ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Keenan Hopson had a stomach ache Tuesday morning and when it got progressively worse and he started vomiting, he had his roommate drive him to the hospital.

Later that night, Hopson had an emergency appendectomy at Bangor’s Eastern Maine Medical Center which will keep him out of this weekend’s NCAA Tournament East Regional.

He traveled with his teammates and is hoping the Bears can beat St. Cloud State and either Clarkson or UMass to earn a trip to the Frozen Four.

“My stomach’s a little sore. Hopefully [we’ll win and] I’ll be able to get back on the ice next week,” said Hopson, who had been a center until being moved back to defense for the two UMass Hockey East quarterfinal games two weekends ago.

Hopson, who had seven goals and 15 assists in 37 games, said the timing couldn’t have been worse.

“It couldn’t have happened at the start of the season, it had to happen right before the Regionals,” said Hopson. “At least, personally, I’ve been [to a regional] before so I’m not missing out on the experience.”

Sophomore Bryan Plaszcz, who was replaced by Hopson in the UMass quarterfinal series, will take his spot in the lineup. And freshman David deKastrozza will move in at center after being a wing his previous 18 games.

Sophomore Matt Duffy will replace Hopson on the point on the power play, according to Maine coach Tim Whitehead.

Whitehead and the Bears are taking the setback in stride.

It isn’t the first time Maine has been without a key player in the first game of the NCAA Tournament as high-scoring center Derek Damon missed the first game of last year’s NCAA tourney after receiving a one-game suspension for violating team rules.

Maine beat Harvard 6-1.

“The team will be fine,” said Hopson.

“Keenan’s loss hurts us, of course,” said Whitehead. “But, at the same time, other guys have been practicing and preparing for this opportunity.”

“Bryan’s ready to go,” said senior defenseman and assistant captain Mike Lundin.

deKastrozza will center a line between Brent Shepheard and Rob Bellamy and Whitehead is comfortable with deKastrozza in the middle.

“He doesn’t have a lot of experience at that position but I really like David as a player and as a person and I know I can count on him to play his heart out,” said Whitehead. “We wanted someone out there who has a physical presence and some toughness. He’s a very responsible defensive player and, long-term, I think he’s going to be a very good player at that position. He’ll win loose pucks and he has surprising good hands for a man that size.”

“Hopefully, he’ll play the body for us. That will help,” said Lundin.

deKastrozza has been a healthy scratch in 12 of the team’s last 15 games.

The 6-foot-3, 200 pound deKastrozza may see limited ice time depending upon the status of Wes Clark, who is returning to the lineup after missing the second UMass quarterfinal game with a sprained knee. He will center a line between Chris Hahn and Vince Laise.

“We’ll see how Wes looks out there,” said Whitehead.

The Maine coach will certainly be monitoring his team closely and he won’t be afraid to switch up his line combinations or defense pairings or double-shift some of his key players.

“Our depth certainly isn’t what it was last year. It has been an issue all year, particularly on defense,” said Whitehead. “We have to be careful with our [allotment of] ice time. We’ve got to put our best players on the ice in the right situations. At the same time, we do have confidence in all of our guys. They’ve got to keep the game simple.

Friends and foes

With UMaine’s practice having just ended Thursday afternoon, Teddy Purcell and Andrew Gordon got together at one of the team benches and compared sticks.

It isn’t that common to see players on opposing teams exchanging pleasantries on the ice on the eve of an NCAA Tournament game, but Gordon and Purcell go way back.

“We’re best friends,” said Gordon, a junior right winger and assistant captain for St. Cloud State (Minn.), the team that stands in the way of the Black Bears’ quest for another trip to the Frozen Four.

“I’ve known his (Purcell’s) name and played against him in every tournament in the Maritimes since I was 10 years old. We ran into each other many times,” said Gordon, who is a native of Porter’s Lake, Nova Scotia.

Purcell, who hails from St. John’s, Newfoundland, is a talented freshman right winger for UMaine.

Even though it is spread out across the entire North American continent, college hockey is a relatively small and close-knit community. That’s what makes it so enjoyable for them to get together.

“We were just shooting the breeze in my hotel room (Wednesday) night for a bit,” Gordon said after the Huskies wrapped up their Thursday evening practice at Blue Cross Arena.

“He knows my background. He knows my town. He knows what it’s like growing up out East,” Gordon said. “You don’t find many of those guys in college hockey. It’s nice to really connect with another guy at a tournament like this.”

Gordon played with Purcell and UMaine’s Jeff Hahn several years ago at Notre Dame Prep, which competes in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. He also played against the Bears’ Jeff Marshall, who was with the La Ronge Ice Wolves in the SJHL.

Purcell and Gordon are key members of their respective teams this season. Purcell, a 6-foot-3, 177-pounder, was the Hockey East Rookie of the Year after posting 16 goals and 24 assists to finish as the Bears’ third leading scorer.

Gordon, a 5-11, 200-pounder, was the No. 2 scorer for St. Cloud State in its drive to an NCAA berth. He notched a team-best 22 goals and posted 23 assists.

The two players have stayed in close touch since their days at Notre Dame Prep.

“I’ve talked to him probably every couple weeks since then,” Gordon said. “It’s good to see Teddy, a fresh face.”

Their discussions center, not surprisingly, on hockey. They are especially fond of comparing sticks.

“Teddy and I have used similar (blade) patterns pretty much our whole lives,” Gordon said. “Every time he calls me or I call him, the first question is, what’s your blade look like? It’s a good relationship.”

Gordon explained that his father, John Gordon, and Purcell’s dad, Ted, also have become good buddies over the years.

Gordon has tried to warn his teammates about some of Purcell’s tendencies as a scorer, especially because he is a little bit unorthodox.

“I was making fun of him. He skates backwards more than any forward on earth,” Gordon chuckled. “It’s tough to defend, because he’ll get a pass and he’ll skate away from you and then make a pass over you. He’s a player and we’re going to have to key on him.”

As for the stick selection, “he could use a canoe paddle, I think, and do well,” Gordon quipped.

Johnson has goal in mind

Maine senior right wing Keith Johnson has been in an extended goal-scoring drought, but he’s hoping he will break out this weekend.

Johnson has just one empty-net goal in his last 17 games after collecting eight in his first 17 games.

“It’s been tough finding the back of the net the past couple of months,” said Johnson. “But I’ve been getting chances. I’ve just got to keep going at it. I’m approaching this as a new season, a new start. I’m playing with one of the best two players around [Michel Leveille], so, hopefully, I’ll bury one.”

Gendron aiding UMass

Former Maine assistant Red Gendron has played an important role in UMass making its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. UMass meets Clarkson in the East Regional opener today. Gendron was at Maine from 1990-93 and is in his second year at UMass.

“He has a lot of experience and has brought a lot of knowledge to our program,” said UMass sophomore goalie Jon Quick. “He knows how to motivate the team.”

“He knows the technicalities of the game,” added junior defenseman Dave Leaderer.