Fresh off the ice after a brisk hourlong skate, Prestin Ryan doesn’t look like one of the most hated players in Hockey East.

The senior University of Maine hockey star – or, other than goalie Jimmy Howard, as close as this otherwise anonymous team gets to an actual “star” – seems downright friendly.

He’s signing autographs for the fans. He’s posing for photos. He’s answering questions.

And he’s smiling.

Even after you point out that at every college hockey arena in the nation (except, of course, cozy Alfond Arena in Orono, where he’s a hero), Ryan is … uh … not too popular, he smiles.

Of course, sharks look like they’re smiling, too. Even if they may be deciding that your leg looks a bit like a flesh-tone chew toy.

“I love to play on the edge, and I feel that’s what makes me the player that I am,” Ryan patiently explains.

“And if I’m not on the edge, I’m not going to be that good a player, I don’t think,” he says. “It’s just the way I was made, I guess, and if I don’t play like it I’m not gonna be successful.”

On the edge.

Those three words sum up Ryan, the second-team All-American, de facto leader of the defense corps, and (this is important, too) the most penalized player in University of Maine history.

When you play on the edge, there are consequences. Sometimes, you level an opponent with a check that shakes him to his bones, injects your teammates with a surge of adrenaline, and elicits a roar from your home crowd.

And sometimes, those pesky guys in the striped shirts hold up their hands, blow their whistles, and tell you that you’ve been a bad, bad boy.

The edge, you see, cuts both ways.

Ryan knows that. And he knows that that edge – the place he spends the vast majority of his ice time – is very, very thin.

“Obviously, when you go over it, you get in trouble and you don’t feel so hot,” Ryan said. “But when you’re under it, you’re not playing as good. So you’re just right on the edge and going hard.”

On Thursday night, Ryan ended up on the not-so-hot side of the edge: He was penalized for high-sticking in a 1-1 game … and with his team already short a player.

The Bears killed off that two-man advantage against Boston College, regrouped, and advanced to tonight’s national championship game.

The concern of many Maine fans who have watched Ryan play: His penchant for physical play (as well as a reputation that precedes him) may end up costing the Bears a shot at that title.

One whistle. One call – whether it’s the right call or not – could be all Denver needs against a team that has won eight straight games by a single goal. One mistake at the wrong time, one moment of lost temper, one stick that ends up higher than intended could end the Bears’ hopes for a third title in 12 years.

Ryan doesn’t see it that way.

“There’s a lot of things going on out there on both sides. It’s not me or another guy. It’s everybody,” Ryan says. “I’m just out there working to win the game. I’m not going to be the reason we lose or win the game. It’s our team that will be the reason.”

That may be … or it may not.

Maine coach Tim Whitehead says his assistant captain has given the defense its identity, and provided it with a leader it lacked after the graduation of three stars from a year ago.

He points at Ryan’s gaudy plus-35 plus-minus total as proof that the senior defenseman makes far more good decisions than bad ones.

And he points out that Ryan, an excellent skater in addition to a tenacious defender, does some things that most players can’t … or won’t.

“The best quality he has is he wins loose pucks,” Whitehead says. “A puck is thrown in along the wall, and there can be two, three guys on him. He will come out with the puck. He’s got a rare knack for winning pucks and doing something smart with it. And he’s an automatic breakout.”

Still, all this skating on the edge makes people nervous. Whitehead is not immune to the feeling.

“There’s times where he’ll make a mistake that could cost us the game, but in the very same game, he could make three or four outstanding plays that end up winning us the game,” Whitehead says.

UMaine will take on Denver tonight. A national championship is at stake. Prestin Ryan will be out there … on the edge … doing what he can to help his Black Bears win.

The pesky guys in striped shirts will be there, too.

The outcome? Stay tuned.

All Whitehead knows is this: Ryan has improved. His judgment is better. And he’s a leader on a team that entered the season in search of one.

“He’s a guy who kind of drives you crazy half the time,” Whitehead says. “And then the rest of the time you’re like, thank God we’ve got him.”

And Ryan? He doesn’t need to hear the praise … though he says he appreciates it. He doesn’t need to hear the opposition’s taunts … though he will.

He just says he’s a hockey player … trying hard … on the edge.

“All I’d like to say about that is, I come to play every night,” Ryan says.

On the edge.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.