Maine can't go much further hanging a stinker in the "first" game against
each new opponent they face, then rallying back in the re-match.  When time
rolls on to the Round of 4 x 4 -- no such luxury.

Anyone who saw the pregame handouts please tell me: did Maine's pairings
stayed the same both games ?

The alumni presence this weekend hopefully included a few motivational
talks to the current crop of Blueshirts, to help in the rest of this year's
campaign.

 From someone who was there for Game One, let me echo Wayne by pointing to
the experiences of the early Maine teams as valuable to the teams
today.  What those teams accomplished in the face of several adversities
can be a tool to motivate our boys today.  Think of it...all freshmen in
Year One, except one player...certain teams that played Maine as more of an
accommodation on their schedules than as a serious opponent (Salem State
and Colby come to mind)...the facilities not quite caught up to the
requirements of the program (breaking in the Alfond as a hockey venue both
on and off-ice)...the administration then really emphasizing hoops and Skip
Chappelle in the allocation of resources...oh, I could go on...

And for the positives:  they played hard every night (although it was
sometimes just the offense one night, then the defence other nights)...they
had real support on campus especially in the dorms from the Mass.
contingent brought up on Bruins hockey...they were given low expectations
yet earned huge plaudits for every success...they had serious backers who
realized the potential...we paired up the French-speakers with people from
the County !!

Maine certainly is developing a great tradition of its alumni having
success after Maine (even an early announcer like Gary Thorne), and ought
to draw on that for the benefits that it can give to the current team.

Dan Doucette

Wayne wrote:

>That was Gary Thorne!  He and many of the players and their families
>(from the inaugural and 2nd season of Maine Hockey (77-81 and 78-82
>classes)) were out on the ice to celebrate a pair of $50,000 donations
>by a gentleman (whose name I know, but it escapes me at the moment).
>
>Gary was the voice of Maine hockey in those days.
>
>Let me offer to any "new" Maine fans, that you would have loved those
>teams of the early years.  The boys, with few exceptions, weren't the
>best prospects, but came here and worked hard and together ...  with
>amazing results.  To a few, English was not even a 2nd language, as they
>had spoken (only) French all of their lives.  Maine Hockey supporters
>came together and gave the team and individuals the support they really
>needed ...  far away from home, with a language barrier, no
>upper-classmen to learn from, etc.
>
>Andre Aubut's son spoke during the presentation.  The Maine fans'
>appreciation for his father was apparent to (and shared by) this fan.
>Hopefully everyone who came back for the presentation was reminded that
>they are something of a legend in Maine.  Through them, a great program
>was born, developed and still thrives.
>
>I did see Robert Lafleur (one of the fastest Maine skaters ever) there,
>but missed the names of the others in attendance.





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