bears play that way consistently? A pair of games against BU early in the season helps answer that question.