The Frozen Four in Milwaukee will be a homecoming of sorts for University of Maine assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Grant Standbrook.

Standbrook, who spent 12 years as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin, had a terrific first visit to Milwaukee in 1992-93 when one of the best freshman classes in college hockey history helped lead Maine to its first of two NCAA championships.

What makes this time special is that Standbrook will be re-united with Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves and 1980 U.S. Olympic team scoring leader Mark Johnson, two of his former players at Wisconsin.

Johnson just coached his Wisconsin women’s hockey team to its first NCAA title.

Johnson’s Badgers visited Orono in 2003-2004, sweeping the Maine women’s team.

Standbrook and Eaves squared off in the NCAA regional in Albany later that season with Maine triumphing 2-1 in overtime.

Maine and Wisconsin will meet in Thursday’s 8 p.m. semifinal.

“This is going to be great fun. I’m looking forward to it,” said Standbrook. “Mike has done a great job with that program. He was the man for the job and I told him that at the time. He has brought them to the forefront very quickly.”

Eaves is in his fourth season at Wisconsin.

Standbrook was equally pleased that Johnson earned a national championship ring.

Johnson’s father, the late Bob Johnson, was the head coach at Wisconsin with Standbrook serving as his assistant.

The Hockey Hall-of-Famer also coached the 1976 U.S. Olympic team and several U.S. national teams with Standbrook by his side.

“I met Mark for the first time at a clinic at Shattuck-St. Mary’s [Minn.] School. He was in seventh grade and his brother, Peter, was in eighth,” recalled Standbrook.

He also remembered suggesting to Bob Johnson that, as a last-minute replacement, he add his son to the 1975 U.S. national team roster for a tour of Europe. Mark Johnson was still in high school.

“Bob was reticent to play him because of nepotism,” said Standbrook, who finally convinced Johnson to play his son in the last couple of games.

“He was our best forward. Then he came to Wisconsin and he had 36 goals his freshman season. We went from a being a 10th-place team to winning a national championship (1976-77) that year,” said Standbrook.

He said he and Johnson are great friends and work clinics together all the time.

Eaves, according to Standbrook, was a “great three-year captain” at Wisconsin.

Eaves went on to have a productive eight-year NHL career.

“He had five concussions so I wrote him a letter. I told him ‘Hockey needs you a lot more than you need hockey. Get the hell out of the game,” said Standbrook.

Eaves did retire and got into coaching.

He offered Standbrook an assistant coaching job with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League 13 years ago but Standbrook decided to stay at Maine.

Standbrook and Eaves will be adversaries Thursday but it won’t affect their friendship.

Standbrook has played a major role in five NCAA championships, three at Wisconsin and two at Maine, and he would like nothing better than a sixth.

His recruiting prowess is legendary. The 20 players likely to suit up for Maine Thursday will come from six states and four Canadian provinces.

He hasn’t let Maine’s geographic disadvantage diminish the program’s elite status.

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