The University of Maine men’s hockey team will hold its first formal practice next season in an unusual setting: the University of Vermont’s Gutterson Fieldhouse.

That’s because the Black Bears open their season the next day, Oct. 3, against the Catamounts at Burlington, Vt.

Vermont, which will join Hockey East in 2005-06, is one of four ECAC teams on Maine’s non-league schedule along with Harvard, Dartmouth and St. Lawrence.

Other non-league opponents are perennial WCHA powers North Dakota and St. Cloud State, defending College Hockey America champ Niagara, Atlantic Hockey contender Quinnipiac and the United States National Development Program’s Under-18 Team.

Maine could also face Cornell of the ECAC, depending upon the outcomes of their Everblades Classic (Fla.) games.

Maine will play two games at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland. The Bears have a league game against Providence on Nov. 21 and the exhibition against the U.S. Under-18 Team on Jan. 7.

North Dakota, Niagara and Harvard are the non-league foes that made the NCAA Tournament last year.

So how does a team prepare for a game the day after its first formal practice?

“We’ll be relying on our seniors and juniors to make sure our captains’ practices are well-organized and demanding,” said Maine fourth-year coach Tim Whitehead. “If they do a nice job like the upperclassmen did last year, we’ll head into the game in good shape.

“We got great feedback from the practices they ran last year,” added Whitehead.

Members of the coaching staff can work with small groups of players but group practices can only be run by the players until Maine’s first formal practice on Oct. 2.

The early opener was prompted by a schedule change.

“We were going to play at Vermont on Oct. 8-9 and host North Dakota on Oct. 15-16 but North Dakota double-booked and called to see if we could switch dates,” said Whitehead. “Vermont couldn’t play on Oct. 15-16 so to keep North Dakota on the schedule, we moved them to Oct. 8-9 and we’re playing Vermont on Oct. 3.”

Whitehead said he’s sure “you’ll see a couple of rusty teams” but added it is a great opportunity for both schools and both are in the same boat.

“It will be a unique type of event. It’ll be fun,” said Whitehead. “It’ll be a great way for Vermont to kick off the season before they make the transition to Hockey East. For us, it will be a great road trip to a place where they draw great crowds.”

Whitehead also likes expanding the schedule to include two games in Portland “because that’s a great venue for us. We’ve drawn sell-out crowds there and we feel it’s important to give the people in the southern part of the state who follow the team a chance to see us.”

Whitehead said on Oct. 9 a banner with late Maine coach Shawn Walsh’s name on it will be hoisted to the rafters at Alfond Arena.

“That will be great,” said Whitehead, who expects several of Walsh’s family members to attend.

Maine plays St. Cloud in the opener of the Everblades Classic in Estero, Fla. on Dec. 28 with Boston College and Cornell meeting in the other game.