ORONO – John Ronan, Troy Barnes and Ben Murphy will never forget their last trip to Minnesota.

They were freshman members of the University of Maine men’s hockey team.

It was April 6, 2002, and the Black Bears were just 52.4 seconds away from winning the NCAA championship.

But the University of Minnesota, which had pulled goalie Adam Hauser in favor of an extra attacker, tied it with 52.4 seconds left and won it on Grant Potulny’s power play goal in overtime at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

Now they are returning to the Twin Cities, only this time it will be the Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis for Saturday afternoon’s NCAA West Regional matchup with the Gophers.

They are the only three remaining Bears to have played in that game.

“I don’t have very fond memories. Of the two national championship games we lost, that one hurt more,” said right wing and co-captain Ronan.

Maine lost to Denver 1-0 at the FleetCenter in Boston last April.

“I remember everything about that [2002 championship]. The atmosphere was incredible. The whole arena was against us. As soon as we got that goal [from Robert Liscak] with 4:33 left, we had the feeling it was our game. Then they got that one to tie it up [by Matt Koalska] in the last minute. That was tough. I’ve watched that game so many times on tape.”

“I try not to think about that, but it’s hard not to,” said defenseman Barnes. “I try to use it as motivation. This is a great opportunity for us to play Minnesota and get a little revenge. We’d be lying to say we don’t think about that game. They deserved that win and the only way we’re going to win Saturday is if we earn it. It’s going to be a tough challenge but we’re looking forward to it.”

Barnes said the game was “kind of a blur. Everything was flying by so fast. I didn’t realize what was going on. Getting there my freshman year and knowing how hard it is to win a national championship makes you appreciate playing in the NCAAs that much more. This is my last chance to do it and I really want to make an impact so this Maine team can go a long way and hopefully get to the Frozen Four again.”

He said it is “strange” to be returning to Minnesota.

“Some say it was meant to be. As seniors, we have wanted a second chance to go back and play that game again. This is our opportunity to prove something,” said Barnes.

Murphy said that as a freshman “you don’t understand what’s going on. There’s such a fine line between teams that get there and the ones that don’t. Now we’re upperclassmen, it’s our final hurrah and we’re excited about the opportunity.

“When you sit down and think about it and that we came a minute away from winning a national championship, it’s tough. That’s what happens in a one-game elimination. You play a great game, the other team plays great, they got that bounce to get the game into overtime, and they got it done in overtime.”

Murphy, Barnes, and Ronan know there will be 10,000 enthusiastic Gopher fans on hand to support their team.

“We know what to expect in terms of atmosphere. Minnesota has a great group of fans out there and they won’t be easy on us by any means,” said Ronan. “It’s just a matter of us taking care of what we have to do and taking the crowd out of the game.”

“It’s an exciting place to play. It will be a great challenge for us. It will be fun,” said Murphy.

Shepheard appears ready

Maine sophomore left wing Brent Shepheard, who has missed the last two games with an abdominal strain, practiced on Wednesday and appears to be ready to return to the lineup for Saturday’s NCAA West Regional game against Minnesota.

“He looked good,” said coach Tim Whitehead. “We had a little contact and he was fine. Having him back will give us a big lift.”

Shepheard, one of Maine’s most physical players, is the Bears’ sixth-leading point-getter with 11 goals and 11 assists in 34 games.

More importantly, he has been one of their top scorers of late with four goals and five assists in his last seven games.

Shepheard is also a penalty killer and has been used as the screener on the power play.

Depending upon his progress, Shepheard may return to the left wing on a line with Michel Leveille and Greg Moore.

Or he could play on the right wing with freshmen Billy Ryan and Keenan Hopson.

Freshman right wing Rob Bellamy, who had been with Ryan and Hopson, remains sidelined with two broken bones in his right hand.