ORONO – University of Maine interim head coach Tim Whitehead said one 28-second series best epitomizes senior captain and defenseman Peter Metcalf.

“In our first game against New Hampshire up here, we had just tied the game 2-2,” recalled Whitehead, referring to Tommy Reimann’s power-play goal with 28 seconds left in the first period. “Right after the faceoff, New Hampshire came into our zone and cycled the puck. Peter wound up blocking three shots on that shift.”

“We had just gained momentum and Peter was determined that we keep it entering the intermission,” added Whitehead. “By blocking those shots, he gave us even more momentum.”

Maine wound up winning 6-3.

That Metcalf would sacrifice his body for his team comes as no surprise to anyone who knows him.

“He plays with a lot of heart,” said senior right winger Niko Dimitrakos. “He’ll dive all over the place to make plays. He always gives up his body.”

Metcalf plays with abandon for one reason.

“I hate to lose,” said Metcalf. “I even hate losing at cards at home. Until the final buzzer rings, I’ll break your arm in order to win.”

His mother, Judy, will verify her son’s contention.

“He gets very upset when they lose,” said Judy Metcalf.

Fortunately for Metcalf and his mom, there have been a lot more wins than losses in his four-year career at Maine.

Best season, statistically

Entering this weekend’s season-ending series at Boston University, Maine has gone 97-35-22 since Metcalf put on a Black Bear jersey.

He is enjoying his best season as a Bear with seven goals and 28 assists for 35 points in 34 games. His previous single-season high was 23 points during his freshman season when he helped the Bears win the NCAA championship.

He is the No. 2 point-getter among the league’s defensemen.

His 93 career points rank him among the school’s all-time leaders for defensemen. He has 22 goals and 71 assists and is an impressive plus-78 for his career (a player is credited with a plus-1 when he is on the ice and his team scores, a minus-1 when he is on the ice and the opposing team scores).

Metcalf will go to extremes to put a digit in the win column.

He uses an unusually long stick to enhance his ability to pokecheck and block shots. He has broken up countless odd-man rushes by extending his stick into the passing lanes. He also says it helps him make passes because it enables him to reach around opposing players to feed a teammate.

You may also see him pile up snow shavings just beyond the defensive blue line so when he and his mates try to rim the puck down the ice, the snow will slow it down and prevent an icing call.

He will dive on a puck to relieve pressure. He will take dives to draw penalties and, in a 1-0 win over Providence recently, intentionally knocked his net off the moorings to prevent a potential scoring attempt.

Unfortunately, his infraction was detected and the Bears had to kill off his penalty.

He also pleads his case with referees even if it is just a matter of where a faceoff will be taken.

Seeking an edge comes naturally

Metcalf said he doesn’t devise different ways to gain an edge on the ice.

“I just do it. It comes naturally,” said Metcalf.

“He has been a real good mainstay on Maine’s defense the last four years,” said Northeastern coach Bruce Crowder. “He’s had a great career up there. He’s very steady and he’s obviously the leader of their team.”

“He is one of the best defensemen in the league,” said Providence College junior right wing Jon DiSalvatore. “He’s tough in one-on-one situations and he’ll also jump into the play.”

University of Massachusetts-Lowell senior right wing Yorick Treille paid Metcalf the ultimate compliment by saying, “He’s a pain in the ass to play against. He’s always in your face.”

“He’s very poised with the puck,” added Treille. “He makes plays and gets the puck to the net. He has so much composure at the point.”

Always wanted to be a defenseman

Metcalf made up his mind to become a defenseman very early in his hockey career.

His sister, Erine, who is 13 months older than Peter, was a defenseman and Peter noticed that “I could get more ice time as a defensemen.”

“There were always tons of forwards,” said Metcalf, a native of Pembroke, Mass. “I wanted to try to be like [Boston Bruins Hall of Famer] Bobby Orr.”

He eventually had another role model to pattern his game after: future Hall of Famer Ray Bourque.

He has played other sports, but he says, “Hockey is definitely my favorite.”

After school, it would be off to the pond, the rink, or the street to play hockey with his sister and their friends.

“He has been on skates since he was 3. He played hockey morning, noon, and night,” said Judy Metcalf.

Erine, who went on to have an exceptional career at Northeastern University, was her brother’s defense partner quite a bit as they made their way up the youth hockey ranks.

