Despite the fact the University of Maine’s men’s hockey team is one of just two programs in the country with more than one returning All-American, the Hockey East coaches don’t feel the Black Bears will be much of a factor this season.
Maine, which finished sixth a year ago and returned American Hockey Coaches Association second team East All-Americans Devin Shore and Ben Hutton, was picked to finish ninth in the 12-team league in the preseason coaches’ poll Monday.
The University of Minnesota is the only other school among the 59 Division I programs with more than one returning All-American, as the Golden Gophers have three All-American West choices.
Maine was chosen sixth in the fifth annual Hockey East Writers and Broadcasters Association poll Sunday.
The Black Bears have five of their six leading point-getters and 10 of their top 12 back in the fold. They also have their entire defense corps intact, with the exception of graduated captain Brice O’Connor.
But goalies Martin Ouellette and Dan Sullivan have graduated, leaving Maine with inexperience between the pipes.
Junior Matt Morris, who sat out last year because of hip surgery after appearing in six games as a freshman, and freshmen Nik Nugnes and Sean Romeo will battle for the job.
Shore and Hutton were selected to the media’s Hockey East preseason team along with Providence forward Ross Mauermann and goalie Jon Gillies, Northeastern forward Kevin Roy and Boston College defenseman Mike Matheson.
Providence College, coached by former Old Town High School and UMaine assistant coach Nate Leaman, has been picked to win the league’s regular season championship in both polls.
Maine second-year coach Red Gendron downplayed the polls.
“I don’t care about them. They don’t mean anything to me,” Gendron said.
He also said he doesn’t expect his team to garner any extra motivation from the polls.
In the coaches’ poll, Providence was followed by Boston College, Notre Dame, Northeastern, New Hampshire, Boston University, University of Massachusetts at Lowell, Vermont, Maine, Merrimack, University of Massachusetts and first-year member University of Connecticut.
In the media poll, the Friars were followed by Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern, UMass Lowell, Maine, a tie between Notre Dame and Vermont, New Hampshire, Merrimack, UMass and UConn.
Gendron said Providence is a fitting choice for the top spot.
“They have most of their players back, and they had a real successful year last season. It makes sense to me,” he said.
Providence returns 11 of its top 13 scorers off last year’s NCAA quarterfinalist team along with goalie Gillies from South Portland. It was the Friars’ first NCAA appearance since 2001.
Gendron anticipates the league to be “good again.”
“There are always teams that are going to surprise us, one way or the other. I don’t know who they are,” Gendron said. “It’s hard to be successful in this league. You earn every victory.”
He feels UConn is a good addition.
“They have had success in other sports and they have a chance to be successful in hockey. There are a lot of good hockey players from Connecticut who had been playing for other schools. Now their state university has a big-time program in a big-time league,” Gendron said.
UConn is coached by 1990 Bowdoin College graduate and former BC assistant Mike Cavanaugh.
Last season, Maine finished 9-8-3 in Hockey East, 16-15-4 overall. The Black Bears entered the last weekend of the regular season with a chance to finish as high as second but got swept at home by Providence.
The top five teams received first-round byes, so Maine hosted No. 11 Merrimack in a single-game first-round matchup and triumphed 2-0 before being swept in the best-of-three quarterfinal series at Providence.
Maine opens the season with an exhibition game against the University of New Brunswick on Sunday, Oct. 5 in Orono.
UMaine women picked seventh
The University of Maine women’s hockey team was picked seventh among eight teams in Hockey East.
Boston University was chosen to win the conference followed by Boston College, Northeastern, Vermont, Providence, UConn, Maine and New Hampshire.
The Black Bears went 5-13-3 in Hockey East a year ago, 7-20-5 overall, and lost its second-, third- and fourth-leading scorers. Top point-getter Audra Richards is back.
Maine opens at home against UNH at 4 p.m. Saturday.