ST. PAUL, Minn. – While his University of Maine teammates were celebrating Thursday night’s NCAA semifinal win over New Hampshire, junior Chris Heisten was busy dealing with a frightening family emergency.

Heisten’s grandfather, Bill Higgins, traveled from Seattle, Wash., for the Frozen Four, but never got the chance to see a UMaine goal in the 7-2 win.

“After the first goal was scored [Thursday] he had an aneurysm pop, so blood was starting to fill his stomach and he had to be rushed to the hospital,” Heisten said.

Heisten’s uncle noticed the problem when Higgins lost consciousness after New Hampshire scored just 21 seconds into the game.

Heisten received word of the emergency after the Black Bears won the game, but initial reports indicated that his grandfather may have suffered a heart attack or a stroke.

Neither were true, and Higgins was scheduled to be moved out of the intensive care unit Friday afternoon. He is expected to remain in the hospital eight to 10 days, Heisten said.

Heisten was taken to the hospital to visit his grandfather immediately after the game, but didn’t get a chance to talk to him. He later returned to Xcel Energy Center for the evening’s second semifinal game, then returned to the hospital for a visit early Friday morning.

“He had just woken up and it was the first time that he had talked. It was kind of scary when you see your grandfather with all these pipes and tubes inside him,” Heisten said. “That wasn’t really something I really wanted to see, but he’s doing better now. We had a good conversation.”

Heisten said his grandfather’s sense of humor remains intact.

“The funny story was, he asked who won the game and the nurse comes in and says, ‘The Gophers won,”‘ Heisten said, referring to the second Thursday semifinal that pitted Minnesota against Michigan. “He says, ‘I don’t [care about that]. No, the Maine game.”‘

And though his grandfather won’t be able to attend the championship game Saturday night, Heisten knows he’ll be paying attention.

“He’s rooting for us and he’s doing a lot better. He wanted to know if he could be rolled into the game to watch the game,” Heisten said. “He’s doing fine.”

A memorable consolation game

Former University of Minnesota Hobey Baker Award-winning goalie Robb Stauber has fond recollections of a memorable afternoon during an NCAA Frozen Four consolation game against the University of Maine at the 1980 Olympic Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y.

It was April 2, 1988, and the two teams had been eliminated two days earlier. Maine dropped a 6-3 decision to Lake Superior State and Minnesota was beaten by St. Lawrence 3-2.

The Bears and Gophers got involved in a chippy battle and, during a lengthy delay caused a multi-player shoving match and the sorting out of penalties, Stauber and Black Bear goalie Al Loring began shooting the puck to each other.

The crowd cheered its approval at the sight of two goalies making the most of a tedious endeavor by flipping the puck up and down the ice.

“People ask me about that all the time. A lot of people remembered that,” grinned Stauber, who works with the current Gopher goalies as a volunteer assistant and won the Hobey Baker Award in 1988. “What people didn’t realize is we had a competition going there: who could flip it in the air the furthest. It was a lot of fun.

“We would have rather been playing in the championship game but we made the best of a bad situation,” said Stauber.

One of the highlights of the exchange was the hidden puck trick.

“One of the linesmen was kind of mad at us and he came and took the puck away from me,” recalled Stauber. “But what had happened is one of the fans had thrown a puck to me so I hid it in my pants. After the linesman took the first puck away, I pulled out the one in my pants and we used that.”

Stauber’s hidden puck trick drew a chorus of cheers and laughter.

Winning over the Gophers

The University of Maine Screamin’ Black Bear pep band used an inventive – and familiar – tactic to elicit some hometown support during Thursday night’s NCAA semifinal against New Hampshire.

Twice during the game, the band serenaded the crowd of more than 19,000 with a song unfamiliar to Black Bear fans.

The fact that the largely pro-Golden Gopher crowd stood as one and clapped their hands should have provided a hint, however.

The song was the “Minnesota Rouser,” which is the host Golden Gophers’ fight song. Maine bands have been using the ploy in tournament play for years, in the hopes that an appreciative neutral crowd might be convinced that the Black Bears are the team to cheer for.

