UM showed little man has a place

A few more thoughts on the University of Maine’s national hockey championship….

Eight of Maine’s 12 forwards in the title game averaged out to 5-foot-9, 177 pounds. This is one of the beauties of hockey. There is still a place in the sport for the little man. He must either be very quick, very skilled, very tenacious or a combination of those traits. All of Maine’s small forwards were tenacious and quick and, although there was a difference in skill level between them, all of them played important roles in the national title….

He may be the archrival that Maine hockey fans love to hate, but Boston University Coach Jack Parker gave a thumbs-up sign to members of the Maine media contingent following Maine’s championship win over Lake Superior State. He was genuinely happy that Maine had given Hockey East its first NCAA title. Maine Coach Shawn Walsh said Parker and his Terriers, the only team to beat the Bears this season, played an important role in Maine’s title march because the Terriers’ size, skill and intensity helped prepare Maine for the three western teams it beat in the NCAA Tournament….

I hate to admit it, but I am starting to like the NCAA Regional Tournament format as opposed to the best-of-three series at the rinks of the higher-seeded teams. The atmosphere at the Providence Civic Center two years ago and the Worcester (Mass.) Centrum last month was electric. It feels very much like the Final Four. One new format that will be discussed by the coaches later this month will be to have three teams at the rinks of the top two seeds in the East and the top two in the West. There would be a first-round game the first night and the winner would play the host team the next night. The primary reason the other formats are being considered stems from the abysmal attendance figures at the two Western regionals at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena….

Maine’s crown epitomizes the importance of leadership and camaraderie. Jim Montgomery, according to Bear left winger Justin Tomberlin, was a “fantastic leader.” Montgomery was a very positive captain who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. Alternate captains Dan Murphy, Dave LaCouture and Chris Imes were also effective leaders as were some of the seniors. In fact, Murphy and senior left winger Kent Salfi both gave impassioned speeches to their teammates about avoiding stupid penalties. This team was very close and was able to communicate like a family. Most of the players were able to take constructive criticism and channel it into self-improvement. Leadership and chemistry have long been understated in their importance to the performance of a team….

The classy way Lake Superior State Coach Jeff Jackson and his players handled the loss to Maine was memorable. They didn’t make any excuses and praised the performance turned in by Maine. Jackson went so far as to say Maine has to be considered one of the greatest college hockey teams of all time. It has to be very, very difficult to absorb a loss like that and still remain composed and complimentary afterward. Maine Coach Shawn Walsh and the Maine players were praised for the way they handled the heartbreaking loss to Michigan State in last year’s NCAA quarterfinal….

If the name Harry Ammian sounded familiar, it should. Ammian, one of the referees for the Maine-Lake Superior State game, was the referee who gave Montgomery a five-minute major and game DQ for spearing University of Wisconsin goalie Duane Derksen in the first game of their two-game NCAA quarterfinal series in 1990. Montgomery, who missed the next game, chopped Derksen in the back of the legs and a livid Walsh berated Ammian in the postgame press conference, receiving a one-game suspension from the NCAA for it. Ammian and Rob Hearn did a quality job last Saturday….

The people in Milwaukee were terrific hosts for the tourney and the crowds were equally terrific, especially considering that the beloved Badgers didn’t qualify….

It’s still hard to believe the Bears lost only once in 45 games. That won’t be equalled for a long, long time. And if there are any fans in any sport who deserve a national champion, it is the loyal Maine fans.

A few more thoughts on the University of Maine’s national hockey championship….

Eight of Maine’s 12 forwards in the title game averaged out to 5-foot-9, 177 pounds. This is one of the beauties of hockey. There is still a place in the sport for the little man. He must either be very quick, very skilled, very tenacious or a combination of those traits. All of Maine’s small forwards were tenacious and quick and, although there was a difference in skill level between them, all of them played important roles in the national title….

He may be the archrival that Maine hockey fans love to hate, but Boston University Coach Jack Parker gave a thumbs-up sign to members of the Maine media contingent following Maine’s championship win over Lake Superior State. He was genuinely happy that Maine had given Hockey East its first NCAA title. Maine Coach Shawn Walsh said Parker and his Terriers, the only team to beat the Bears this season, played an important role in Maine’s title march because the Terriers’ size, skill and intensity helped prepare Maine for the three western teams it beat in the NCAA Tournament….

I hate to admit it, but I am starting to like the NCAA Regional Tournament format as opposed to the best-of-three series at the rinks of the higher-seeded teams. The atmosphere at the Providence Civic Center two years ago and the Worcester (Mass.) Centrum last month was electric. It feels very much like the Final Four. One new format that will be discussed by the coaches later this month will be to have three teams at the rinks of the top two seeds in the East and the top two in the West. There would be a first-round game the first night and the winner would play the host team the next night. The primary reason the other formats are being considered stems from the abysmal attendance figures at the two Western regionals at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena….

Maine’s crown epitomizes the importance of leadership and camaraderie. Jim Montgomery, according to Bear left winger Justin Tomberlin, was a “fantastic leader.” Montgomery was a very positive captain who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. Alternate captains Dan Murphy, Dave LaCouture and Chris Imes were also effective leaders as were some of the seniors. In fact, Murphy and senior left winger Kent Salfi both gave impassioned speeches to their teammates about avoiding stupid penalties. This team was very close and was able to communicate like a family. Most of the players were able to take constructive criticism and channel it into self-improvement. Leadership and chemistry have long been understated in their importance to the performance of a team….

The classy way Lake Superior State Coach Jeff Jackson and his players handled the loss to Maine was memorable. They didn’t make any excuses and praised the performance turned in by Maine. Jackson went so far as to say Maine has to be considered one of the greatest college hockey teams of all time. It has to be very, very difficult to absorb a loss like that and still remain composed and complimentary afterward. Maine Coach Shawn Walsh and the Maine players were praised for the way they handled the heartbreaking loss to Michigan State in last year’s NCAA quarterfinal….

If the name Harry Ammian sounded familiar, it should. Ammian, one of the referees for the Maine-Lake Superior State game, was the referee who gave Montgomery a five-minute major and game DQ for spearing University of Wisconsin goalie Duane Derksen in the first game of their two-game NCAA quarterfinal series in 1990. Montgomery, who missed the next game, chopped Derksen in the back of the legs and a livid Walsh berated Ammian in the postgame press conference, receiving a one-game suspension from the NCAA for it. Ammian and Rob Hearn did a quality job last Saturday….

The people in Milwaukee were terrific hosts for the tourney and the crowds were equally terrific, especially considering that the beloved Badgers didn’t qualify….

It’s still hard to believe the Bears lost only once in 45 games. That won’t be equalled for a long, long time. And if there are any fans in any sport who deserve a national champion, it is the loyal Maine fans.