Bears relishing chance to contend for NCAA title

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ORONO – The string of success speaks for itself: eight consecutive NCAA Tournament berths and three Frozen Fours in the last five years including two NCAA championship game appearances.

But the University of Maine men’s hockey team hasn’t won an NCAA title since 1999 and, as always, that is what they have set their sights on.

“That’s our goal and I don’t see why we can’t do it this year,” said senior left winger and assistant captain Josh Soares.

“We have a lot of returning players who played in the Frozen Four last year and some of the seniors played in the NCAA championship game [in 2004]. Myself and a couple of other guys didn’t get to play in that game [1-0 loss to Denver] but we saw what it took to get there. We’re ready to make another run,” added Soares.

Maine, picked to finish third in Hockey East and currently ranked 11th in the country in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll, opens against Minnesota on Friday night at the Xcel Energy Center.

Maine returns eight of its top 12 scorers off last year’s 28-12-2 team which reached the Frozen Four only to lose to eventual national champion Wisconsin 5-2 in the semifinals.

Two players on each of the four lines who played against Wisconsin return as do four of the six defensemen and goalie Ben Bishop, who was chosen to the Hockey East All-Rookie team last season.

“What I respect most about Maine is how they really sustain excellence every year,” said UMass Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald. “They lost some pretty good players but they have goaltending, leadership and balance. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them knocking on the door for first place [in Hockey East] come March.”

Sixth-year head coach Tim Whitehead’s Black Bears will have to replace players who scored 43.4 percent of their goals including 46.4 percent of their power-play goals.

Hobey Baker Award finalist and first-team All-American Greg Moore (28 goals, 17 assists) is the most significant loss but Derek Damon (15 & 20) and John Hopson (10 & 14) were also among the six players who had double-digit goal totals; Jon Jankus (7 & 11) was a gritty two-way center and Travis Wight (2 & 9) and Steve Mullin (0 & 4) were resourceful stay-at-home defensemen.

“We lost a lot of goal-scoring but I think we have a lot of guys who can step up and replace those goals,” said Soares. “Everyone is going to have to pick up their goal production. If they can improve by three, four, five, six goals each, that will go a big way toward filling the void.”

Fifth-year senior center and captain Michel Leveille concurred.

“We might have a lot of guys with 10 goals this year,” said Leveille. “We’re going to have a lot of depth like we’ve always had. Everyone can be in the lineup. The freshmen are real good. Even the sophomores, juniors and seniors are going to have to battle for spots.”

He also said it could be a more physical team than last year’s.

Senior defenseman and assistant captain Mike Lundin expects the defense corps “to produce more offensively.”

Goalie Bishop feels the Bears will be “more creative” and looks for more balanced scoring.

“We may not have one guy with 60 points but, hopefully, we’ll have a bunch of guys get 20-30 points,” said Bishop.

The coaching staff has changed with 18-year recruiting coordinator and assistant Grant Standbrook retiring but remaining with the program as the volunteer assistant. Guy Perron, who had been the Maine women’s hockey coach, has replaced Standbrook and Dan Kerluke has been promoted from volunteer assistant to the second full-time assistant.

The players like the idea of having Standbrook working with them on a consistent basis rather than spending long periods of time recruiting.

Freshman Teddy Purcell, who led the prestigious U.S. Hockey League in assists last year with 52, said “it’s amazing what Grant teaches you. He has shown me so much stuff I’d never heard of before.”

Leveille (16 goals, 24 assists) heads the list of returnees. He was a second-team All-American and second-team All-Hockey East selection despite suffering a knee injury on Jan. 13 that required off-season surgery.

“He’s the best player in Hockey East,” said MacDonald.

Leveille’s linemate for most of the last season, Soares, had a breakthrough year with 15 goals and 26 assists.

Junior left wing Billy Ryan (10 & 18), an elusive stickhandler, should be poised to become a dominant forward in Hockey East.

He had off-season surgery to repair a right ankle that bothered him a year ago.

