The Maine Black Bears men's ice hockey is a (

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

) Division I

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the g ...

program that represents the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...

. The Black Bears are a member of

Hockey East The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for ...

. They play at the Harold Alfond Sports Arena commonly known as Alfond Arena in

Orono, Maine Orono () is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. Located on the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers, it was first settled by American colonists in 1774. They named it in honor of Chief Joseph Orono, a sachem of the indigenous Penobscot ...

. The Black Bears have appeared in 11 Frozen Fours, have a 28–18 record in NCAA Tournament games, and have won two national championships—in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

and

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

Program history

Birth of Maine ice hockey (1977–84)

The

, then known as the University of Maine at Orono, officially developed an

sanctioned men's ice hockey program in 1977. Creation of this program occurred simultaneously with the construction of the Harold Alfond Sports Arena (See Alfond Arena), the facility that is still used for home games today. This was not, however, the first attempt at birthing a permanent hockey program in Orono. Maine played two seasons of recognized college hockey in 1922 and 1923 totaling 17 games, and primarily playing other Maine colleges such as Bowdoin, Colby and Bates. This program did not stick, and it would be over 5 decades before organized hockey would become a staple at the state's flagship university. Upon foundation in 1977, the program was coached by Jack Semler (

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

'68). Maine enjoyed modest success under Semler boasting winning records in 3 of their first 4 regular seasons. The Black Bears competed in The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) during their first 7 years of existence, all of which were under Semler. The ECAC was recognized as Division-II hockey until 1979 at which point the conference, and thus Maine, became Division-I – the level of competition they have competed in ever since.

Shawn Walsh era (1984–2001)

Following the 1983–84 season, head coach Jack Semler submitted his resignation. With Maine set to join the newly formed Hockey East Association, Maine hired

Shawn Walsh William Shawn Walsh (June 21, 1955 – September 26, 2001) was the head ice hockey coach for the University of Maine Black Bears. Career Walsh was a third-string goalie for Bowling Green State University. As a sophomore, he decided to concentrate ...

, a 29-year-old assistant at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

and ex-3rd string goalie at Bowling Green State University. Walsh served as assistant coach for

Ron Mason Ronald Herbert Mason (January 14, 1940 – June 13, 2016) was a Canadian ice hockey player, head coach, and university executive. A head coach of various American universities, most notably Michigan State University (MSU), he was the most success ...

at his alma mater and Michigan State where he and Mason turned the Spartans' program from being sub-.500 performers to national contenders in only half a decade. He inherited a struggling team, so win/loss improvement was not immediate; Maine posted a 23–57–2 record over Walsh's first two years with the program. However, Walsh was attracting top recruits, and convincing the school, the state, and its fans that UMaine had the potential to become a college hockey powerhouse. In 1986 Walsh and the program saw the first of many significant accomplishments. At 24–16–2, he posted his first winning season as a head coach. The team also made its first NCAA tournament appearance that season, coincidentally losing in the first round to Michigan State. After finishing as the conference runner up in '87 and '88, Maine brought home its first significant championship in the 1988–89 season. Walsh's Black Bears skated past

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

in a 5–4 win for their first of 5 HEA Championships. Four of these would come under Walsh. Due to the success and popularity of the program, Alfond Arena expanded its capacity from 3,800 to more than 5,000 in 1992.

1993 National Championship

Maine was a heavy favorite to win its first national championship during the '91–'92 season. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed when they suffered a surprise first-round loss to Michigan State. After losing three of the team's top four scorers, including

Hobey Baker Award The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player. It has been awarded 41 times. It is named for Hall of Famer Hobey Baker, who played college hockey at Princeton University ...

winner

Scott Pellerin Scott Jaque-Frederick Pellerin (born January 9, 1970) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League between 1992 and 2004. Pellerin is currently a NHL scout with the Arizona Coyotes as of 9/28/21. ...

, and many other impact players following the season, expectations for the team dropped entering '92–'93. However, college hockey would soon learn that the Black Bears had an exceptionally gifted freshman class on their hands in 1992. This included future

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

Star Paul Kariya, and highly touted identical twin forwards Peter and Chris Ferraro. This caliber of talent joining Maine's all-time leading scorer Jim Montgomery, "Little" Cal Ingraham, defensive stalwart Chris Imes, and arguably one of the best goaltending tandems in college hockey history in

Garth Snow Garth E. Snow (born July 28, 1969) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender and former general manager, president and alternate governor of the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted by the Quebec Nordiq ...

and

Mike Dunham Michael Francis Dunham (born June 1, 1972) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. Dunham is the Boston Bruins goalie development coach, and the former head goaltending coach for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey Leag ...

