ORONO, Maine — University of Maine hockey freshmen Shawn Sirman of Blezard Valley, Ontario and Kyle Beattie of Avondale, Ariz., haven’t played a game for the Black Bears yet.
But they have already had to deal with pressure albeit a different kind.
The men’s hockey team climbed Mount Katahdin this past Saturday before running in the Run for Hope 5K road race in Hampden on Sunday. The race raises money for cancer awareness.
It was part of a team-bonding experience. The women’s hockey team climbed the mountain two weeks earlier but they had to stop at Chimney Pond because they were caught in a torrential rainstorm and wind.
Maine teams have climbed the mountain in the past but not in recent years. The idea to climb it this year belonged to director of hockey operations Josh MacDonald, a Millinocket native who said he wanted the teams to gain an appreciation for northern Mane.
“It was way more intense than any of us thought it was going to be. It was kind of crazy. It was near-death for some of us. But it was fun. It was a good time overall,” said Beattie, a center.
“I’d never climbed a mountain before. We were literally scaling rocks. There were great views. Just being up there was real fun,” added Beattie.
Sirman agreed that it was an enjoyable experience and that it had its share of tense moments.
“It was pretty scary at some points. Knife Edge was the scariest part, especially if you’re scared of heights. At one point, you’re holding yourself up and shimmying across the ledge. You look down and see the bottom. That was probably the most exciting part of it,” said Sirman.
Junior center and captain Tanner House said the climb was “a little harder than I expected.
“But it was a good team-builder. We had a lot of fun. The scenery was pretty nice. It was a good challenge,” said House. “Knife Edge was a thrill.”
Jeff Dimmen grew up in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado Springs but said he had never “walked along a ridge like [Knife Edge].”
“You definitely had to pay attention to what you were doing. You had a couple of thousand- foot cliffs on either side of you. And doing it with all the guys was pretty cool,” said the junior defenseman, who is an assistant captain.
Senior center David de Kastrozza said, “I’ve never been on a mountain before, let alone the biggest mountain in Maine. You could see so far. I t was an experience. To have everybody get up there in one piece was an accomplishment.”
The players said camping out the night before also proved to be a valuable bonding tool.
“Everybody was telling stories around the campfire. It was really good to get to know all the freshmen,” said deKastrozza.
The Bears admitted they were sore after the climb up and down Mount Katahdin, which has an elevation of 5,267 feet.
But the Bears still placed six players among the top 12 finishers in Sunday’s race and 19 among the top 27.
“It was awesome. And we got our fitness testing done,” said Sirman.
“This team is in a lot better shape than any of the previous Maine teams I’ve played on,” said deKastrozza.
“It’s a good cause and it was another [useful] test for us,” said Dimmen.
The women’s hockey players wished they had been able to climb to the top but still enjoyed their experience despite being waterlogged and cold.
“The team bonded and kept their [positive] attitude despite the weather. We left at 3 a.m. to go up there,” said senior forward Abby Barton. “Chimney Pond was really nice.”
“I was really impressed with how the team held it together,” said Amy Stech, another senior forward. “There were a lot of rocks. It was really fun. The view was gorgeous. It was incredible.”
“It was a real good experience,” said sophomore defenseman Melissa Gagnon.