The Maine Black Bears men's ice hockey is an (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the University of Maine. The Black Bears are a member of Hockey East. Home games are played at Harold Alfond Sports Arena commonly known as Alfond Arena in Orono, Maine.
The Black Bears have appeared in 11 Frozen Fours, have a 28–18 record in NCAA Tournament games, and have won two national championships—in 1993 and 1999.
Program history
Birth of Maine ice hockey (1977–84) The University of Maine, then known as the University of Maine at Orono, officially developed an NCAA-sanctioned men's ice hockey program in 1977. The program and arena construction happened at the same time.
This was not, however, the first attempt at birthing a permanent hockey program in Orono. Maine played in 17 games of college hockey in 1922 and 1923. They played other Maine colleges such as Bowdoin, Colby, and Bates. This program did not stick, and it would be over 5 decades before organized hockey would become a staple at the state's flagship university.
Upon its foundation in 1977, the program was coached by Jack Semler (University of Vermont '68). Maine enjoyed modest success under Semler boasting winning records in 3 of their first 4 regular seasons. The Black Bears competed in The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) during their first 7 years of existence, all of which were under Semler. The ECAC was recognized as Division-II hockey until 1979 at which point the conference, and thus Maine, became Division-I – the level of competition they have competed in ever since.
Shawn Walsh era (1984–2001) Following the 1983–84 season, head coach Jack Semler submitted their resignation.[1] With Maine set to join the newly formed Hockey East Association, Maine hired Shawn Walsh, a 29-year-old assistant at Michigan State University and ex-3rd string goalie at Bowling Green State University. Walsh was assistant coach for Ron Mason at Michigan State and Alma Mater. In only half a decade, the Spartans went from being sub-.500 performers to national contenders.
They inherited a struggling team, so win/loss improvement was not immediate; Maine posted a 23–57–2 record over Walsh's first two years with the program. However, Walsh was getting good recruits and convincing the school, state, and fans that UMaine could become a college hockey powerhouse. In 1986, Walsh and the program saw the first of many significant accomplishments. At 24–16–2, he posted his first winning season as a head coach. The team also made its first NCAA tournament appearance that season, coincidentally losing in the first round to Michigan State.
After finishing as the conference runner up in '87 and '88, Maine brought home its first significant championship in the 1988–89 season. Walsh's Black Bears skated past Boston College in a 5–4 win for their first of 5 HEA Championships. Four of these would come under Walsh. Due to the success and popularity of the program, Alfond Arena expanded its capacity from 3,800 to more than 5,000 in 1992.
1993 National Championship
Maine was a heavy favorite to win its first national championship during the '91–'92 season. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed when they suffered a surprise first-round loss to Michigan State. The team lost many important players, including Hobey Baker Award winner Scott Pellerin, after the season. People expected the team to underperform entering '92–'93.
However, college hockey would soon learn that the Black Bears had an exceptionally gifted freshman class on their hands in 1992. This included future NHL Star Paul Kariya, and highly touted identical twin forwards Peter and Chris Ferraro. With Jim Montgomery, "Little" Cal Ingraham, Chris Imes, Garth Snow and Mike Dunham, Maine had a chance to make history.
Kariya scored 100 points in one season at school, while Montgomery finished his successful college years with 301 points. They had a 42–1–2 season record, won the HEA regular season title, and won the HEA conference championship. They also won their first national championship.
Their destiny was almost blown during the Frozen Four semifinals against the University of Michigan when the referees disallowed an otherwise legitimate Maine goal. The backside of the net was raised when the puck slid in causing confusion as to if it really went in. As a result, the game was tied at the end of regulation when Maine felt they should have won. In overtime, Lee Saunders scored the game-winner and sent Maine to the title game against defending champ Lake Superior State University.