, Maine was set up to make a historic run. Kariya scored a single season school record 100 points, while Montgomery put an exclamation point on the end of his successful college years finishing with a school record 301 career points. All this was en route to an amazing 42–1–2 season record, an HEA regular season title, the HEA conference championship, and their first-ever national championship. Their destiny was almost blown during the

Frozen Four The annual NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament is a college ice hockey tournament held in the United States by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to determine the top men's team in Division I. Like other Division I cham ...

semifinals against the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

when the referees disallowed an otherwise legitimate Maine goal. The backside of the net raised when the puck slid in causing confusion as to whether or not it really went in. As a result, the game was tied at the end of regulation when Maine felt they should have won. In overtime, Lee Saunders scored the game winner and sent Maine to the title game against defending champ

Lake Superior State University Lake Superior State University (colloquially Lake State, Lake Superior State, Soo Tech, and LSSU) is a public college in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It is enrolls approximately 2,000 students. Due to its proximity to the Canadian border, and the ...

. Maine's near-perfect season found itself in jeopardy once again in championship game. Despite an early and promising 2–0 lead, the Bears found themselves trailing the seasoned Lakers 4–2 after two periods. Working double shifts for period number three, two likely heroes emerged. Jim Montgomery scored a natural hat-trick in the third period, lifting Maine to a 5–4 win. All three goals were assisted by Kariya. There was a crackdown on many big college hockey programs during the 1990s for playing athletes who were deemed ineligible. Maine was one of these teams, and they suffered consequences including forfeited losses both retroactively and in future seasons. Some questioned the legitimacy of the 1993 title, but the NCAA let it stand because the players in question were from previous seasons and did not participate in Maine's championship.

1999 National Championship

The middle years of the 1990s were bittersweet for the Black Bears. They enjoyed some on-ice success and finished the national runner up in 1995, but due to sanctions and penalties for reasons previously mentioned, they were unable to compete in the NCAA tournament in 1996 and '97. The 1998–1999 season crowned a much-less-likely champion than that of 1993. Maine did not win the regular season crown, nor did they even land in their own conference tournament final. They advanced to the NCAAs on an at-large bid due to a successful regular season, but were not most analysts' favorite to win the national title. Following wins over

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

and

Clarkson University Clarkson University is a private research university with its main campus in Potsdam, New York, and additional graduate program and research facilities in the New York Capital Region and Beacon, New York. It was founded in 1896 and has an enr ...

, Maine advanced to the 1999 Frozen Four in Anaheim, California, where they would meet some familiar foes. Not long after Maine and Boston College met in the Hockey East semifinals, they squared off again in the national semis, with Maine goalie

Alfie Michaud Alfred Michaud (born November 6, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. An Ojibwe, Michaud played junior seasons in the SJHL, and then began a three-year tenure with the Maine Black Bears, winning an NCAA Men's Ice Hockey ...

besting Scott Clemmensen and lifting the Black Bears past the Eagles 2–1 in overtime. Though Maine's traditional nemesis for years was

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

(not only through meaningful games, but because of a well-documented rivalry between Shawn Walsh and BU Head Coach Jack Parker), an even bigger feud was emerging between Maine and the neighboring New Hampshire Wildcats. Led by Hobey Baker Award winner

Jason Krog Jason Krog (born October 9, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre last contracted by Lørenskog IK in the Norwegian GET-ligaen (GET). Playing career A native of British Columbia, Krog began his junior career in the BCJHL with ...

and future NHL goaltender

Ty Conklin Ty Curtis Conklin (born March 30, 1976) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. Throughout his National Hockey League (NHL) career, he played for the Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, S ...

, #1 ranked UNH was primed to win their program's first national championship. Goals by

Ben Guite Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he ...

and

Niko Dimitrakos Nicholas Dimitrakos ( gr, Niko Δημητράκος; born May 21, 1979) is a Greek-American former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the San Jose Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers. Playing car ...

(Maine), and more outstanding goaltending by eventual tournament MVP Alfie Michaud kept Maine competitive and the scoreboard read 2–2 at the end of regulation. Shortly after the 10-minute mark in OT, a careless play by UNH in their defensive zone turned into Maine's opportunity as Cory Larose swiped a drifting puck off the nearside boards and made a cross-ice pass to Marcus Gustafsson. Conklin made the initial save but with no defensive help, Gustafsson collected his own rebound and scored the game winner to clinch Maine's second National Championship.

The Death of Walsh

Coach William "Shawn" Walsh inherited a relatively new and obscure hockey program at The University of Maine in 1984 and he was convinced that it could be built up to greatness. His finger was clearly on the pulse of every aspect of the program, and he held a sincere understanding of what it would take to develop success. It would take a diligent combination of recruiting the right players, a proper coaching staff to develop talent, the support of the university and the Athletic Department, and highly engaged fan bases both on and off campus to create a top college-hockey program. He took personal ownership in each of these categories. During its grassroots, there are even great stories passed on of Walsh marching into the student dining commons, standing up and shouting on the tables, rallying students down to the games, and encouraging them to create a loud and hostile environment for Maine's opponents. The light blue "Maine-iak" shirts worn by the students at UMaine were one of his many ideas. Most supporters and enthusiasts of the program credit the foundation of greatness held by the Black Bear Men's Ice Hockey team almost exclusively to Shawn Walsh. In June 2000 Walsh was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma (cancer of the kidneys). Knowing that his time may be limited, he hand-selected the coach he wanted to take over the team were he unable to continue. Always known as a fiery coach, Walsh surprised some when he selected mild-mannered

UMass Lowell River Hawks The UMass Lowell River Hawks are the NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Massachusetts Lowell in Lowell, Massachusetts, United States. Members of the America East Conference for all sports (except the me ...

coach Tim Whitehead (Hamilton '85). Whitehead earned his graduate degree in education at the University of Maine approximately 10 years prior, and during this time he worked with Walsh as a graduate assistant coach. Shawn Walsh died from cancer on September 24, 2001. A green clover with his name underneath is hung in his honor along with the three retired players' numbers in Alfond Arena. In 2006 the Shawn Walsh Hockey Center, a new extension of Alfond Arena with coaching and administrative offices, meeting areas, and new player facilities opened. This several-million-dollar project was funded through private donations—many coming from dozens of players Walsh coached through his 17 years with Maine.

Tim Whitehead era (2001–2013)

Tim Whitehead became the interim head coach following the death of Shawn Walsh at the start of the 2001–2002 season. He was later named the permanent head coach after a very successful first campaign in a year where he was eventually honored with the Spencer Penrose award which recognizes the NCAA coach of the year. Walsh won the Penrose award in 1995. The team reached the championship game in 2002, the first season under Whitehead. Attempting to "win it for Shawn," they had to play The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Gophers' home state for the finals. They were one minute away from a win when Minnesota tied the game with their goalie pulled. In overtime, after a tripping penalty on Michael Schutte of Maine, the Gophers scored the winning goal on the power play. Two years later, backed by the most statistically strong single-season goalie tandem in the NCAA record books ( Jimmy Howard 1.19GAA .953 Save pct *both NCAA records; Frank Doyle 1.81GAA), future NHL player Dustin Penner, a slew of popular forwards including

Todd Jackson Todd Jackson (born April 10, 1981) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He was last playing in Pergine in the Italian 2nd Division. Jackson was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the 8th round (251st overall) of the 2000 NHL ...

, Colin Shields, Maine's own Greg Moore and Derek Damon, conference rookie of the year Michel Leveille, and tough-guy defenseman Prestin Ryan, Maine found itself back in the big game. The Bears controlled the tempo and jumped on the board early against

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

on a Derek Damon goal, but the referees disallowed the goal explaining that part of the skate of Mike Hamilton crossed a line on the goalie crease as the goal went in. Though Howard only allowed one goal, Maine's offense could not find its rhythm after the disallowed goal and they lost 1–0. That offseason, the NCAA reviewed the rule it followed to call off Maine's goal. They decided to adjust the rule to emulate the NHL's policy on this type of play, that is, only making a "man-in-the-crease" call if the player whose skate crosses the crease actually affects the outcome of the play or the goalie's ability to make the save.

Maine Recession

In the summer of 2008, Assistant Coach Guy Perron and Volunteer Assistant Coach

Grant Standbrook Grant Standbrook (born September 18, 1937) is a Canadian retired ice hockey player and coach who spent over 40 years in the college ranks. Career Standbrook played two seasons at Minnesota-Duluth while the team competed as an Independent in the ...

both stepped aside from the program. Standbrook retired, while Perron was hired as an amateur scout for the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

. In 2006 and 2007 Maine would go to the Frozen Four but hit a regrouping session in 2008. 2008 was a dark year as Maine finished 9th in Hockey East and didn't even qualify for the playoffs, then in 2009 Maine entered the Hockey East Playoffs 8th and was eliminated in the first round by BU. In 2010 Maine reversed their two-year drought and finished 4th in Hockey East, Maine would go all the way to the Hockey East Championship but would lose to BC. The next year a resurgent Merrimack team finished 4th and eliminated Maine from the Hockey East Tournament and once again dashed their hopes of getting back to the national tournament. Going into the 2012 Maine didn't look very likely to break the 4-year drought, especially with the early departure of junior standout

Gustav Nyquist Gustav Nyquist (born 1 September 1989) is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nyquist was drafted 121st overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2008 N ...

, but Spencer Abbott would step up and have an incredible campaign. Abbott would lead the nation in scoring, and lead Maine to 4th in Hockey East, Maine would go all the way to the Hockey East championship, but would once again be beat by future national champion Boston College. Even though Maine lost in the Hockey East championship they had a good enough record to qualify for the national tournament breaking a four-year drought. The terrific 2012 season ended in the first round of the national tournament with a loss to defending national champion

University of Minnesota Duluth The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a public university in Duluth, Minnesota. It is part of the University of Minnesota system and offers 16 bachelor's degrees in 88 majors, graduate programs in 25 different fields, and a two-year progr ...

