The University of Maine men’s hockey team has played in all seven Florida College Classics and will be back to defend its championship next season.

Maine beat Western Michigan 8-4 and Cornell 6-3 last weekend to claim its first title in the tournament since 2002.

The Black Bears have won three of the seven tournaments, which have been held at Germain Arena in Estero, Fla., home of the Florida Everblades of the East Coast Hockey League.

The Everblades sponsor the tournament.

Joining Maine in the tournament next year will be Hockey East rival Boston College along with Cornell and fellow ECAC member Clarkson University (N.Y.).

Cornell is the only other team that has played in all seven tournaments. The Big Red has won it twice.

“We want to stay on the tournament schedule as long as we can. It’s a great fit,” said Maine athletic director Blake James.

“It’s a first-class tournament. They do a great job putting it on,” said James. “Every year, they have a real solid field. It’s [NCAA] Regional-type competition.”

This past season, the tourney had three top 12 teams in New Hampshire (No. 2), Maine (No. 5), and Cornell (No. 12).

“We want to be able to be able to play in a holiday tournament and I can’t think of a better place to take our team and our fans,” added James. “Not only can they enjoy a top-notch tournament, they can enjoy all the amenities in the Fort Myers-Naples area.”

He noted that there are a lot of “relocated” Maine natives, snowbirds, and UMaine alumni living in Florida, and this gives them an opportunity to see the team play.

“We had two great receptions for alums and friends,” said James, who added that having the tournament on the schedule is probably a good recruiting tool for coach Tim Whitehead.

James saved the university approximately $35,000 this year by orchestrating a charter flight with New Hampshire, which finished third.

He said he will suggest a similar charter to Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo for next year’s tournament.

The tournament costs the university approximately $25,000 after the institution is reimbursed $15,000 by the tournament sponsors, according to James.

The Florida Everblades sponsor the event.

UM meets UML at Tully Forum

Maine will return to Hockey East play this weekend when it visits the Chelmsford Forum, formerly known as the Tully Forum, for a pair against the UMass Lowell River Hawks.

The River Hawks spent 18 years at the Tully Forum before moving to the new Tsongas Arena in Lowell in 1998.

The Tsongas Arena is hosting the Colonial Classic Synchronized Skating and World Junior Challenge Cup Selection competitions this weekend.

The games will be at 7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday.