UMaine to alter schedule Whitehead: Players need to recover

ORONO – University of Maine hockey coach Tim Whitehead said he will alter his team’s practice regimen this week to afford his players time to rebound from Saturday night’s triple-overtime 2-1 win over UMass in the Hockey East championship game.

Maine will travel to Albany, N.Y., on Wednesday for Friday’s NCAA Eastern Regional game against Harvard University.

“We will make adjustments. We want to give the guys a chance to recover,” said Whitehead.

Maine strength and conditioning coach Will Biberstein said “there is definitely a chance” there could be some lingering effects from Saturday’s marathon on Friday if the situation isn’t addressed.

“But the coaches have done a great job throughout the season making sure the players get plenty of rest and recovery time,” said Maine strength and conditioning coach Will Biberstein. “The players sustained a lot of muscle breakdown Saturday night.”

Biberstein said the players will need to drink plenty of fluids and eat properly to replenish nutrients.

Throughout the year, the Maine players have followed a weekend series by taking Sundays and Tuesdays off.

On Mondays, the Bears usually lift weights and have a grueling on-ice workout.

But Biberstein speculated that the workouts won’t be as strenuous as usual today due to the triple-overtime game.

However, he also said they should “move around” to loosen up the muscles and help them recover.

Tickets, bus trip available

Tickets for the NCAA’s Eastern Regional Hockey Tournament in Albany on Friday and Saturday will be available through the Black Bear ticket office by calling 581-2327 beginning today at 8:30 a.m.

A bus trip is being organized and it will cost $125. That will cover the transportation and game ticket.

Fans will have to pay for their own hotel rooms and the rooms will be tentatively blocked off at an Albany hotel.

The bus will leave the university on Friday morning and return after the Saturday night championship game.

For more information or to sign up the bus trip, you can call the athletic marketing office at 581-4849 or email:info@goblackbears.com.

Howard continues torrid pace

University of Maine sophomore goalie Jimmy Howard’s school-record 63 saves against UMass lowered his goals-against average to 1.05 and raised his save percentage to .958.

In his 11 starts since returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for five weeks, his goals-against average is a miniscule 0.67 and his save percentage is .973.

He is 7-2-2 in those starts.

Howard has allowed more than one goal in just two of those 11 games.

Smith sparks Harvard

ALBANY, N.Y. – According to an Associated Press story, Harvard’s Kenny Smith couldn’t have written a better ending to his last ECAC Championship game, a 3-2 win over Clarkson.

With just 37 seconds left in Saturday’s title match, the senior defenseman received the puck off a draw in the Golden Knights zone and rifled a shot past goaltender Dustin Traylen.

“Brendan [Bernakevitch] put the puck right on my stick and I just didn’t want to pass up a shot from that spot, and you know, it found the back of the net,” said Smith.

The goal snapped a 2-2 tie and secured the Crimson’s second ECAC tournament championship in the last three years. Crimson winger Dennis Packard put the icing on the cake 25 seconds later with an empty net goal to give Harvard a 4-2 victory and a bid to the NCAA tournament against Maine Friday at 5 p.m.