That may have happened on Thursday … but don’t expect the trend to continue during Saturday night’s championship game, which pits UMaine and Minnesota. Gopher fans won’t likely care for the Bears too much, and the UMaine band surely won’t play the Minnesota Rouser during the contest.

Other video hijinx

The Xcel Energy Center, site of the Frozen Four, is a new, state-of-the-art facility with plenty of high-tech capability.

The operator of the huge scoreboard didn’t make too many friends with one of the offerings that showed up on the large TV screen during the Maine-UNH game, however.

The video, which helped highlight St. Paul’s history as a Frozen Four site, showed the end of the 1989 NCAA championship game between the hometown Gophers and Harvard.

As soon as the clip began running, fans booed. And when Ed Krayer’s low-velocity shot slipped past Minnesota goalie Robb Stauber to give the Crimson a 4-3 overtime win, the boos cascaded down again.

The loss is a sensitive spot with Gopher fans, as the game-winning goal is widely recognized as “soft,” and the game was Minnesota’s last trip to the championship game … before Saturday, that is.

The video operator did earn brownie points from the crowd later in the game by panning a camera between a man in a St. Cloud State jersey (which was also lustily jeered) and a duo in Minnesota garb (rousing cheers).

Another video highlight: The camera zoomed in on a Maine fan holding up a photo of former coach Shawn Walsh. The Minnesota fans responded with a warm ovation.

UMaine game activities planned

The University of Maine has planned some activities surrounding today’s NCAA men’s hockey national championship game between UMaine and Minnesota.

The university has set up big-screen televisions in the Maine Marketplace, the new section of the Memorial Union building on the Orono campus, for fans to watch tonight’s game.

UMaine also will conduct an outdoor postgame rally, which will be held in a parking lot adjacent to the mall that runs between Memorial Gym and Fogler Library. The rally will include a band, food and a bonfire.

Baldacci initiates hockey wager

U.S. Rep. John Baldacci of Bangor has challenged U.S. Rep. Martin Olav Sabo of Minnesota to a friendly wager on today’s NCAA hockey national championship game between Maine and Minnesota.

Baldacci has put up a quantity of Maine lobster against Sabo’s sampling of Norwegian treats, including salmon, lutefisk (dried cod treated with lye) and lefse (a traditional flat bread made from potatoes and flour).

“I’m not sure if lutefisk and lefse are a suitable wager when put up against Maine lobster, but I’ll enjoy them all the same,” quipped Baldacci, who commented on UMaine’s season.

“The Black Bears are on a roll and they’ll be ready for the Golden Gophers,” Baldacci said in a prepared statement. “This Maine team has faced challenges and obstacles with character and determination. The players have stuck together and grown confident.

“Tim Whitehead and the entire coaching staff have provided fine leadership at an important time in the program’s history. The players and coaches should take great pride in their accomplishments,” he added.

“The people of Maine have pulled for this team all season,” Baldacci continued. “We’ve been thrilled by their exciting play and inspired by their efforts in the face of tragic circumstances and long odds. Their energy and commitment reflects very well on each team member. It is also a fitting tribute to [late coach] Shawn [Walsh] and all he has meant to Maine hockey and our entire state.”

UMaine hockey rally set Monday

The University of Maine will celebrate the successful season turned in by the men’s hockey team during a rally Monday at Alfond Arena in Orono.

The event, scheduled for 5:15 p.m., will be held regardless of the outcome of tonight’s Maine-Minnesota national championship game. It is free and open to the public.

The rally will feature the UMaine pep band and several speakers, including UMaine president Peter Hoff, athletic director Suzanne Tyler, interim head coach Tim Whitehead and members of the Black Bear team.

Humanitarian awards

Buffalo State’s Rocky Reeves was named Friday the recipient of the 2002 Hockey Humanitarian Award – given to a college hockey player who best exemplifies citizenship. Reeves maintained a 3.3 grade point average and was a two-time All-Academic team honoree.

Naturally, he deflected the praise.

“It’s almost embarrassing to be receiving an award for something that we should all be doing,” Reeves said.

Jeff Sauer, who recently retired after coaching 21 seasons at Wisconsin and leading the Badgers to two national titles, was awarded the 2002 Citation of Merit.