Playing in a fog good for Bears

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Did Denver’s defending two-time NCAA hockey champs have a chance against Maine in the fog on Saturday night at the Alfond Arena?

Of course not. Maine won 4-2.

After all, we are “the rocky coast of Maine.”

It would only make sense that Maine’s players would be much more effective in the fog than a team from a city nestled in the Rocky Mountains, right?

When Maine played at Colorado College the previous weekend, the Bears had to adapt to the altitude.

Why shouldn’t opponents coming to the Alfond have to adjust to the fog?

It’s all part of the home ice advantage.

I’ll bet the Pioneers never practiced in the fog.

They were sitting ducks.

The Bears had all the tricks of the trade.

The hidden puck trick. You know, the one where the center hides a puck in his glove and stands in the low slot. His winger goes into the corner and pretends to pass it out to the center before falling on the real puck and putting it under his shirt.

The center drops the puck out of his glove and shoots it past the unsuspecting goalie.

Then there is the fake-rim ploy.

A player positioned behind the net pretends to rim the puck around the boards to his defenseman at the point. The defenseman begins to square his feet to accept the pass.

The other Bear forwards fight for position in the slot to try to tip the supposed shot from the defenseman. The other defenseman hollers for a pass with his stick in the air.

Meanwhile, the player behind the net who faked the pass simply stops and wedges the puck against the boards, skates out the other side of the net and deposits it in the net.

Remember the hidden ball, fake pickoff trick Miami pulled off at the College World Series in the 1980s?

All right, enough tongue-in-cheek attempt at humor.

But the Bear players did admit the fog was memorable.

“There were a couple times at the end of the second period where I couldn’t see the puck at the far end of the ice,” said senior defenseman Steve Mullin. “I went back to make sure [goalie Ben] Bishop could tell where it was. It’s the first time I’ve ever been involved in something like that.”

“It was pretty difficult,” acknowledged Bishop. “I could see from the net to the red line but from there all I could see was helmets. I tried to stay in the ready position. I was worried about a shot coming from the other side of the red line. One time, they did clear it and I didn’t know where it was until the blue line. I had to make a quick transition.”

“We could see it a little easier when we were on the ice, but we were saying just throw the puck on net. How’s the goalie going to see it?” said Maine center Jon Jankus.

The fog was created by the warm temperature outside, the heat generated by the sellout crowd, and the fact those wonderfully loyal, diehard fans who stood in line in the rain transferred their moisture into the cool Alfond Arena air.

Referee Scott Hansen had Maine sports information director Brent Williamson call Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna about the possibility of halting the game.

They would have needed to play two full periods for it to be counted as a game.

The players were summoned off the benches to skate around and disperse the fog and conditions gradually improved in the third period.

Maine has found a new weapon.

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600 or by email at lmahoney@bangordailynews.net.