. Whitehead was fired on Tuesday April 9, 2013 after going 11–19–8.

Red Gendron era (2013–2021)

On May 17, 2013,

Paul W. Ferguson and Director of Athletics Steve Abbott introduced

Red Gendron Dennis "Red" Gendron (November 27, 1957 – April 9, 2021) was an ice hockey coach, most recently for the University of Maine men's ice hockey team. Gendron previously served as head coach for the Albany River Rats and Indiana Ice and held mult ...

as the fifth men's hockey head coach in the history of the

. Gendron's first major step towards rebuilding Maine hockey came on June 10, 2013 when he named former Maine Black Bear and NHL player Ben Guité as his first assistant coach. On June 25, 2013, Gendron announced, longtime

coach and scout Jay Leach as associate head coach. Like Gendron, Leach previously served as an assistant coach for UMaine hockey under

The program has continued to struggle under Red Gendron; the Black Bears have posted just two winning seasons since 2012, and in 2014–15, they finished dead last in the Hockey East standings, with an abysmal 8-24-6 overall record, their worst season since 1982. In April 2017, Jay Leach announced his retirement from the program. Coach Guite replaced him as Associate Head Coach. That July, the program hired former Maine goaltender

as assistant coach. In the 2017–18 season, the team began to make progress, posting an 18-16-4 record, including a nine-game unbeaten streak. The team's overall record fell back slightly to 15-17-4 in the 2018–19 season, but their Hockey East conference record climbed to 11-9-4, good for sixth place out of eleven teams. The following season saw the most successful campaign of Gendron's tenure. The team was picked to finish 8th in Hockey East play, and the season opener resulted in a 7–0 loss at Providence, the worst season-opening loss in program history. However, despite the poor start, the team exceeded its meager expectations; backed by goaltender

Jeremy Swayman Jeremy Swayman (born November 24, 1998), nicknamed "Sway", is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Bruins selected him in the fourth round, 111th overall, of the 2017 NHL ...

, the Black Bears managed to finished the regular season with an 18-11-5 record (12-9-3 HEA), finishing 4th in the league and earning home ice in the Hockey East quarterfinals for the first time since 2012. However, on March 12, 2020, the NCAA hockey season was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Gendron was named Hockey East Coach of the Year; Swayman was named Hockey East Player of the Year and the

Mike Richter Award The Mike Richter Award is an annual award given to the goaltender voted to be the most outstanding in Division I NCAA men's ice hockey during the regular season. The award is named in honor of former Wisconsin goaltender Mike Richter. The inaugur ...

as the nation's top goaltender, becoming the first Black Bear to earn the award. Shortly after the end of Maine's abbreviated 2020–21 season, Gendron died following a medical episode while on a

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

course.

Season-by-season results

Source:

Coaches

All-time coaching records

As of the completion of 2021–22 season † Greg Cronin served as the interim head coach for the 1 year that Shawn Walsh was suspended.

Championships

National Championships

Runners-up in 1995, 2002, 2004

Hockey East Tournament Championships

Runners-up in 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2012

Rivalries

Border War/ New Hampshire Wildcats

The Border War refers to the rivalry between the UNH Wildcats and the Maine Black Bears. College Hockey News has ranked it as the seventh best Division I college hockey rivalry. The Rivalry is extremely intense because of the proximity of the states and the overall success of the two programs. The two programs have also met many times in meaningful post-season games. In 1999 Maine defeated UNH 3–2 in overtime to claim their second national championship, this essentially started the chant "We have 2, How about you!" chanted by Maine fans. Then again in 2002 Maine beat UNH in the national semifinals for a chance at the national championship. Maine and UNH has also met in the Hockey East playoffs many times, fueling the rivalry even more. In 2012 Maine once again defeated UNH in a large scale game at Fenway Park, winning 5–4 in overtime.

Boston College Eagles

The rivalry between Maine and BC is not one of as much publicity as that of Maine/UNH or BC/BU but is still intense all-the-same. Maine and BC have met in 7 Hockey East Championship games with Maine winning 2 of those championships, The teams have also met in 4 Hockey East semifinals with Maine winning 1 semifinal against BC. This rivalry is another rivalry where the success of both teams has contributed to the intensity of the games between the two teams. Maine and BC have also met in 2 national semifinals, Maine won both meetings, but never in a national championship game. Maine and BC have 7 combined National championships.

