UM lands Minnesota defenseman

Bryan Plaszcz, a 6-foot-21/2, 200-pound defenseman from Apple Valley, Minn., has verbally committed to attend the University of Maine on a hockey scholarship next fall.

Plaszcz is playing for the Sante Fe (N.M.) Roadrunners of the North American Hockey League and has 11 goals and 18 assists in 51 games along with 82 penalty minutes.

He leads the Roadrunner defensemen in points.

“He’s a two-way defenseman,” said Roadrunners coach Scott Langer. “He’s a very solid defensive defenseman but he also gets involved in the offense and has a very good shot.

“He reads the play really well and his biggest asset is his ability to block shots. He blocks around five a game,” added Langer, who coached Plaszcz at Lone Star (Tex.) in the same league a year ago.

Plaszcz is extremely coachable and works out very hard in the offseason, according to Langer. He is also the “type of kid you want in your locker room and out in the community.”

Plaszcz said he chose Maine over several other schools, including CCHA institutions Ferris State and Bowling Green, because “it is an opportunity to play for a national championship contender every year. It’s a good place to be. I wanted to stay closer to home but when the opportunity came up to play for Maine, I thought I’d do it.”

He also pointed out that “I grew up with the Lundin brothers [Black Bears Mike and Matt] and being with them was quite a bonus, too.”

He feels he needs to get “bigger and stronger” in preparation for next fall and added “I have a lot of things to work on.”

Before he comes to Maine, he must be admitted to the school and be approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse.