Here is a piece that David Bailey wrote on some of the fans that showed
up for the first ever varsity game for the University of Maine women's
ice hockey team. The Black Bears return to action this weekend when
they travel to Vermont for games against Middlebury and the University
of Vermont. Bailey is working on a preview for the weekend which will
appear in Friday's paper.
 
By Dave Bailey
 
Harold Plourde of Millinocket, watched his first-ever University of
Maine womenms hockey game Saturday.
He didnmt walk away disappointed.
"They're certainly not as aggressive [as male hockey players], but
they're fun to watch," Plourde said. "They're trying."
Plourde was one of 250 eager fans who turned out for the historic first
game, a 3-2 Maine victory over Sacred Heart.
While an attendance of 250 may seem minuscule, it should be remembered
that the Black Bears drew only one-fifth that amount per game last
season as a club team.
Also, the noise and enthusiasm were enough to make one think that there
were 2,500 people in the building at times. Like at menms hockey games,
the faithful waved pompons and brandished noisemakers. Children were
holding up signs proclaiming, lGo Blue.n
If you werenmt paying attention, youmd think Boston University was in
town.
The crowd was a pretty good cross-section of young and old, male and
female.
Some fans were in a state of shock, having been used to the body checks
and lightning speed of men's hockey for the last 20 years.
"The game's a lot different," said Terri Roberts of Bangor, who
attended the game with her nine-year-old daughter, Jessie. "It's
interesting to see the contrast in styles. It should be interesting to
see if they become more aggressive. Some of them look as if they
haven't been on the ice for very long, while the men have been skating
since they were in shoes."
Even though the Bears have played just one game, the fans have already
proclaimed their team hero  sophomore forward Alison Lorenz, who wowed
the crowd with a hat trick Saturday.
"She works hard constantly," John Rudnicki of Glenburn said.
"She can really skate fast," Roberts said.
Does women's hockey have the potential to become the next big thing in
Orono?
"Certainly," Plourde said. "Just like the girls' basketball team,
they'll come into their own. It's just a matter of time."
"I think so," Rudnicki said. "They're in their infancy stage right now,
but there are a lot of high-caliber girls around, and it's only going
to bring about a lot of high-quality talent down the road."