Boston University Terriers

The rivalry between Maine and BU is one much like Maine/BC. They've only met in 2 Hockey East Championship, games each team winning one. In 1993 Maine lost only one game all year to BU, this loss came after taking a large lead and blowing it. Maine and BU also met in the 1995 National Championship game, BU won the game 6–2. Maine and BU have met 6 times in the Hockey East semifinals, Maine has won all 6 semifinals. The intensity of the games, combined with the mutual dislike of the fans results in very heated games every time they meet.

Florida College Classic

The Florida College Classic is an annual single elimination tournament played in

Estero, Florida Estero is a village in Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,939. During the 2010 census, Estero was an unincorporated community, or census-designated place, the population at that time was 22,612. Est ...

at Germain Arena. The Tournament is co-hosted by Maine and

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

each year, also 2 other teams will play to form a semifinal format. Since Shawn Walsh was so instrumental to the inception of the tournament the Most Outstanding Player receives the Shawn Walsh Memorial Trophy. Maine has won 6 Florida College Classics and has been to 8 title games in the tournaments first 13 years.

Current roster

As of July 4, 2022.

Awards and honors

Hockey Hall of Fame , logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg , logo_upright = 0.5 , image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg , caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992 , map_type = , former_name = , established = 1943 , location = 30 Y ...

* Paul Kariya (2017)

NCAA

Individual awards

: 1992 * Paul Kariya: 1993

Spencer Penrose Award The Spencer Penrose Award is awarded yearly to the top coach in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey by the American Hockey Coaches Association. The finalists for each year's award comprise the conference Coach of the Year winners from each Division ...

: 1995 * Tim Whitehead: 2002

: 2020

Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award The Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award is an annual award given out to the NCAA Division I player judged to best exemplify the qualities of sportsmanship, competitiveness, intelligence and work ethic. The award is named in honor of Derek Hines, a 4-ye ...

* Brice O'Connor: 2014 NCAA Scoring Champion * Paul Kariya: 1993 *

: 2010 * Spencer Abbott: 2012 Tournament Most Outstanding Player * Jim Montgomery: 1993 *

: 1999

All-American Teams

AHCA First Team All-Americans *1979–80: Andre Aubut, D *1980–81:

Gary Conn Gary Conn is an American retired ice hockey center who was an All-American for Maine. Career Conn was a member of Maine's first recruiting class when the ice hockey program was revived in 1977. The Black Bears started out in Division II and s ...

, F *1987–88:

Jack Capuano Jack C. Capuano Jr. (born July 7, 1966) is an American ice hockey coach and former player. He is a former head coach of the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is currently an associate coach for the Ottawa Senators of the ...

, D;

Dave Capuano Dave Alan Capuano (born July 27, 1968) is a retired American professional ice hockey left winger. Capuano was born in Warwick, Rhode Island, but grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island. Now he lives with his Wife Lori, and his 2 kids Jaclyn and Max. ...

, F *1988–89:

, F *1990–91:

Keith Carney Keith Edward Carney (born February 3, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He last played for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 2007–08 season. Playing career Keith Carney was drafted 76t ...

, D;

Jean-Yves Roy Jean-Yves Roy (born July 21, 1949) is a retired Canadian politician. He was a Bloc Québécois member of the House of Commons of Canada from the 2000 election until his resignation in 2010. Political career Born in Saint-Charles-Garnier, Que ...

, F *1991–92:

, F;

, F *1992–93:

, G; Chris Imes, D; Paul Kariya, F *1994–95: Blair Allison, G; Chris Imes, D *1995–96:

Jeff Tory Jeff "Iron Fist" Tory (born August 6, 1973) is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman currently playing for HDD Olimpija Ljubljana in the Austrian Hockey League. Tory was born in Burnaby, British Columbia. After spending three years in the University ...

, D *1998–99: David Cullen, D;

Steve Kariya Steven Tetsuo Kariya (born December 22, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger and younger brother of former National Hockey League player Paul Kariya. Kariya was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Playing career Afte ...

, F *2005–06: Greg Moore, F *2006–07:

Michel Léveillé Michel Léveillé is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former center who was a two-time All-American for Maine. Career Léveillé was a late-blooming junior player, not participating in a high-level league until he was 19. In his final season of ...

, F *2009–10:

, F *2011–12: Spencer Abbott, F *2019–20:

, G AHCA Second Team All-Americans *1986–87:

Eric Weinrich Eric John Weinrich (born December 19, 1966) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, B ...

, D *1987–88:

Mike Golden Michael or Mike Golden may refer to: * Michael Golden (comics), American comic book and graphic novel artist and writer * Michael Golden (actor) (1913–1983), Irish-born English stage, film and television actor * Michael Golden (businessman), Amer ...

, F;

Mike McHugh Michael McHugh (born August 16, 1965) is an American former ice hockey left wing. He played 20 games in the National Hockey League with the Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks from 1988 to 1991. The rest of his career, which lasted from 19 ...

