Penners unfazed by 40-hour trip

Frozen Four Notebook

BOSTON – Four of the most dedicated fans at the FleetCenter on Thursday were University of Maine right wing Dustin Penner’s parents (Terry and Linda) and aunt and uncle (Dale and Sandra Janzen).

That’s because they drove to Boston from Winkler, Manitoa.

“It’s a 40-hour drive,” said Penner. “My dad likes to drive. My mom doesn’t.”

Frozen Four Notebook

Penner said his father likes to stop and take pictures of the surroundings, which made family trips interesting.

“One time we were driving through the mountains and he pulled over, got out and took pictures of a rock formation,” said Penner, who added that he good-naturedly reminds his father of that trip from time to time.

Belichick gives BC a pep talk

Boston College received a pep talk on Monday from none other than New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

They had hoped to put it to use in their NCAA Frozen Four semifinal against Maine on Thursday night.

“He did an outstanding job. He told our guys even though we’re playing at home, don’t take it for granted. Be prepared,” said BC coach Jerry York. “He was very poised and right to the point. And he was prepared. He knew about college hockey and the Frozen Four.”

Bruins’ Beers follows Bears

One of the interested fans at the Maine-BC game was former Black Bear defenseman Bob Beers, who is in his seventh season as the color analyst for Boston Bruins broadcasts on WBZ radio in Boston.

“I took my 10-year-old [Ryan] to the Hockey East championship game and he stayed for all three overtimes and loved it,” said Beers, referring to Maine’s 2-1 triple-overtime win over UMass.

Beers played at Maine for three seasons (1986-89) after transferring from Northern Arizona, which dropped its hockey program.

Maine made the NCAA Tournament all three years and the Bears were Frozen Four participants the last two years.

The 1986-87 team was the first of 15 Maine teams to qualify for the NCAA Tournament and the 1987-88 squad was the first to reach a Frozen Four.

He recalled the rivalry with Boston, and one game in particular during the 1988-89 season.

“I was over at BC recently and I remember when we played them at the Conte Forum in the Hockey East championship game that year. It was the first year BC played at Conte Forum,” said Beers, whose Black Bears beat BC 5-4 on a goal by Bruce Major, who scored while he was on his stomach by using his long reach to sweep the puck into the net.

Beers, a second- team Eastern All-American and All-Hockey East pick that year, said he has kept close tabs on the Black Bears.

“I enjoy watching Maine. I don’t know any of the players but I played for [assistant coach] Grant [Standbrook]; I played with Guy [Perron] and Campbell [Blair, both now UM assistants] and I took a class with [head coach] Tim [Whitehead],” said Beers, who went on to play several seasons in the NHL.

Beers and his wife, Beth, have three children: Ryan and daughters Rachel (8) and Regan (2).

Leeman working for NCAA

Caribou’s Kellie Leeman, who played three years for the University of Maine women’s soccer team, was at the Frozen Four working for the NCAA. She works in promotions, marketing and events.

“I’ve been with the NCAA for five years,” said Leeman who graduated from Maine in 1993 and was pleased to see the women’s team reach the America East finals this past season.

“It looks like a lot of the teams are doing well at Maine,” said Leeman, who is based in Indianapolis.