Bears regain Tardif> UM hockey team forfeits 21 games

Good news and bad news for the University of Maine hockey team arrived Thursday night.

The good news is the NCAA restored graduate student right wing Patrice Tardif’s athletic eligibility. He’ll be in the lineup this weekend.

The bad news is Maine will have to forfeit the 21 games in which Tardif appeared while enrolled in fewer than the minimum eight credit hours, a violation of an NCAA bylaw.

Tardif, of St. Methode, Quebec, was one of five UM graduate student-athletes mistakenly informed by former UM compliance officer Woody Carville they needed only six credit hours to be eligible.

With the forfeits, which involved all games played between Nov. 22 and Dec. 18, 1993, and Feb. 4-20 of ’94, Maine’s record drops to 5-26-1 overall, 2-19-1 in Hockey East.

“I’m ecstatic for Patrice,” said UM head coach Shawn Walsh, after learning of the NCAA ruling. “We’re in it for the student-athlete first and foremost. He’s a quality kid who deserves to play. I’m thrilled with the NCAA analysis.”

Walsh was less thrilled with the forfeits.

“It’s ironic. If a coach or player makes an error in a game decision, the worst it costs you is a game. Here a human error was made. It was an oversight. Woody didn’t do it on purpose. And it’s cost us 21 games. But, hey, it’s a black and white rule. Obviously we have to pay the price,” Walsh said.

Tardif could not be reached for comment.

Maine may wind up paying another price for the error as well. Friday, the Hockey East directors will have a conference call to determine if they will allow Maine to compete in the upcoming league postseason tournament.

“I have no idea how that’s going to go,” said Walsh.

Charles Rauch, Maine’s director of finance, will be sitting in on the conference call as acting AD while AD Mike Ploszek is on investigatory leave.

Walsh said Maine has a plan to offer the Hockey East ADs that may aid the Black Bears’ chances of being allowed to participate in the tournament.

“An option that may be considered is for the first-place team to have a choice of facing either the eighth-place team during the season or the eighth-place team because of the forfeits,” said Walsh. “Then the second-place team gets the same choice right down to the fourth-place team.”

Walsh pointed out a similar option-system exists in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association when Alaska-Fairbanks, only an affilated member of the league, participates in the postseason tournament.

Walsh also said Hockey East faces a major decision in deciding if its members will accept the points from the Maine games. If they do, it could rearrange the standings.

There is no precedent in Hockey East for keeping a team out of the postseason tournament for major violations, let alone the secondary ones of which Maine is accused.

UMass-Lowell was found guilty of major violations a couple of years ago and banned from the NCAA Tournament, but was still allowed to participate in the Hockey East tournament.