University of Maine freshman Jeff Marshall was struggling at forward and hadn’t played in 10 games. He hadn’t registered a point in seven games up front.

With sophomore Bret Tyler (high ankle sprain) and freshman Bryan Plaszcz (shoulder) sidelined, the Black Bears were down to six healthy defensemen so Maine men’s hockey coach Tim Whitehead and his staff decided to move Marshall back to defense a couple of weeks ago.

Marshall made his debut as a defenseman in a difficult situation on Saturday night with the Bears immersed in a three-game losing streak and he impressed his teammates and Whitehead with a steady performance as the Bears beat Providence 5-2.

Marshall hadn’t played since Maine’s 2-1 loss to Vermont on Nov. 27. He replaced freshman Matt Duffy in the lineup. Duffy was a healthy scratch.

“He played real well for us. He helped us a lot in a tough situation,” said Maine senior right wing and captain Greg Moore.

Whitehead said Marshall was “good. He played with a lot of poise, especially for someone who hadn’t played in a long time.”

He was paired with sophomore Travis Ramsey.

“He had looked real good in practice and he fit in perfectly Saturday night,” said Ramsey. “He didn’t look out of place at all. He excelled on defense.”

Marshall said if you go back to when he started playing hockey up until now, he has played half the time at forward and half on defense.

“But over the last three years, I’ve played in a total of four games on defense,” said Marshall.

Marshall said he had “quite a bit of preparation” for his blue- line debut over the previous two weeks and “loved” playing defense Saturday.

“I felt real comfortable back there. Travis Ramsey is a solid defense partner and was always helping me out when I needed it,” said Marshall.

Marshall tried to keep things simple.

“I didn’t want to go in and try to do too much. If you do that, you can get yourself in trouble, especially with it being my first game back there at this caliber,” said Marshall. “I just tried to do the little things right, stay in position and not give up the puck.”

He said he was “really happy” with his performance.

“I didn’t get into too many pressure situations where I had to make split-second decisions, which was good. I just wanted to get my feet wet,” said Marshall.

He said he will be “ready” if needed for this weekend’s series at Northeastern.

Moore said role players like Marshall will have to continue to come to the forefront due to the injury situation.

Senior center Michel Leveille is also sidelined with a knee injury.

The ACC’s Maine men

Fifteen games into his second varsity season of Division I basketball in the powerful Atlantic Coast Conference, Ralph Mims isn’t lighting it up, but he is carving out come regular playing time.

The former Brunswick High basketball/football star and three-time Bangor Daily News All-Maine first-team selection is averaging 11.6 minutes per game for the 11-4 Florida State University Seminoles.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound guard and Pensacola, Fla., native is averaging 4.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.

The 20-year-old Mims will get a chance to renew acquaintances with high school opponent and ACC opponent Nik Caner-Medley when FSU hosts Maryland on Feb. 22.

Caner-Medley, a 6-8 senior forward from Portland and former Deering High star, has been a key player for the 13-4 Terrapins and his role becomes even more crucial with Monday’s announcement that senior guard and leading scorer Chris McCray has been suspended for the remainder of the season for academic reasons.

Caner-Medley, a two-time All-Maine first-team pick, is second on the team in points (13.8 per game), rebounds (6.0) and minutes played (30.3). He’s also averaging 2.1 assists per game and is an All-American and All-ACC candidate for a second straight year. He will also likely be included among the candidates for the Wooden Award, presented annually to the nation’s top player, for a second straight year.

UM’s Jenna Cowan sidelined

The University of Maine women’s hockey team has lost sophomore defenseman Jenna Cowan for two to four weeks with a separated shoulder suffered late in the third period of Sunday’s 2-2 tie with Providence College.

Cowan had a goal and four assists in 19 games and was injured when she was checked into the boards by a Friar.

She had been paired with junior standout Kelly Law.

“Jenna played 25-30 minutes a game,” said Maine coach Guy Perron. “She has always been a steady defenseman with great speed. That will make an impact. Somebody is going to have to pick up the slack.”

Perron said he hopes Cowan can return “as soon as possible.”

Junior Karine Senecal, who was playing left wing on Sunday but has also played defense, will likely be moved back to the blue line according to Perron.

Maine’s two other defense tandems have sophomore Julie Poulin with freshman Chantal Jaillet and sophomore Kim Meagher of Hampden with senior Morgan Janusc.