ORONO – Mike Schutte had been a defenseman his entire career starting with his youth hockey days. But University of Maine coach Shawn Walsh moved Schutte to forward last season to try to capitailize on his offensive abilities.

Walsh also played him occasionally on the fourth line during the first half of this season.

But when Maine senior right winger Matthias Trattnig left to play for his Austrian national team in a pre-Olympic qualifying tournament in February, Walsh put Schutte up on a line with leading scorer Marty Kariya and Brendan Donovan.

Sophomore left winger Schutte notched a hat trick in his second game on that line, a 5-1 win over UMass on Feb. 10.

Donovan was injured and when Trattnig returned, Schutte stayed on the line with Kariya and Trattnig.

Including the hat trick, he has registered nine goals and five assists in the last seven games to lead the Bears to a 5-1-1 record entering Thursday night’s Hockey East quarterfinal series against Northeastern in Orono. Schutte also has two game-winning goals and two game-winning assists in that span.

“I’ve been really surprised. I don’t know what to think about all this,” said Schutte. “The bounces have been going our way lately.”

Schutte said the 10 games he played at forward last year were beneficial.

“Last year was more of an adjustment and it helped me for this year,” said Schutte. “And our practices are so game-like. It makes the games easier.”

He said another major ingredient in his success has been the play of linemates Kariya and Trattnig.

“Marty is the best passer in the league and Matthias is a great power forward. I just try to get open,” said Schutte.

Getting open is something Schutte does well, according to Kariya and Walsh.

“He finds the holes. He knows where to go. It’s so much easier to find somebody who gets open,” said Kariya.

Walsh said, “He’s smart and patient with the puck but the best part of his game is how he plays without the puck. He anticipates very well. He’s a bonafide offensive threat now. He has taken his game to another level.”

Trattnig said Schutte has been the “missing link.”

“We’ve had a lot of chances but haven’t been putting the puck in the net,” said Trattnig. “He can score goals.”

The best example of his offensive instincts came in Saturday’s 5-2 win over Providence. Kariya made a nice saucer pass [flip pass] enabling Schutte to break in alone from left to right on PC goalie Boyd Ballard.

Instead of shooting right away, Schutte calmly skated around Ballard and then tapped the puck into the vacant net.

Schutte, who has a team-high 13 goals and six power play goals to go with eight assists, said a lot of his goal scoring ability comes from “playing roller blade hockey and pond hockey back home [Burlington, Ontario].

“We used to have a lot of fun scoring goals,” said Schutte who added that he has been thankful for his power play time.

The Bears hope Schutte’s fun continues throughout the playoffs beginning with Thursday night’s playoff opener.

Crocker earns rookie award

Ian Crocker of Portland made a big splash on the international stage when he won a gold medal in the Summer Olympics in Sydney. Last week he showed he’ll be a force in the NCAA ranks as well.

Crocker, a freshman at Texas, was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and won two individual and three relay titles during the Big 12 conference meet at the Jamail Swimming Center in Austin, Tex.

The Cheverus High graduate won the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 19.70 seconds; the 100 butterfly (46.64); and swam on the Longhorns’ winning 200 and 400 freestyle relays and 400 medley relay.

Crocker swam the butterfly leg of the U.S. 200 medley relay that earned gold at the Olympics. He is believed to be the first Mainer to be an Olympic swimming gold medalist.

Wright honored as coach

Another former Maine standout was honored at the Big 12 meet – Texas A&M coach Kevin Wright, a Bangor native, took Female Diving Coach of the Year honors.

The Aggies earned the top four spots in the 10-meter platform event at the conference championships. Sophomore Katie Williams won the platform.

Wright had also been named Big 12 Women’s Diving Coach of the Year in 2000, Big 12 Men’s Diving Coach of the Year in 1997 and 1998, Big 12 Men’s Diving Co-Coach of the Year in 1999 and Southwest Conference Men’s Diving Coach of the Year in 1996.

In Wright’s nine years at A&M, he has coached 10 divers to conference championship titles and 51 top-three finishes at the conference championships.

Wright was a three-time diving All-American while at Bangor High School and was an All-American as a diver at Ohio State.

Wright graduated from UMaine with a degree in physical education in 1983.