http://goblackbears.collegesports.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/032005aaa.html

Maine To Face Minnesota In First Round Of NCAA Tournament
Black Bears make seventh straight appearance in Tournament

March 20, 2005

ORONO, Maine - The Maine men's ice hockey team received the fourth seed in
the West Regional of the NCAA Tournament, which will be held in
Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the first round, Maine will face host Minnesota
at 2:30 pm on Saturday, March 26 at Mariucci Arena. The other two teams in
the West regional are Cornell and Ohio State.

Maine, 20-12-7 overall, have now reached the NCAA Tournament for seven
straight seasons, the second longest active streak to Michigan with 14
straight appearances. This will be the Black Bears 15th appearance in the
NCAA Tournament, winning championships in 1993 and 1999. Maine and
Minnesota last meet on October 10, 2003, a 4-0 win by the Black Bears. The
last meeting in the NCAA Tournament came in the 2002 Championship game,
won by the Golden Gophers 4-3 in overtime.

"We are really excited to be going to the NCAA's this season," said Maine
head coach Tim Whitehead. "A few weeks ago we were not sure if we would be
in the Tournament, so this is good for us. The challenge for these guys is
recognizing that we have just as good of a shot as anybody. We might have
a tougher road than a few teams, but the key is how we are playing now and
what improvements we have made since the beginning of the year."

The championship playoff format involves four predetermined regional sites
with four teams assigned to each site. The four regional winners advance
to the Men's Frozen Four in Columbus, Ohio. The entire championship uses a
single-elimination format. The 2005 bracket is only the third with 16
teams after having only 12 teams in the field since 1988. Automatic
qualification privileges are granted to the postseason champions of six
conferences. The remainder of the field, including Maine's bid, is
selected at large.

For information on purchasing tickets, contact the Black Bear Ticket
office at (207) 581-BEAR or 1-800-756-TEAM beginning Monday, March 21st at
8:30 a.m. For more information on the Black Bears in the postseason, visit
www.GoBlackBears.com.