UM equipment manager dies in accident

Richard Britt, the popular equipment manager for the University of Maine men’s hockey team, died Tuesday after he was pinned underneath his pickup truck in the driveway of his home in Ellsworth.

Britt, 23 and a December graduate of Husson College in Bangor, has been with the UMaine program for several years.

“It’s tragic,” said Maine coach Shawn Walsh. “He was a wonderful person and a real key behind the program. The guys on the team loved him.”

The Maine players were devastated by the news.

“He was a super, super guy. He was a great friend to have. He did a great job for us,” said junior center Cory Larose. “He was one of the guys. Everybody is shocked. He will be missed dearly.”

Ben Guite, another junior center, said even though Britt wasn’t a player or a coach, he was considered part of the team.

“He was really appreciated by the team. Everybody really liked him,” said Guite, who pointed out that several members of the team went ice fishing near Britt’s house a week ago.

Guite said Britt was genuinely concerned with the welfare of the players.

Walsh said the team will wear something in Britt’s memory for the rest of the season and will honor him and his life.

Britt was found by his parents, Andy and Anne Britt, when they returned to their home on Phillips Way at about 8 p.m., according to Sgt. Leigh Guildford of the Ellsworth Police Department.

They called an ambulance immediately, but Britt was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dr. Edward David of the state Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled the death accidental, but, according to Guildford, some questions are still to be answered, and the case remains under investigation.

Orono native Mike Tuell, who has been a Hockey East linesman for 12 years and a high school hockey referee since 1983, has retired due to a health problem.

The 40-year-old Tuell said he has two bulging discs in his neck and a narrowing of his spinal column which puts pressure on his spinal cord.

He also said he has been told by neurologist Dr. James Turner that “if I took a serious blow, it could cause irreversible damage. That’s all I had to hear.”

Tuell, who will also step down as the seven-year president of the Maine chapter of the National Ice Hockey Officials’ Association, said he will definitely miss officating.

“The thing I’ll miss the most is the camaraderie. That’s what keeps you going. My best friends are referees,” said Tuell.

Tuell said there is a tight bond that is formed during games because the other official or officials are “your only friends out there. You’re the only sane people in the building.”

The 1977 Orono High School graduate usually worked most of the University of Maine’s home games as a linesman but he also refereed a half-dozen or so Hockey East games. He has refereed several high school playoff and title games.

“I have no regrets. I squeezed as much out of officiating as I possibly could have,” said Tuell. “I’d like to think I built a good reputation for myself.”

He said the one memory he will always cherish was doing the lines during Maine’s national championship season (1992-93).

“That whole season was a highlight as was the energy that surrounded that team. That’s why referees love to come to Maine. The fans are into it so much. You get pumped up as a referee,” said Tuell.

Maine coach Shawn Walsh said Tuell will be missed.

“Mike was a great skater and an excellent linesman,” said Walsh. “He was always in great condition.”

Tuell, a stockbroker at Means Investment, said he will continue to coach his son John’s Penobscot Valley Hockey Conference squirts (ages 9-10) travel team, which is currently 40-5-2.