Bears’ Lundin ‘maintenance-free’ on defense Consistency key for Maine senior

ORONO – Mike Lundin wasn’t supposed to play much last weekend against Vermont after losing 10 pounds due to a virus that kept him off the ice until Thursday.

So what did he do?

He scored two goals in Friday night’s 5-1 win, assisted on the game’s only goal on Saturday and played exemplary defense both nights.

“He made a strong clear without icing the puck [after Vermont pulled its goalie for an extra attacker Saturday],” pointed out Maine coach Tim Whitehead. “He had no business playing as much as he did. I don’t know how he did it.”

It’s simple.

“I love being out there,” said Lundin, a 6-foot-2, 194-pound native of Apple Valley, Minn. “I love competing. For me, the more ice time the better. That’s what I enjoy the most. After a game, I feel better if I played 30 minutes, played in all situations and played a solid game than if I had played 15 minutes and gotten four points.”

UMass Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald said, “The true test of a good player is his consistency and, from what I can see, he has been very consistent from day one. He’s willing to do the things that don’t get a lot of recognition but are critical to winning championships.”

Maine will need a typically strong two-way performance from Lundin tonight and Friday because the Bears visit rival Boston College for another crucial Hockey East series.

BC coach Jerry York said Lundin has, “stepped to the forefront. He’s one of the elite defensemen in our league.”

“He means a lot to the program,” said Maine senior center and captain Michel Leveille. “He has been the backbone [of the defense] since he got here. He can log a lot of ice time, he’s a great playmaker and he’s really strong defensively.”

“He has been fabulous from start [of his career] to finish,” said Whitehead.

Lundin knows how important the BC series is.

“This is definitely a huge weekend for the confidence of our team and for the playoffs,” said Lundin. “It won’t be an easy task. BC teams have always had a lot of skill.”

Lundin is having an exceptional senior year. The assistant captain has six goals, five on the power play, and 10 assists in 29 games.

He entered this season with seven goals and 42 assists in 120 career games.

“Everyone’s goal coming into college is to keep improving. Besides my sophomore slump, I’ve improved every year and I continue to improve. This year, things have gone well so far,” said Lundin.

“I’ve been able to contribute to the offense a little more while solidifying my defensive play. I’ve really gotten to understand opposing teams’ forechecks and how to play in the defensive zone,” Lundin added.

Maine junior defenseman Travis Ramsey said Lundin has been a role model for the Maine defensemen.

Providence coach Tim Army observed that Lundin, “does a lot of things really well. He’s a maintenance-free player.”

Lundin has played in two Frozen Fours and one NCAA title game and would love another crack at an NCAA championship this year.

“Frozen Fours are amazing. Every year, I cherish them a little bit more. This year, being a senior, I would cherish it that much more and it would be that much more amazing of an experience,” said Lundin.