Black Bears run provides assist to Walsh family

Lynne Walsh figures her late husband Shawn would be proud of the season his University of Maine hockey team has put together so far.

The 23-10-7 Bears overcame a slow start following the Sept. 24 death of her husband due to kidney cancer to earn a 12th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Maine, the third seed in the Eastern Regional, will take on sixth seed Harvard in Saturday’s first-round game at noon at the Worcester (Mass.) Centrum.

“It’s amazing what they’ve done,” said Lynne. “It’s a lot like the ’99 [national championship] team in a sense. There’s a lot of individual talent and if they put it all together, they’re unstoppable.

“Plus, that’s paired with Shawn’s presence somewhere,” added Lynne.

She said he would have been mad that the NCAA tournament selection committee didn’t give the Bears a first-round bye, especially after going 2-0-1 against second seed and bye recipient Boston University over the past three weeks.

“But, on the other hand, he would have talked about the unbelievable opportunity this team has ahead of it. And, even though we lost to New Hampshire [3-1 in the HE title game], he would have turned that into a positive,” said the former Lynne Vickery.

“He would have been so proud of how the seniors have developed and handled this whole situation and how they’ve done it in a very positive way. All four of them [Peter Metcalf, Niko Dimitrakos, Matt Yeats, Mike Morrison] have taken on a leadership role in some capacity,” added the classy Lynne.

In fact, when she and son Sean Michael say their prayers before going to bed, “he doesn’t let me forget to say ‘God bless the hockey team and the four seniors.’ He knows the four seniors the best.”

She praised interim head coach Tim Whitehead for “standing up to the plate and doing such a great job.”

Playoff time was Shawn Walsh’s favorite time of the year. He thrived on the pressure and the challenge.

His 17-year playoff record was 55-28: 35-15 in Hockey East and 20-13 in the NCAAs.

“What was that saying he had? The playoffs are here, my time is dear, [Unless it’s something important], you have no reason to be here,” joked Lynne.

Lynne Walsh has kept in touch with the team. She has missed just one home series all season.

“In a way, I’d like to think that maybe I was giving something to them. They’ve given me a lot in return. They’ve allowed me to have a connection to Shawn,” added Lynne. “By going to their games and showing them I was OK, maybe they would be OK.”

She was invited by Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna to attend the tournament semifinals and championship game.

And she gave a moving and memorable speech at the banquet.

She thanked the hockey community for the cards and letters of support throughout the ordeal.

She talked about seeing the movie “Lord of the Rings” with daughter Allie and how the hero, Frodo, was frustrated because he had several obstacles to overcome in order to transport a magical ring to its final destination.

Her husband, like Frodo, met the challenges he was dealt head-on.

“Shawn had no choice in the matter of getting cancer,” she said. “He had no control and no knowledge over the amount of time remaining. But he was able to look this bad situation in the face, and chose to make the most of his remaining time without giving in to despair. Every day, he turned a bad situation into a positive.”

She ended by saying, “Everyone in this room can reach out and inspire. I know this because of the way you took the time to reach out to Shawn, myself and our family. We are very grateful.”

Like her late husband, Lynne Walsh also knows how to touch lives.

Larry Mahoney’s column appears every Wednesday. He can be reached at 990-8231 or by e-mail at lmahoney @bangordailynews.net.