, F *1988–89: Bob Beers, F *1989–90:

, D;

, F *1990–91: Jim Montgomery, F *1992–93:

Cal Ingraham Cal Ingraham is an American retired ice hockey coach and right wing who was an All-American for Maine and helped the program win its first National Championship in 1993. Career Ingraham began attending the Air Force Academy in the fall of 1989 ...

, F; Jim Montgomery, F *1994–95:

, D *1999-00: Cory Larose, F *2001–02:

Peter Metcalf Peter Metcalf (born February 25, 1979) is an American former ice hockey player who played eight seasons of professional hockey in the American Hockey League and ECHL from 2002–10. He was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 9th round (267t ...

, D;

, F *2003–04: Jimmy Howard, G;

Prestin Ryan Prestin Ryan (born June 29, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played one game for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Amateur Born in Arcola, Saskatchewan, Prestin Ryan played ...

, D;

, F; Colin Shields, F *2005–06:

, F *2010–11:

, F *2013–14: Ben Hutton, D;

Devin Shore Devin Shore (born July 19, 1994) is a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Dallas Stars in the second round (61st over ...

, F

ECAC Hockey ECAC Hockey is one of the six conferences that compete in NCAA Division I ice hockey. The conference used to be affiliated with the Eastern College Athletic Conference, a consortium of over 300 colleges in the eastern United States. This relati ...

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-ECAC Hockey *1979–80: Andre Aubut, D *1980–81:

, F Second Team All-ECAC Hockey *1980–81: Jeff Nord, G; Andre Aubut, D

Hockey East The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for ...

Individual awards

Player of the Year *

, LW: 1988 *

, LW: 1992 * Paul Kariya, LW: 1993 * Chris Imes, D: 1995 * Spencer Abbott, RW: 2012 *

, G: 2020 Rookie of the Year *

Al Loring AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

, G: 1986 *

Mario Thyer Mario Thyer (born September 29, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played five regular season games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice ...

, C: 1988 *

, LW: 1989 * Paul Kariya, LW: 1993 * Jimmy Howard, G: 2003 *

, C: 2004 *

Teddy Purcell Edward Purcell (born September 8, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. He was not dr ...

, RW: 2007 Goaltending Champion * Scott King: 1987, 1988, 1990 *

: 1993 * Blair Allison: 1995 * Jimmy Howard: 2004 *

: 2020 Best Defensive Forward *

, LW: 2004 * Tanner House, C: 2011 *

Chase Pearson Chase Pearson (born August 23, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for Slovak Extraliga team HK Dukla Michalovce. He was drafted 140th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career ...

, F: 2019

Len Ceglarski Award The Len Ceglarski Award is an annual award given out at the conclusion of the Hockey East regular season to the player most exemplifying the qualities of sportsmanship on the ice in the conference as voted by the head coaches of each Hockey East t ...

, LW: 1997, 1998, 1999 * Cory Larose, C: 2000 *

Martin Kariya Martin Tetsuya Kariya (born October 5, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. He is the youngest brother of former NHL players Paul Kariya and Steve Kariya. Playing career Amateur Kariya had a standout NCAA college hockey ...

, LW: 2003 *

Mike Lundin Michael Robert Lundin (born September 24, 1984) is an American professional ice hockey player, who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Ottawa Senators, Minnesota Wild, and ...

, D: 2007 *

Brian Flynn Brian Flynn may refer to: * Brian Flynn (footballer) (born 1955), Welsh football manager * Brian Flynn (baseball) (born 1990), American baseball player * Brian Flynn (cricketer) (1929-1986), Australian cricketer * Brian Flynn (ice hockey) Brian ...

, RW: 2011 Best Defensive Defenseman * Cliff Loya: 2003 *

: 2004

Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

: 1988, 1990, 1993, 1995 *

: 2020 Tournament Most Valuable Player * Bob Beers, D:

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, LW:

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

* Jim Montgomery, C:

, RW:

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

* Jimmy Howard, G:

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

Three-Stars Award *

Martin Ouellette Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Aust ...

: 2013

All-Conference Teams

First Team First team may refer to: Sports * First team (association football), the colloquial name given to the most senior team fielded by a football club * The First Team, the first players known to have played the sport of basketball * First Team All-A ...

*1986–87:

, D *1987–88: Scott King, G;

, D;

, F;

, F *1988–89:

, F *1989–90: Scott King, G *1990–91:

, D;

, F *1991–92:

, F *1992–93:

, G; Chris Imes, D; Paul Kariya, F; Jim Montgomery, F *1994–95: Blair Allison, G; Chris Imes, D;

, D *1995–96: Blair Allison, G;

, D; Tim Lovell, F *1996–97: Jason Mansoff, D; Tim Lovell, F *1998–99: David Cullen, D;

, F *1999–00: Cory Larose, F *2001–02: Mike Morrison, G;

, D *2002–03:

Francis Nault Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome * Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural ...

