Tonight was a special night at the Alfond Arena.  Tonight was the ceremony
 to retire the uniform of #8, Hockey East Player of the Year and Hobey Baker
 award winner, Scott Pellerin.  Scott had the weekend off for the NHL All-Star
 break, and he and his parents were on hand for the special pre-game ceremony.
 Coach Walsh relived with all Black Bear hockey fans the slap shot Pelly fired
 from the top of the circle to tie the score in Game #3 of the NC$$ Quarter-
 Final, which was won in the second overtime by Martin Robitaille.  He also
 
 talked about the devastating impact Pelly had on the game, and other players.
 For example, the Merrimack Warrior freshman defenseman who Pelly welcomed
 to Hockey East with a bone-crunching check...literally.  But Walsh said the
 way he (and I myself) remember Pellerin was as the person who went and spoke
 at High Schools across the state of Maine, at Dorms on campus and who visited
 kids at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.  Pellerin was a special player
 and a special person, the likes of which UMaine will never see again.
 
     Scott Pellerin's #8 will hang in the rafters on the North Side of Alfond
 Arena next season, and forever, alongside the Championship Banners which he
 
 helped UMaine win.  His number is the first hockey number retired, and only
 the fifth number in UMaine sports history to be retired.  It is, as Scott
 Pellerin said tonight, the highest honor he could receive.
 
     It was a special night at Alfond Arena, starting with the the retirement
 of #8, Paul Kariya breaking 2 UMaine records and of course, UMaine coming
 away with a hard-fought 4-2 win.
 
                                        John Forsyth