If it wasn’t for bad timing, Cumberland native Dave Ahlers might have none at all.

The University of Maine graduate and longtime radio voice of the Portland Pirates decided early last year that it was time for a change. With an eye increasingly focused on an NHL broadcasting job, Ahlers opted to quit his job in Portland and more actively pursue openings in NHL broadcast booths.

Unfortunately for Ahlers, his career crossroads choice came at the same time as the NHL labor dispute, the subsequent league lockout, and the cancellation of the entire 2004-05 season.

“Yeah, given how things transpired in the NHL, it didn’t turn out to be a good time to make that move, but it’s not like I was alone in that,” Ahlers said, referring to everyone employed by the NHL. “It was a tough year for me professionally.”

Not that he sat around and cried about his misfortune. Ahlers filled in as a freelance sports anchor for Portland CBS affiliate WGME (Ch. 13), took a seasonal customer service job with L.L. Bean, and worked for a local landscaping company while keeping abreast of any potential job openings in the broadcast field.

“It was good, hard, honest work and I lost some weight and got a tan,” Ahlers said while chuckling. “I may look back and say it was nice to have the break.”

In the meantime, he’s excited about his latest job. Fourteen months after his resignation, Ahlers finds himself back in the American Hockey League as the new director of communications and radio broadcast voice of the newly established Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben (Nebraska spelled backward) Knights.

“I’ve been in Maine for 37 of my 38 years, so I guess a change isn’t a bad thing,” Ahlers said. “I’m moving halfway across the country, but it’s a move I’m looking forward to.”

Ahlers’ responsibilities with Omaha are largely similar to his with Portland, who he was with for 11 seasons.

“I think I’ll be able to hit the ground running, given my experience,” he said. “The job will be structured a bit differently with more emphasis on community relations from the start. The biggest challenge will be getting to know the market, plus the organization and the players.”

Omaha is a new team which is replacing the Saint John Flames as the Calgary Flames’ affiliate. The addition of Omaha brings the total number of AHL teams to 27.

Although Ahlers is back in the AHL, his Knights won’t see Portland either at home or on the road. The closest he’ll get to New England is a game against Manchester (N.H.).

Ahlers’ hiring came about a lot more quickly than it took for him to line up the interview.

“I knew the team was going to be playing this season and I made inquiries back along with a few people I knew in Calgary. I did a phone interview July 11th and a few hours later, they hired me,” explained Ahlers, who took a flight to Omaha Thursday.

With the move, Ahlers goes from a city with a population of 65,000 to one with 400,000 people. Although, he will not avoid tough, frigid winters with the move, he will gain temperature at least for the time being as Omaha’s is currently hovering above 100 degrees.

Although his current job is effectively a lateral move from Portland to Omaha, Ahlers still has his eyes on an NHL broadcast prize. That’s not a problem for Calgary officials.

“They asked me flat out what my goals were and I said I wanted to get into the NHL as a broadcaster,” Ahlers said. “[Omaha president] Doug Soetaert told me part of his goal was helping get his people into the NHL – players, coaches, and others – and I was no exception.”

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600 or at aneff@bangordailynews.net