Patrick Blake inquires:
 
>I'd like to find out why many in the college hockey community
>Have all but written off UMaine for this season. It is a well known fat that
>the record of the Black Bears over the last 7 years is the best
>of any team in NCAA Div I play. Given that, what is the reason for
>all these people placing UMaine 4th or worst in Hockey East.
 
Not to disparage the quality of the incoming Maine recruits, but the answer
seems obvious: Maine has lost an incredible amount of veteran leadership, not
to mention star quality hockey players.  Recent history shows that once a team
wins the BIG SHOW, that team experiences a dramatic decline the following
season, well excluding LSSU perhaps.  What Maine has lost from its NC$$
championship team is impressive: BOTH goaltenders, each an All-Star in his own
right, their BEST defensemen, Chris Imes, assorted forwards, any of whom would
probably be a #1 star at other schools, names like Montgomery, Ingram, Peter
and Chris Ferraro, plus the services of future NHL star Paul Kariya for a major
part of the season, plus other really good players like Eric Martin and others.
IMHO those losses are staggering, and at least initially, Maine is going to
have a lot of trouble matching up with the more experienced Hockey East teams
like BU and New Hampshire.  I would think Maine's rosy scenario would be to
play the young kids extensively in the first half of the season, and hope the
lines begin to gel in time for the playoff season.  Or pray that one of their
red-shirted freshmenturns out to be another Kariya.
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