The University of Maine’s field hockey team should be able to tell you everything you need to know about bus travel this season.

That’s because the Black Bears have 14 road games and just four home games.

They have already played one home game and the next three will be spread out over 42 days between Sept. 18 and Oct. 30.

But coach Terry Kix and her players are going to make the best of the situation.

“Having just four home games is extremely difficult. You’re always giving up a lot when you leave your home field. And all the travel takes a lot out of you. But we’re trying to make it as positive as we can,” said Kix.

“We can work on our team unity. We have a very young team and it’s nice to be on the road a lot together. We’ll be able to get a little more focused. And it will take a little pressure off the young kids.”

Senior co-captain and forward Shaunessy Saucier of Old Town added, “Being with the young players on the road, you get to know them a lot better. And we have fun on road trips.”

Saucier said this past weekend when they traveled to New York to face Hofstra and Columbia, Kix showed them around New York City and they had a memorable time at Madame Tussaud’s New York Wax Museum.

“That was so much fun. They had an ‘American Idol’ part and we had a bunch of the players sing karaoke. Every road trip is different. You don’t get those experiences around Orono. And we definitely have a fun group,” said Saucier.

Kix said the Bears originally had six home games. But the University of Rhode Island wanted to play a second game against another team to make the trip to Orono worth their while “and we were having a hard time getting them a second game.”

So, since Maine was scheduled to play at Providence College on Sept. 24, it decided to play at URI the next day.

Maine also had an Oct. 8 home game with Vermont switched to Burlington, Vt.

“They have a benefactor that has donated to their new field hockey facility and who is also trying to do something special for one of their student-athletes, who is very sick. That was the only time the benefactor could make it to Vermont for a special ceremony so we were pleased to help out in a bad situation,” said Kix.

“We feel very strongly about doing the right thing and teaching life skills. We would hope if we were in this situation, another team would be willing to do what is right in the big picture,” added Kix, who pointed out that University of Vermont will cover their expenses for the trip and will visit Maine the next two seasons.

“We’re happy to be able to help them,” said Saucier. “Playing at home is important to us but, being in their situation, it’s a lot more important for them to be at home. And it says a lot about our program.”

Maine, which has nine newcomers on its roster, visits Ohio University and Ohio State University this weekend.

Caner-Medley cracks Wooden list

Former Deering High School of Portland and current University of Maryland star Nik Caner-Medley is included on the John R. Wooden Award top 50 preseason candidates list.

The 50 players on the list were selected by a preseason committee and will be whittled down to a top 30 list at the midpoint of the 2005-06 college basketball season. A list will be released in mid January.

Caner-Medley was a two-time NEWS All-Maine first-teamer and the 2002 Mr. Maine Basketball. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward averaged 16.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game last season for the Terrapins.

Owls name Gray women’s coach

Steven Gray has been named the new women’s basketball coach at the University of Maine-Presque Isle.

Gray, the assistant men’s basketball coach at Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, is an Indiana native who replaces Alan Gordon. Gordon will remain at UMPI as a physical education instructor and men’s soccer coach.