Here's a feature on Niko Dimitrakos that appeared in Wednesday's Maine
Campus.
 
        If there is one thing that can accurately distinguish the way Shawn
Walsh handles his players, it is the ability to send a message without
hesitation.
        And Niko Dimitrakos found out the hard way.
        Dimitrakos, a freshman from Somerville, Mass., entered the Black Bear
training camp last fall as one of six newcomers expected to contribute
on a regular basis.
        Although expectations weren't as high as for highly touted freshmen
Doug Janik, Peter Metcalf and Barrett Heisten, the Black Bear coaching
staff had high hopes.
        But after two games, the 18-year-old forward was told to keep the
bench warm.
        "At the begining it was real frustrating," Dimitrakos said. "I think
maybe the rocky start was due to my defensive play wasn't that good.
Coach wanted that part of my game to be brought out.
        "He wasn't going top put up with me giving up goals and me looking for
the offensive reads. He sat me a couple of games because I wasn't
producing."
        And that bothered him. Thoughts began to matriculate inside his head
that focused on his ability to be successful at the college level.
        After all, Dimitrakos is coming off a 55-point season for coach John
Gardner's Avon Old Farms squad.
        But that was part of the problem. Playing at Avon, Dimitrakos enjoyed
the run-mn-gun style that characterizes many of the prep school teams.
        "Basically, I had the puck most of the time so I really didn't have to
worry about the other part of the game," Dimitrakos said. "In prep
school you just do your thing."
        With the emphasis bestowed upon offense, Dimitrakos piled up the
points while sacrificing some defensive integrity.
        "Everybody knew he played his own game," said Walsh, referring to the
scouting reports on Dimitrakos.
        So, when the Black Bears went up against the University of
Massachusetts-Lowell in their Hockey East opener, Dimitrakos watched
from the stands.
        "I was like, 'What's wrong with me?'" he said. "I was trying to think,
'Maybe he (Walsh) doesn't like me,m this, that, but I look at it now
and it was the best thing for me."
        Almost. As the Black Bears began preparation for an winding road trip
that would take them across the country with games in four cities,
Dimitrakos seized an opportunity that came his way.
        During the winter holiday season, Janik and Heisten were selected to
the U.S. World Junior Team, which left a gaping hole in the lineup.
        "We had a couple of meetings and they said this is a big time for us,"
Dimitrakos said.
        Just how big? Walsh drew comparisons from Maine's national
championship team of 1992-93, where Paul Kariya, along with Chris and
Peter Ferraro, left the team to compete in the world tournament.
        "The coach said to that team, kWhoms going to step up? Who's going to
be the guy that is going to show they want to be in the lineup?m" said
Dimitrakos, who is the son of a Greek father and an Italian mother.
"And I believe it was Kent Salfi who did that. So I put that in the
back if my head."
        And it worked. Dimitrakos, who struggled to find a consistent place on
a line, earned an every day spot on the team, picking up 15 points in
10 games from mid-December to late January.
        Overall, Dimitrakos is the second-leading freshman scorer on the club
with 19 points. Furthermore, his 15 assists is good for fourth on the
team.
        "A couple guys got hurt and some went to the World Juniors so I knew I
had to put some numbers up or else I wasn't going to play," Dimitrakos
said.
        Breaking into the lineup on a regular basis, where he skates with Ben
Guite and, up until Sunday, Dan Kerluke, was contingent on two things,
according to Walsh.
        "He needed to show he could play without the puck and that he could
play with his teammates," said Walsh, who compares Dimitrakos with a
young Kerluke. "Right now, he's just gaining confidence and he's
starting to mature.
        "As he continues to mature, his offensive output will be a direct
correlation to how well he plays defensively."
        Part of that maturation process, Dimitrakos says, was addressing his
fear of committing a mistake, something that took some time to overcome.
        "I thought in the begining I was going to produce right away,"
Dimitrakos said. "I think I was a little timid at first and I didn't
want to make a mistake. I thought if I made a mistake that I wouldn't
play. I finally got that out of the way."