MAINE BACK IN BUSINESS AFTER TWO-YEAR RESPITE
 
by LARRY MAHONEY
 
It has been a long two years for Maine's hockey team.
 
As a result of NCAA violations, the school forbid the hockey team from
playing in the playoffs two years ago. Then the NCAA imposed sanctions that
included exclusions form any post- season tournament last year. But the Bears
can play if they qualify this season and that has given them additional
enthusiasm.
 
"It's going to be fun," said senior left winger Scott Parmentier. "When it
got down to the end of the season the last two years and we saw other teams
going to the playoffs, I just wanted to forget about it."
 
"It's about time, " said Maine senior defense-man and tri-captain Brian
White. "The last two years have been tough. But that's all behind us now.
We're looking forward to this year."
 
White also said, "The last two years, dryland training was a bit of a drag
because we knew we were just playing for ourselves and , in the end, weren't
able to prove how good we were."
 
Maine coach Shawn Walsh, who returned from a one-year suspension to lead the
Bears to a 15-3-0 record over the second half of last season, downplayed the
added incentive angle.
 
"There's no difference," Walsh said, "Our guys like to compete. They have
confidence because we went 15-2-0 in our last 17 games. Everybody says we're
-excited, but you don't apprecitate your health one day after the flu goes
away."
 
 
 
Vicki Price