Jeff writes...
>Could someone from Maine please confirm this piece of info I heard:
>   Maine does not have a separate ice arena so they interchange the rink
>and the basketball court for games. Is that why Maine plays hockey games
>in two different towns(Orono and ????)? ...
 
   Maine plays one game each year in Portland, 150 miles south-west of
   Orono, in order to enhance interest across the state.  (Pre-season
   scrimmages are sometimes held in Portland, Lewiston, and Presque Isle
   for similar reasons).
 
   Last year was an exception, as early season home games were played in
   a number of places, because of construction at the home Alfond Arena
   in Orono.
 
   The original Alfond Arena was intended to be a multi-purpose arena,
   but until the recent expansion, it was used just for skating.  Now,
   the ice surface is covered so that men's and women's basketball and a
   number of special events can take place there (the Globetrotters are
   there tonight, for example).
 
   This has little affect on the men's hockey team, but does affect
   scheduling and community skating use.  It takes less than 2 hours to
   prepare the rink for B-ball or vice-versa.
 
cheers,
 
Wayne Smith
The College Hockey Discussion List administrator
Systems Group - CAPS              BITNET/CREN:  wts@maine
University of Maine System        internet:     [log in to unmask]