University of Maine senior defenseman Mat Deschamps hasn’t played his last hockey game this season.

Deschamps has joined the Atlantic City (N.J.) Boardwalk Bullies of the East Coast Hockey League and said he will make his debut against the Peoria Rivermen on Friday night in Atlantic City.

He will be reunited with former Black Bear assistant coach Matt Thomas and ex-teammate Tommy Reimann, who was recently traded to the Bullies by the Florida Everblades.

“It’s a good opportunity for me, seeing that I’m playing my best hockey right now, to really get in there and prove myself,” said the 24-year-old Deschamps. “Maybe I’ll even move up a little bit more in the system and get a few games somewhere else.”

The Bullies are affiliated with the NHL’s New York Islanders, whose top minor league affiliate is the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Deschamps said the Bullies have some injuries and other problems and “they need a defensive defenseman who is going to work hard and play honest every night and that’s what I can do. I’m going to get in right away and play in some key situations.

“It’s going to be great,” he added.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound native of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., emerged as an effective stay-at-home defenseman and penalty-killer, had one goal and six assists in 29 games for the Black Bears this season.

The North Division-leading Bullies currently have five regular season games left before the playoffs.

He said terms of his contract have yet to be worked out and he intends to finish his degree after the playoffs.

UMPI’s Beasley is rookie of year

University of Maine-Presque Isle junior forward Sarah Beasley of Houlton was named the All-Independent Women’s Basketball Team’s Division III Rookie of the Year.

Beasley averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds per game for the Owls.

She was also chosen to the first team where she was joined by St. Joseph’s College of Windham’s Margaret Blauvelt, a senior center from Dixfield.

St. Joseph’s senior guard Val Dumais of Lewiston was a second team selection.

St. Joseph’s put three players on the All-Independent Men’s Team in first-teamer Jon Pratt, a senior guard, second-teamer Steve Monteiro, a senior guard, and honorable mention senior guard Chad Pulkkinen of Windham.

UMPI senior guard Fabian Lenox was a first-team selection.

Shibles leaves Swarthmore post

Adrienne Shibles, a former basketball standout at Mount View High School in Thorndike and Bates College in Lewiston, has resigned after nine seasons as head women’s basketball coach at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.

During her tenure at the Division III school, Shibles improved the program in dramatic fashion. In 2000-2001 the Garnet won their first Centennial Conference championship, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 23-5 record shattered the school record for most wins in a season, and earned Shibles recognition as the 2001 WBCA District 4 Coach of the Year. The Garnet has continued its winning ways, posting 74 wins and two ECAC Tournament berths in the last four seasons.

Swathmore finished 16-11 during the 2004-05 season, 11-7 in the Centennial Conference, which includes the likes of Ursinus, Johns Hopkins and Franklin & Marshall.

She had an overall record of 138-96 at Swarthmore.

Shibles is a 1987 graduate of Mount View, where she helped the Mustangs win the Eastern Maine Class B girls basketball title during her senior year.

At Bates, Shibles captained the Bobcats for two years and left the Lewiston college as a 1,000-point scorer and the program’s career rebounding leader

She went on to coach at Babson College, Colby College, and Elms College before landing the head job at Swarthmore.

Shibles also spent two years as the assistant soccer coach at Smith College, where she earned a master’s degree in exercise and sports studies.