I take the comments below as follows:

If Maine lets Michigan score the first goal on Saturday, that surely will
mean the Black Bears will be in "press" mode.

Based on what I have seen in the second half of the season, Maine MUST work
to scoring the first goal.  That first 20 minutes this Saturday must be like
the BU game at Boston.

The talent is surely there; the road to Buffalo is a mental exercise now for
the Maine team...they need a winning attitude.

Extras as I freely associate:

I hope they have straightened out their line assignments as well.

Any word on whether Lynch will suit up (and at what position) ?  I think
they will need his physical play (and recent scoring touch) at Yost.

Dan Doucette

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in the papers, Kariya was quoted:

While some players suggested the Black Bears need to buckle down and become
more serious now that the NCAAs have arrived, Kariya said otherwise.

This team, he said, plays best when loose, when it doesn't press. That's
what happened late in the season. The players became tighter with each loss.

"People have to realize when they play the best, and that's when they're in
a normal state of mind," Kariya said.

"If they were to try to really gear down and be really serious and focused,
that's not our players, that's not how they're going to perform at their peak.

"When they're all calm and relaxed and confident, that's when they're going
to play at their best. If it takes joking around to get them in that state
of mind, go ahead and do it.