MILWAUKEE – If there is one University of Wisconsin player who has a lot of knowledge about the University of Maine’s impressive hockey tradition it is junior center Andrew Joudrey.

Joudrey is from Bedford, Nova Scotia and was a Black Bear fan growing up.

In fact, when he was being recruited, it came down to Wisconsin and Maine and he chose Wisconsin after visiting the Madison, Wis.-based school first.

He canceled his visit to Maine.

“When I visited Wisconsin, I fell in love with the place. I liked the academics and the fact it had Big Ten sports. So I called Maine because I didn’t want them to waste their money on me,” said Joudrey.

Joudrey remembers watching Maine on cable television and specifically recalled their games against rivals “Boston College and Boston University.

“I remember watching the Kariya brothers [Paul, Steve and Marty] and the other guys [they played with],” said Joudrey who used to watch Maine games with his parents.

He said he also played in several tournaments in the Bangor area when he was a youngster.

Joudrey added that it seems ironic that Wisconsin’s first trip to the Frozen Four in 14 years would have them facing the team he grew up following.

Joudrey has eight goals, including three game-winners, and 10 assists in 35 games this season and has 22 goals and 42 assists in 118 career games.

Spekhardt slides in

Pat Spekhardt was thrilled when he was selected by WZON program director Dale Duff to make the trip to the Frozen Four as WZON radio’s on-site intermission report host.

Spekhardt, who along with Jeff Solari co-host’s the Bangor all-sports station’s afternoon show, “The Shootaround,” had a few more thrills than he would have liked during the trip to Milwaukee.

After wrapping up Monday’s show at 6 p.m., Spekhardt jumped into the WZON Subaru and sloshed through the rain toward Kittery, where he would meet up with Dan Hannigan, WZON’s radio voice for UMaine hockey.

While traveling on I-295 toward Portland, a vehicle in the passing lane sped past Spekhart and pulled quickly in front of him. When Spekhardt took evasive action, his car hydroplaned on the wet road and spun off the highway into the grass.

Spekhardt wasn’t injured, and the Subaru sustained only a dislodged rear bumper cover and some splattered mud and grass.

“A little spinning doesn’t bother me,” Spekhardt said with the same calm that he used to avoid a worse fate. “I’ve been in worse accidents than that.”

After providing a police officier with his driver’s license, registration and insurance information, Spekhardt was back on the road. He arrived at Hannigan’s at 11 p.m.

Only a few hours later, Hannigan and Spekhardt left for the Manchester, N.H., airport. When Spekhardt went to check in at the airline counter, he received another shock.

When asked to provide photo identification, he opened his wallet to discover that his driver’s license wasn’t occupying its normal spot in behind the clear plastic window. He quickly realized that after the accident, he had inadvertently placed his license back in the glove compartment of the Subaru along with the registration and insurance card.

Fortunately, the ticket agent and security people in Manchester were understanding and allowed him to make his flight so he could work the Frozen Four.

Media marches on Massachusetts

Mark Bedics, the assistant director of media communications for the NCAA, said there are 364 accredited media members at the Frozen Four.

“That’s about the same we had in Boston two years ago. It’s a high-end figure,” said Bedics.

He said one recent trend pertains to the throng of media that is interested in players’ previous and future careers.

“We’ve got a bunch of media here from Green Bay because there are some players who used to play for the Green Bay Gamblers [in the United States Junior Hockey League]. And there are two Chicago television stations here who are covering the Blackhawk draft picks,” said Bedics.

Too much time on his hands

University of Maine sophomore defenseman Travis Ramsey did not care for the 10-day layoff between the East Regional and the Frozen Four.

“It was a long break. I’m a big believer in momentum. That’s a big thing in hockey. It’s like the sixth man. I would have liked to have played the next day after we beat Michigan State [5-4 in the East Regional final].”

However, Ramsey also noted that the layoff was good for players with nagging injuries.

Ramsey, a native of Lakewood, Cal., will have several family members on hand for the Frozen Four including his grandmother, Pat West.

“My grandmother works for the athletic department at Long Beach State and has been to several Final Fours in other sports. But she’s never been to one in hockey. She’s flying in from Boston [after attending the women’s basketball Final Four],” said Ramsey.