Black Bears set to tangle with tough Wildcats

University of Maine women’s hockey captain Kelly Nelson remembers a game at the University of New Hampshire her freshman year.

“We lost 13-0. I’ve never been so embarrassed after a game in my life,” said Nelson, a senior defenseman whose Bears play their home openers tonight and Saturday afternoon against the Wildcats.

Maine has never beaten UNH, losing six times by a combined score of 39-4.

“That game has always been in the back of my head. We want to beat them so bad,” said Nelson. “The other players who are seniors now who played in that game have the same feeling.”

The games have been getting progressively closer. UNH won 2-0 and 5-2 a year ago.

There is no love lost between the two rivals. There was some pushing and shoving in a game two years ago.

“The games with New Hampshire are our most physical games. They can get chippy. The games are real high intensity and fast-paced,” said Nelson.

Nelson knows the Bears will have to contain their emotions. That can lead to mistakes.

“We can’t afford to get too excited or too nervous. We have to stick to our game plan. We know we can beat them. We have the talent now,” said Nelson.

Nelson, Maine’s second-leading scorer with six goals and 18 assists last year, said she hopes for a similar type of season.

“I just want to be steady. I want to play well defensively and chip in offensively without trying to be too fancy,” said Nelson.

St. Pierre leaves UMaine post

Jim St. Pierre, who served as the head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Maine for the last six-plus years, has stepped down to take a job at Bowdoin College in Brunswick.

The 34-year-old St. Pierre was hired Sept. 7 as an assistant track coach at Bowdoin, where he reportedly will earn more than at his previous job.

St. Pierre, who received an undergraduate degree from Maine and his master’s from Wisconsin-La Crosse, was named the America East Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year in 1997. Under his guidance, 10 UMaine athletes were named Strength and Conditioning All-Americans.

Upon his graduation from UMaine in 1990, St. Pierre served as strength coach and assistant track coach at Bowdoin for two years. He was a former track and field athlete at UMaine and played two seasons of football at Plymouth State College.