Maine needs more goal-scoring consistency from junior center Keenan Hopson (4 & 19) and senior LWs Mike Hamilton (1 & 10) and Brent Shepheard (5 & 3).

They should be good for 10 goals apiece.

Senior Keith Johnson (6 & 7) and junior Rob Bellamy (6 & 9), both right wings, are valuable role players. Johnson is a speedy defensive specialist while Bellamy is a bone-rattling checker. Johnson had off-season shoulder surgery.

Junior Wes Clark (0 & 4 in 10 games) and sophomores Chris Hahn (3 & 2 in 16 games) and Vince Laise (0 in 8 games) showed glimpses of promise but have to step their games up a notch.

Freshmen Purcell, Zach Sill, Tyler Czuba, Tony Morrone and David de Kastrozza supply the Bears with a mixed bag of abilities.

Purcell and Czuba, who was the leading goal scorer (60) and MVP in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, could be instant point-producers; Sill and de Kastrozza are physical, two-way players and Morrone is an explosive skater with good hands.

Lundin (3 & 13) and juniors Bret Tyler (7 & 16) and Travis Ramsey (1 & 5) are seasoned veterans on defense. Tyler played the second half of the season with a sprained ankle but he is healthy now.

Sophomores Matt Duffy (3 & 5) and 6-foot-7 Simon Danis-Pepin (0 & 5) showed dramatic improvement over the second half and could emerge into top-notch, offensive-minded blue-liners.

Sophomore Bryan Plaszcz (1-0 in 6 games) exhibited good offensive instincts and Jeff Marshall (0 in 8 games) has been moved from forward to defense and has potential to be a reliable, stay-at-home defenseman. Freshman Brett Carriere led his Atlantic Junior Hockey League’s defenseman in points (58).

The 6-7 Bishop had an impressive freshman season (21-8-2, 2.28 goals-against average, .907 save percentage). Bishop, who is like a third defensemen with his puckhandling and shooting skills, needs to work on limiting his movement in net to take full advantage of his size.

Freshman Dave Wilson should be a capable backup.

This team could be better than last year’s if the key veterans stay healthy.

UMAINE HOCKEY SCHEDULE

OCTOBER

6 – at Minnesota, 8:07 p.m.

13 – Bemidji State, 7 p.m.

14 – Bemidji State, 8 p.m.

20 – at North Dakota, 8:30 p.m.

21 – at North Dakota, 8 p.m.

28 – UMass, 7 p.m.

NOVEMBER

3 – at Merrimack, 7 p.m.

4 – at Boston University, 7 p.m.

10 – UMass Lowell, 7 p.m.

12 – New Hampshire, 3 p.m.

19 – Boston College, 3 p.m.

25 – at Vermont, 2 p.m.

DECEMBER

1 – Providence, 7 p.m.

6 – New Brunswick (exhibition), 7 p.m.

9 – at Northeastern, 7 p.m.

16 – vs. Mercyhurst (at Portland), 7 p.m.

Florida College Classic

29 – vs. Western Michigan, 4:05 p.m.

30 – vs. Cornell or New Hampshire, TBA

JANUARY

5 – at UMass Lowell, 7 p.m.

6 – at UMass Lowell, 3 p.m.

12 – Boston University, 7:30 p.m.

13 – Boston University, 7 p.m.

19 – at Providence, 7 p.m.

20 – at Providence, 7 p.m.

26 – Northeastern, 7 p.m.

27 – Northeastern, 7 p.m.

FEBRUARY

2 – at New Hampshire, 8 p.m.

3 – at New Hampshire, 7 p.m.

9 – Vermont, 7:30 p.m.

10 – Vermont, 8 p.m.

15 – at Boston College, 7 p.m.

16 – at Boston College, 8 p.m.

23 – Merrimack, 7 p.m.

24 – Merrimack, 7 p.m.

MARCH

2 – At UMass, 7 p.m.

3 – at UMass, 7 p.m.