University of Maine junior defenseman Travis Ramsey didn’t put on his first pair of hockey skates until he was “about 12 or 13.”

He progressed quickly in the sport of hockey and will take on a more prominent role when Maine hosts Vermont tonight and Saturday night. His role is more important because of the uncertainty over goalie Ben Bishop’s (groin strain) availability and the fact senior defenseman Mike Lundin has a virus.

“Everybody on the defense corps, even the guys who are more offensive, are going to have to take a more defensive role,” said Ramsey. “If [backup goalie Dave] Wilson steps in, we want to give him a chance to gain his confidence throughout the game. As a team, we’ve got to step up our defensive game. We’ve got to play simple and not get overextended offensively.”

Ramsey had played roller hockey in his native Lakewood, Calif., and, after watching some ice hockey games, he asked his parents (Pam and Taylor) if he could try it.

He began learning how to skate and the coach of the local bantam [ages 13-14] team “saw me skating every day. I was trying to learn how to stop. He asked me to attend a bantam tryout. At the end of the tryout, he told my parents I probably wouldn’t play very much but he liked how hard I worked. He gave me a shot. That’s how I got started.”

He was an all-league water polo goalie at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and also played basketball.

“But I just loved hockey. I loved the speed and the physical aspect of it. I was getting bored playing other sports. You just waited around,” said Ramsey.

He left California to pursue a junior hockey career in Montana before moving on to Salmon Arm in the prestigious British Columbia Junior Hockey League.

That earned him a scholarship to Maine and he has developed into a dependable defense-minded blue-liner and a vital cog on the penalty-killing unit.

Sophomore defenseman Bryan Plaszcz said Ramsey’s rapid development from age 13 has been “amazing.”

Maine senior captain Michel Leveille said Ramsey is one of the fastest skaters on the team.

“He has improved a lot. He reminds me a little bit of [former Bear defenseman] Cliff Loya. He’s a stable defensive defenseman who is strong physically and is fast. He keeps the game simple. He has been doing his job real well,” said Leveille.

Ramsey credits his coaches at all levels with his progress.

“They’ve all been really helpful,” said Ramsey, who tried to be coachable “because I’ve had so much to learn.”

He has three assists in 27 games and has been happy with his performance.

“But I still need to improve on a lot of things. I’ve progressed another step from last year. But there’s still a lot of room to go,” said Ramsey.

“He’s a good, solid player. He’s noticeable. He has definitely improved a lot,” said Anaheim Ducks assistant GM Dave McNab.

Maine coach Tim Whitehead said Ramsey has “really emerged as a top-notch defender and mainstay for us. He’s very tough to beat in one-on-ones.”