Former University of Maine assistant hockey coach Bruce Crowder feels his hockey career has come “full circle.”

He began his pro hockey career playing for the American Hockey League’s Maine Mariners in 1979-80; he started his college coaching career at the University of Maine and, after head coaching stints at UMass Lowell (99-75-19 in five seasons) and Northeastern (120-170-36 in 9 years), he is back in Portland as an assistant with the AHL’s Portland Pirates.

The Pirates, Anaheim’s top affiliate, are leading the Atlantic Division with 52 points in 37 games.

“It has been absolutely fantastic,” said the 48-year-old Crowder. “For me, it’s been a real breath of fresh air. All I do is coach. I don’t have to worry about professors, recruiting and going to alumni functions.

“It has been fun. It really has. And I think I needed it, too,” said Crowder, who didn’t have his contract renewed at Northeastern.

The rigors of college coaching take a toll, especially at schools such as UMass Lowell and Northeastern, which don’t have the tradition of success like rivals Boston College, Boston University, New Hampshire and Maine.

“I put my heart and soul into it, the competitor that I am. It got a little long at times,” said Crowder.

“But I enjoyed it. I met a lot of great people and I do miss the campus life and the camaraderie with the other coaches,” he said.

With the Pirates, he is working under head coach Kevin Dineen. The other assistant is Mike LaZazzera, who was an assistant at the University of Maine for a year.

“Kevin is a great guy to work with and the three of us get along great,” said Crowder. “We’ve got a very good team. We’ve got some nice players. And our team is young.”

Former University of Maine winger Dustin Penner is leading the team in scoring with 43 points on 19 goals and 24 assists in 27 games.

“He’s a force. He has come a long way,” said Crowder. “I’m not sure how much longer we’re going to have him. He turned some heads in Anaheim. He was up there for a week or two. He returned to us with a great attitude and has continued to play well.”

Crowder works with the defensemen and the special teams and hasn’t minded not being the one making the decisions.

“I don’t have all those pressures now,” said Crowder.

He said working with players at the college and pro levels is similar, with a few twists.

“Coaching is coaching. It probably is a little different here. The players are really focused on hockey. They don’t have to worry about their next exam,” Crowder said.

He also likes being back in Portland.

“There are good people here. The guys running the rink are the same guys who were here 25 years ago,” said Crowder. “The product Anaheim has put in here has really helped the Pirates’ ownership. They’ve given us good players. We’ve been in first place virtually all year.”

Crowder has a one-year contract and doesn’t know where he will be next season.

“Who knows what the future holds. But I’m not going to worry about it. There will always be another job out there,” he said.

Would he ever return as a college head coach?

“It would have to be the right situation with the right [administrative] support,” said Crowder, a three-time Hockey East coach of the year and the 1996 Spencer Penrose Award winner for national coach of the year.

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