ORONO – University of Maine sports fans may know Nolan Boike from his pitching performances for the Black Bear baseball team.

But Boike was wearing a different uniform this past weekend.

Boike, a senior from Arlington, Mass., played right wing for the Black Bear hockey team in its sweep of Mercyhurst College, 4-2 and 4-1.

He was making his debut.

“It was great. It was fun. I was more nervous Friday night [than Saturday night],” said Boike. “It was a little easier the second night.”

Boike was a walk-on who tried out for the team his freshman year and wound up practicing with them for the entire fall.

“They had a couple of redshirts, John Hopson and Vince Laise, and it didn’t work out for me,” said Boike, who was released from the team by Maine coach Tim Whitehead after the fall semester.

But Boike said Whitehead told him he’d keep him in mind if another opportunity came along.

Boike was a Hingham, Mass., summer hockey league teammate of Maine left wing and assistant captain Billy Ryan this summer and Ryan put in a call to Whitehead encouraging his coach to invite Boike to try out again.

“Billy said, ‘I might be crazy, coach, but I think Nolan can help us,'” said Whitehead.

Whitehead got the OK from baseball coach Steve Trimper and set up an arrangement with Boike so that he could practice with the team when he wasn’t required to be at fall baseball.

“I knew he could help us so once fall baseball finished up, I invited him to join us for the year,” said Whitehead.

He received his opportunity this past weekend and opened some eyes with his smart, physical play.

He was on a line with junior left wing Chris Hahn and freshman center Keif Orsini. He also saw some power-play time.

“For a baseball player, he looked pretty good,” grinned Maine senior defenseman Bret Tyler. “He used to play hockey back in the day, and he knew what he was doing out there. I’m sure he was a little nervous, but he kept it simple and played unbelievable.”

Senior center Wes Clark added, “He has impressed all of us. We didn’t know how he would react this weekend, but he took everything in stride and looked really good out there.”

Boike said the most noticeable adjustment he had to make was to the speed of the game.

“It was quick, real quick,” said Boike. “I wanted to make sure I played defense first. I didn’t want to get caught in the offensive zone. I just wanted to make good plays … chip the puck to space, get the puck deep and keep it simple. I wanted to work hard and help the team any way I could.”

Boike said he was grateful to Trimper for allowing him to play hockey.

“He’s been great. He has given me a lot of support, which I appreciate. I’m glad it worked out,” said Boike, who has been told by Trimper he can finish the hockey season before re-joining the baseball team.

He is a nonscholarship player in baseball.

Boike said Whitehead prepared him and his mates well for the series.

“And I had good linemates. We worked well together. It ended up being a good weekend. We needed a sweep and we got it,” said Boike.

Whitehead said Boike has been a “great addition” and thought he played very well over the weekend.

“I’m very pleased with him. His attitude has been excellent. He’s very respectful of the tradition here, and he’s learning every day. He’s picking up the systems and a lot of little things,” said Whitehead.

“He competes, he has real good hockey sense and he can shoot and score. This year, we’re pretty thin at forward, particularly in the scoring area. It makes a lot of sense to have him with us,” added Whitehead. “He has areas he needs to improve in, but he has made a positive impact, and the exciting thing is he’s only going to get better and better.”

Boike said it was a thrill to play at Alfond Arena.

“The crowd was great. It was unbelievable. It’s the best crowd in the country, without a doubt,” said Boike.

UM coach Laughlin gets post

University of Maine men’s soccer coach Pat Laughlin has been named head coach of the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program Region I under-15 boys team.

Region I covers east coast states from Maine to Virginia.

Players are selected to the Region I team through their states via a tournament as well as identification camps over the summer. The team will play in an interregional event over Thanksgiving in Orlando, Fla., and travel to Spain in February.

Laughlin, now in his first season as the Black Bears’ head coach, has served as an assistant with the Region I team the last five years.