“We were paired together until we were 12 or 13 and wound up playing for different teams,” said Erine. “Peter was more offensive-minded. I was more of a stay-at-home defenseman. He is a great playmaker and is strong on his feet.”

Hockey is in his genes

Judy said the youngest two of her four children probably received their hockey genes from her father, Ed Keith.

“He was supposed to be a Boston Bruin many, many years ago. But you couldn’t make any money playing hockey back then [so he didn’t pursue it],” said Judy Metcalf.

What the 6-foot, 200-pound Metcalf lacks in size and speed he makes up for with his smarts, work ethic, and passion for the game.

“What I love most about him is he is a fierce competitor,” said Whitehead. “He has been playing with a laundry basket full of injuries all season long but he’s still out there diving to block shots. He’s a workhorse.”

Last year, a poll was taken among the Maine players and Metcalf was selected Maine’s most competitive player.

“He sets a great example on and off the ice,” said Maine junior right winger Gray Shaneberger. “We should all strive to be like him.”

Junior defenseman Michael Schutte said Metcalf “comes to play every day. He has a great work ethic. He competes in practice as well as games and wins a lot of battles.

“He always does the little things. He’s a great captain and a great leader.”

In addition to his youth hockey days in Pembroke, Metcalf used to attend hockey camp in Toronto during the summers and tasted a lot of success playing for his Toronto-based team as it toured North America.

“I was the only American on the team and we used to win a lot of tournaments,” said Metcalf, who was one of the bigger kids for his age group at the time.

He eventually wound up at Cushing Academy (Mass.), where he had 18 goals and 48 assists his senior year. He was the captain and leading scorer and was named to the Boston Globe’s All-Scholastic team.

In addition, he was named Hockey Night in Boston’s Player of the Year and defensive Most Valuable Player.

He was heavily recruited, but told Boston University and Boston College not to bother recruiting him because he wasn’t interested.

It eventually came down to Harvard and Maine.

“I was leaning toward Harvard,” said Metcalf.

But a talk with Walsh convinced him to come to Orono, as did a full scholarship after Maine hadn’t offered him one at first.

“Coach Walsh asked me what I wanted to do with the rest of my life after college,” recalled Metcalf. “He told me if I wanted to keep playing hockey, they would develop me so I could.”

The ninth-round draft choice of the Toronto Maple Leafs became a regular as a freshman and Walsh gave him quality minutes throughout the postseason, including the 3-2 overtime win over New Hampshire in the national championship game.

“I was a little shaky on ‘D,’ but coach showed a lot of faith in me,” said Metcalf. “I played a lot in the national championship game. I’ll never forget that.”

He got off to a slow start his sophomore year and shouldered the blame.

“It was Fat Cat syndrome,” said Metcalf, who finished strong and helped the Bears to a Frozen Four appearance.

He had 21 points that year.

Metcalf played in only 31 games last year due to injury but produced five goals and nine assists.

Trying season, but no regrets

The Bears have put themselves in position to earn another NCAA Tournament berth with a strong finish, but this season has been a trying one for Metcalf.

Walsh died of complications from kidney cancer on Sept. 24 and Whitehead was moved up to interim head coach.

Metcalf also lost summer league coach Jay Philbin to cancer. He was a big influence, according to Judy Metcalf.

And the early departure of Doug Janik (pros) and Eric Turgeon (graduation and job) left the Bear blue-line corps with three first-year players in the lineup on most nights.

“It was tough to not have Coach Walsh yelling in the back of your head and telling you things like ‘work hard.’ It was a difficult adjustment,” said Metcalf. “Coach Whitehead is more chilled out. He isn’t always in your face. But he has the knowledge and he knows how to prepare you for every situation.”

Judy Metcalf said the death of Walsh took a toll on her son.

“He feels he has more responsibility,” said Judy Metcalf.

But he has risen to the task.

“He has been a great leader and has really helped the young defensemen,” said freshman defenseman Troy Barnes. “He has been tough. He lets us know if we’re doing something wrong. But he does it in a positive way.”

Metcalf, a dean’s list business student, feels he has improved at Maine. He feels more confident in his skating and all other aspects of his game.

He has no regrets about his decision.

“It’s a great program and we have the best coaching staff in the country,” said Metcalf, who would like nothing better than to earn another NCAA championship ring this year.