, D;

, F *2003–04: Jimmy Howard, G *2005–06: Greg Moore, F *2006–07:

, F *2009–10:

, F *2010–11:

, F *2011–12: Spencer Abbott, F;

, F *2013–14: Ben Hutton, D;

, F *2019–20:

, G Second Team *1986–87:

, D *1987–88:

, F *1988–89: Scott King, G; Bob Beers, D *1989–90:

, D *1990–91:

Shaun Kane Shaun is an anglicized spelling of the Irish name Seán. Alternative spellings include Shawn, Sean and Shawne. Notable persons with the given name include: People *Shaun (musician) (born 1990), South Korean musician *Shaun (YouTuber), British vi ...

, D; Jim Montgomery, F *1991–92:

, G; Chris Imes, D; Jim Montgomery, F;

, F *1992–93:

, G *2001–02:

, F *2002–03: Lucas Lawson, F *2003–04:

, D;

, F; Colin Shields, F *2005–06:

, F *2006–07:

, D; Josh Soares, F *2007–08: Ben Bishop, G *2009–10: Jeff Dimmen, D *2010–11:

Josh Van Dyk Josh is a masculine given name, frequently a diminutive (hypocorism) of the given names Joshua or Joseph, though since the 1970s, it has increasingly become a full name on its own. It may refer to: People A–J * "Josh", an early pseudonym of S ...

, D *2011–12:

Joey Diamond The 2012 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was played between March 8 and March 17, 2012 at campus locations and at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston College Eagles won their eleventh Hockey East Tournament and earned the Ho ...

, F *2014–15:

, F *2018–19: Chase Pearson, F *2019–20: Mitchell Fossier, F Third Team *2018–19:

, G; Brady Keeper, D; Mitchell Fossier, F Rookie Team *1986–87:

, D *1987–88:

, F *1988–89:

, D;

, F *1989–90: Jim Montgomery, F;

, F *1990–91:

Patrice Tardif Patrice Pamphile Tardif (born October 30, 1970) is a former professional ice hockey centre who played for the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings. Biography Tardif was born in Thetford Mines, Quebec. As a youth, he pla ...

, F *1992–93:

David MacIsaac David MacIsaac (born April 23, 1972) is a former professional ice hockey player and hockey coach from Cambridge, Massachusetts. MacIsaac established his footing in the ice hockey industry when he won the NCAA championship with the University of ...

, D; Chris Ferraro, F; Paul Kariya, F *1994–95:

, D; Shawn Wansborough, F *1995–96: Brett Clark, D;

, F *1996–97: Cory Larose, F *1997–98: Matthias Trattnig, F *1998–99:

, D; Barrett Heisten, F *2001–02: Colin Shields, F *2002–03: Jimmy Howard, G *2003–04:

, F *2004–05: Bret Tyler, D *2005–06: Ben Bishop, G *2006–07:

, F *2008–09:

, F *2010–11:

Dan Sullivan Dan, Danny, or Daniel Sullivan may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Daniel J. Sullivan (born 1940), American film and theater director * Daniel G. Sullivan, American screenwriter * Dan Sullivan (musician), indie rock musician * Dan Panic, Amer ...

, G *2017–18:

, G *2021–22:

David Breazeale David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, D

Statistical leaders

Source:

Career points leaders

Career goaltending leaders

''GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% =

Save percentage Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various goal-scoring sports that track saves as a statistic. In ice hockey and lacrosse, it is a statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal ...

; GAA =

Goals against average Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on s ...

'' minimum 30 games played Statistics current through the start of the 2018–19 season.

Records

NCAA

Individual

*Most Power Play Goals in a Game:

Jay Mazur Jay Mazur (born January 22, 1965) is a Canadians, Canadian-born Americans, American former professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward. He played 47 games in the National Hockey League with the Vancouver Canucks between 1988 and 1992, ...

, 4 (Feb 17, 1987 vs UMass Lowell) *Best Save Percentage in a Season: Jimmy Howard, .956 (2003–04) *Best GAA in a Season: Jimmy Howard, 1.19 (2003–04)

Team

*Most Wins in a Season: 42 (1992–93) *Most Goals in a Season: 292 (1992–93) *Most Goals in a Period: 11 (Nov 11, 1978 vs St Thomas) *Most Power Play Goals in a Game: 8 (March 3, 1990 vs UMass Lowell)

Hockey East

Individual

*Most Goals In A Game:

and

, 5 *Most Power Play Goals In A Game:

, 4 (Feb 7, 1987 vs UMass Lowell) *Most Points In A Game By A Defenseman:

