Interim head coach Tim Whitehead, 13-year recruiting coordinator Grant Standbrook, and assistant Matt Thomas have the difficult task of leading the University of Maine men’s hockey team following the Monday death of head coach Shawn Walsh.

Eighteenth-year coach Walsh died in Bangor from complications arising from his fight against renal cell carcinoma.

The team’s first practice of the season was scheduled for Tuesday, but it was canceled by a vote of the players, according to Director of Athletics Sue Tyler.

When the team does return to the ice Wednesday, strengthening the defense will be the primary objective.

Defensemen Doug Janik and Eric Turgeon decided to pass up their senior seasons as Janik signed with the Buffalo Sabres, who drafted him in the second round in 1999, and Turgeon elected to put his engineering degree to use in the job market. A.J. Begg graduated. Begg and Janik played in every game last year and Turgeon appeared in 33 games.

Senior Peter Metcalf, junior Cliff Loya, and sophomore Francis Nault are the blue-line returnees.

“That is the area in which we are most vulnerable because of our relative inexperience,” said Standbrook Monday before learning of Walsh’s death. “Our goaltending is solid and we have very good forwards. Hopefully, our defense will come along extremely fast.”

The new defensemen will be redshirt freshmen Prestin Ryan, who will miss the first four games because he dressed for four Major Junior games several years ago, and Justin Barauskas and freshmen Paul Lynch and Troy Barnes. Barnes, a native of Pembroke, Ontario, was added to the roster after Janik decided to leave.

Another freshman, Jon Jankus, can play both forward and defense and will be given a look on defense.

Yet another consideration will be to move a veteran forward or two back to the blue line. Junior Tommy Reimann, who plays the point on the power play, is a strong candidate.

Maine has had success moving forwards back to defense in the past with Anders Lundback and Begg being the two most recent examples.

Whitehead said there are three criteria they will be looking for from forwards making the transition to defense.

“First, they’ve got to be smart. If defensemen turn the puck over, it can cost you. If forwards turn the puck over, the defensemen are still there to cover for them. Secondly, they have to be able to skate. Thirdly, they have to be tough. They’ve got to be able to win space in front of our net. They’ve got to be able to win loose pucks when it matters the most,” said Whitehead, who was an assistant at Maine during the 1990-91 season and spent the last five years as the head coach at UMass-Lowell.

Standbrook said one thing that should help the newcomers adjust will be the fact “we will pair them with a veteran.”