Former University of Maine goaltender Alfie Michaud feels he made “huge strides” this season with the Kansas City Blades of the International Hockey League.

The Blades are the top farm team of the Vancouver Canucks, who signed Michaud to a free agent contract after he had led Maine to the NCAA championship in 1999. He was a junior at the time.

Michaud compiled a 14-14-2 record, a 3.14 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage for the Blades this past season. He missed 15 games due to a knee injury.

Those numbers are a significant improvement over his 1999-2000 stats with Syracuse of the American Hockey League where he had a 3.86 GAA and an .890 save percentage in 38 games.

“It was my second year around the block and that obviously helped, experience-wise,” said Michaud, 24. “I was playing behind a really good goalie in Corey Schwab and I learned a ton from him.”

He also said he was more used to the grind of the long pro season.

The Blades failed to make the IHL playoffs so Michaud got a chance to attend some of the Canucks’ Stanley Cup playoff series games against Colorado. He had a great seat for game four.

“I was the backup goalie for game four. That was quite a treat,” said Michaud.

His two-year contract has elapsed but he is optimistic he will be able to re-sign with the Canucks.

“I don’t foresee any problem but you never know,” said Michaud. “I don’t do any of that. It’s up to my agents [Steve Bartlett and Matt Keator].

“I’m just going to try to get ready for next year. I’m going to work hard this summer,” added Michaud, who will spend most of his summer in Maine.

In addition to working out, he intends to instruct at hockey schools, play golf, fish, and spend time with his girlfriend. He will also head home to Canada to address a few graduations of native North Americans in Canada.

The Selkirk, Manitoba, product, a native North American, holds out hope of becoming an NHLer some day.

“You’ve got to battle hard, stay positive and keep improving. And when you get your chance, you’ve got to make the best of it or you’ll fall through the cracks pretty quickly,” said Michaud.

“I just take things day by day. By playing pro hockey, I’m living out a dream that I had as a kid. I can’t ask for any more than that,” said Michaud.

A check on local minor leaguers

Former Bangor American Legion baseball teammates Matt Kinney and Josh Pressley are having different types of seasons.

Righty Kinney, who was 2-2 with a 5.10 earned run average in 421/3 innings for the Minnesota Twins last year, began the week 1-4 with a 6.42 earned run average for the Edmonton Trappers in Triple A. He has allowed 60 hits in 402/3 innings with 27 walks and 25 strikeouts.

First baseman-DH Pressley is with Tampa Bay’s Orlando Rays franchise in Double A and was hitting .279 with two doubles, a triple, a homer and 12 runs batted in.

Meanwhile, former University of Maine All-American center fielder Mark Sweeney is hitting .250 with five homers and 35 RBIs for Milwaukee’s Indianapolis (Triple A) affiliate.

Sweeney, a native of Holliston, Mass., would look good in a Red Sox uniform.

Sure, the Sox are overloaded with outfielder-DH-1B types.

But he has been effective as a pinch-hitter throughout his major league career and Red Sox pinch-hitters are 0-for-25 so far.

Sweeney had seven consecutive pinch-hits in 1995; led the majors with 22 pinch-hits in 1997; had 12 more in 1998 and he was 5-for-14 for Cincinnati before being sent to the minors. He was traded to Milwaukee on Jan. 14, 2000.

He is finally healthy after an injury-marred 2000 campaign.