, 6 (Jan 30, 1988 vs New Hampshire) *Most Points In A Season By A Rookie: Paul Kariya, 63 (1992–93) *Most Assists In A Season By A Rookie: Paul Kariya, 48 (1992–93) *Most Assists In A Game By A Rookie: Paul Kariya, 5 (Dec 5, 1992 vs Northeastern) *Longest Point Streak: Paul Kariya, 23 games (1992–93)

Team

*Best Win Percentage In A Season: .938 (1992–93) *Fewest Losses In A Season: 1 (1992–93) *Most Road Wins In A Season: 12 (1992–93) *Longest Winning Streak: 16 (Nov 7, 1992 - Feb 13, 1993) *Longest Unbeaten Streak: 30 (Jan 25, 1992 - Feb 13, 1993) *Fewest Goals Allowed In A Season: 42 (2003–04) *Most Power Play Goals In A Season: 50 (1990–91) *Most Short-Handed Goals In A Game: 3 (Jan 23, 2004 vs Boston University)

Program Records

Single Season

*Most Goals:

; 46 (1992–93) *Most Assists: Paul Kariya; 75 (1992–93) *Most Points: Paul Kariya; 100 (1992–93) *Most Points By A Defenseman:

; 56 (1990–91) *Most Points By A Rookie: Paul Kariya; 100 (1992–93) *Most Wins: Blair Allison; 32 (1994–95) *Most Wins By A Rookie: Ben Bishop; 21 (2005–06) *Lowest Goals Against Average: Jimmy Howard; 1.19 (2003–04) *Best Save Percentage: Jimmy Howard; .956 (2003–04) *Most Saves:

; 1,099 (2019–20) *Most Shutouts: Jimmy Howard; 6 (2003–04, 2004–05)

Career

*Most Goals:

, 108 *Most Assists: Jim Montgomery, 198 *Most Points: Jim Montgomery, 301 *Most Points By A Defenseman:

, 128 *Most Wins:

, 64 *Best Goals Against Average: Jimmy Howard, 1.84 *Best Save Percentage: Jimmy Howard, .931 *Most Shutouts: Jimmy Howard, 15

Olympians

This is a list of Maine alumni were a part of an

Olympic team A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...

Maine Sports Hall of Fame

The following is a list of people associated with the Maine men's ice hockey program who were elected into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame (induction date in parenthesis). * Andre Aubut (1988) *

(2008) *

(2013) *

(2009) *

(1989) *

(2010) * Jimmy Howard (2011) * Chris Imes (2003) * Ray Jacques (2018) * Paul Kariya (1999) *

(2012) * Scott King (2005) *

(2006) * 1993 Team (2017) * Jim Montgomery (1998) *

(1997) *

(2004) *

(2007) *

(2017) *

(2002) *

(1994)

Black Bears in the NHL

As of July 1, 2022. File:bobbeers.jpg, Bob Beers File:Ben Bishop - Tampa Bay Lightning.jpg, Ben Bishop File:Brett Clark Lightning2 2012-02-12.JPG, Brett Clark File:Scott Darling - Chicago Blackhawks.jpg,

Scott Darling Scott Darling (born December 22, 1988) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes. Darling was selected by the Phoenix C ...

File:Peter Ferraro (30836439923) (cropped).jpg, Peter Ferraro File:Brian Flynn - Montreal Canadiens.jpg,

File:JimmyHowardRW.jpg, Jimmy Howard File:Ben Hutton 10-2015a.jpg, Ben Hutton File:Paul Kariya.jpg, Paul Kariya File:Mike Lundin 2013-05-17.JPG,

File:Dustin Penner2007.jpg,

Dustin Penner Dustin Penner (born September 28, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals. Undrafted by any NHL te ...

File:Teddy Purcell - Edmonton Oilers.jpg,

File:Zach Sill 2013-12-21.JPG,

Zach Sill Zach Sill (born May 24, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centreman who is currently playing for Kölner Haie of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). In North America, he most recently played for the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey ...

Team Scoring Champions

The (+) denotes a tie in total points at the end of the season.

References

*http://www.hockeyeastonline.com/pdf/men/tourney/tournamentquick.pdf *http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/alumni.php?tmi=8628 *

Florida College Hockey Classic The Florida College Hockey Classic (formerly the Everblades College Classic) was a National Collegiate Athletic Association, college NCAA Division I#Division I in ice hockey, Division I men's College ice hockey, ice hockey tournament played annual ...

*http://insidecollegehockey.com/6History/hobey_finalists.htm *http://www.uscho.com/stats/team/maine/mens-hockey/2012-2013/#overallstats *http://www.uscho.com/team/maine/mens-hockey/ *http://www.uscho.com/2013/04/09/report-whitehead-ousted-as-maines-head-coach/ http://www.uscho.com/scoreboard/maine/mens-hockey/2013-2014/ http://www.uscho.com/scoreboard/maine/mens-hockey/2014-2015/

External links

* {{Hockey East

Records

Ice hockey teams in Maine