When one looks back on their four years at the University of Maine, they will probably be viewed as victims.

They were forbidden from playing in two NCAA Tournaments and one Hockey East tourney as the Black Bears served the penance handed out by the school and the NCAA for violations of NCAA rules.

Their head coach, Shawn Walsh, was suspended for a year, and they also saw some quality players leave the program. In addition, their teams were handicapped by a loss of scholarships.

But the five seniors who will play their last regular-season home game at the Alfond Arena on Sunday – right wings Steve Kariya and Marcus Gustafsson, left wing Bobby Stewart, center Jason Vitorino, and defenseman David Cullen – said they had no regrets about their decisions to come to Maine.

Counting Friday’s game, Kariya has 71 goals and 103 assists in 174 career games, Cullen has 27 & 82 in 136, Gustafsson has 27 & 38 in 79, Stewart has tallied 23 & 27 in 90, and Vitorino has 11 & 14 in 106.

Kariya was ninth on the school’s all-time scoring list and Cullen was tied for 30th. Cullen was fourth among Black Bear defensemen.

Walsh said it is to their credit that Maine has produced a 91-37-13 record in their four seasons, including Friday’s victory at UMass-Lowell, despite the extreme adversity to which they have been subjected.

“They have been terrific leaders. They are great people,” said Walsh.

Kariya said, “I’m not one to look back on the past too much. I’m a big believer in learning from your mistakes. I’ve enjoyed every moment here. It has been a pleasure to play with these guys, to learn from the coaches, and to live in Maine and get to know the people here. There are some great fans. It has been a great experience.”

Stewart said handling the various adversities “has made me a stronger and better person. It has made us seniors much better leaders and more hungry to win this thing [national championship]. That’s why we’ve been consistent with our focus all year this season.”

Stewart added that he wished he had been able to contribute more offensively and said it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Maine was allowed to go to the NCAA two years ago “because I don’t think anybody would have touched us.”

“But there’s no proof behind it. I want us to be the team that hoists the [NCAA championship plaque] this year,” added Stewart.

Vitorino said, “Everybody who has gone through this program since I’ve been here has been a quality person. I’ve met a lot of good people. It was great to meet the guys I’m graduating with. We’ve had a lot of lasting memories and good experiences. It has been a great experience.”

Because Gustafsson left for a year to serve his military duty in Sweden, his career has spanned five years. So he played in one game during the 1994-95 season when Maine went to the NCAA final and lost to Boston University 6-2.

“I got a ring, but I’d like to get another one with another color on it – gold instead of silver,” said Gustafsson.

He said he will never second-guess his decision to come to Maine.

“It has definitely been kind of a roller coaster for me,” said Gustafsson, who had played in only 48 games through his first three seasons until becoming a regular this season. “But this is the place to go to play hockey.”

Cullen agreed that the various adversities has made him a “stronger person” and he has taken pride in the fact Maine has always put a competitive team on the ice.

“It has been a lot of fun. It has been a great four years. It went by really fast,” said Cullen.