ORONO – It wasn’t the ending they’d hoped for.

The Black Bears’ 4-3 loss in sudden death overtime Saturday night was met with stunned silence on the part of fans who had high hopes their hockey team would come home with the national title.

For the students and staff who watched the University of Maine Black Bears take on Minnesota’s Golden Gophers for the NCAA title, the defeat brought a melancholy end to a difficult year that included the death of the team’s longtime coach, Shawn Walsh.

Walsh, who succumbed to cancer just as the season was getting under way last fall, was much on the mind of Maine hockey fans, who chanted his name often during the game. He served as a rallying point for the team, which dedicated the season to his memory.

“I’m a little disappointed – a lot disappointed,” said Robert Lightbody, a sophomore from North Anson who watched the game with his girlfriend, Meghan Collins, of the same town.

Though saddened by the defeat, fans remained proud of the team.

“They did awesome, they really did,” said Kate Abbott, a sophomore student from Readfield. She acknowledged that many students were disappointed by the loss but added, “I don’t think they should be.” Making it to the national final was a feat worth celebrating, she said.

“It’s not about hockey – it’s about the sense of community,” noted Robert Dana, senior associate dean of students at UM. “There’s a real sense of closeness. … It says a lot about Maine.”

In a show of school spirit, an estimated 500 students and faculty packed the Memorial Union’s Maine Marketplace, which was decorated for the occasion with blue and white balloons and hand-lettered signs. The students were decorated as well, with many wearing blue and white hockey jerseys, face paint and blue wigs

A welcome-back rally for the team is planned for 5:15 p.m. today at Alfond Arena. The event will feature an appearance by Tim Whitehead and his team, as well as the UMaine band and several speakers, including President Peter Hoff and Director of Athletics Suzanne Tyler.

The university rented four big-screen televisions and organized a postgame rally in a parking lot near the Mall. Smaller groups watched the game at gatherings in residence halls, the Alfond Arena’s Dexter Lounge, and in the community room at the Doris Twitchell Allen Village.

With most eyes on campus glued to the game, the usually busy Mall area was a virtual ghost town, noted Reid Burk, a sophomore from Westbrook. “On my way over here, I could hear everybody start screaming [from the school’s dormitories] when [the Bears] scored the second goal,” he said.

The postgame bash featuring a bonfire, band and food drew as many as 800 to the parking lot near Lord Hall during its peak.

The mood was subdued and security was tight at the gathering, where police officers, some armed with cameras, closely monitored the crowd. With temperatures in the 20s, however, the crowd thinned out early. Few students remained when the festivities wound down about 1 a.m. Sunday

UM spokesman Joe Carr said Sunday that Saturday’s events led to only minor problems – including the tipping of a portable toilet which was unoccupied at the time.

Two students were arrested for misbehavior after the game, Carr said. Danny Rubchinuk, 20, was charged with criminal mischief. Ian J. Adams, also 20, was charged with criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.

Three other students were referred to judicial affairs and may face sanctions, Carr said. Two of the cases involved possession of alcohol, while the third was connected to possession of fireworks. Six other minor offenses involving vandalism and drinking remained under investigation Sunday and could result in summonses, he said.

“There were no incidents of serious property damage, nobody was hurt, problems were limited and those that did occur were quickly brought under control,” Carr said. “We’re pleased.”

The university’s planning paid off, averting problems like those experienced here three years ago.

After Maine beat the University of New Hampshire Wildcats 3-2 in sudden death overtime in the 1999 NCAA championship game in Anaheim, Calif., rowdy fans on the Orono campus touched off a vandalism spree that resulted in more than $2,000 in property damage.

Losses included 11 burned park benches, two twisted goal posts on the football field and six broken wooden signs, which were used to fuel a large impromptu bonfire on the Mall in front of Fogler Library. A snowmobile also was driven into the blaze and a student’s car was tipped over.

That episode resulted in the prosecution of six people, several of whom were not part of the campus community.