ORONO, Maine — Cedric Lacroix had spent most of his career as a defenseman.
Last year was his first full season as a forward, when he played both wing and center for the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League, notching eight goals and 11 assists in 54 games.
He is a hard-nosed grinder who has put together a solid freshman season for the University of Maine and he and his teammates will look to earn a home-ice berth for the Hockey East playoffs when they visit Providence College for a pair of games this weekend to conclude the regular season.
Lacroix, who has played both center and wing this season, has four goals and five assists in 34 games, including two goals and an assist in his last three games.
He is one of just three Black Bears forwards who is in the plus category in plus-minus, which awards a player a plus-one if he is on the ice when his team scores an even strength or shorthanded goal and a minus-one if the other team scores one. He is plus-one.
Maine coach Red Gendron uses Lacroix on the penalty kill and as the net-front presence on a power-play unit in addition to playing his regular shift.
“He works very hard and he competes. He pays attention to details and takes it very seriously,” said Gendron. “And he keeps getting better.”
Maine junior captain Devin Shore called Lacroix “very dependable.”
“He works his butt off in practice, he buys into the game plan and he battles for his teammates. It’s nice to have those kinds of guys on your team,” Shore said.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Lacroix said it is important to maintain a tireless work ethic.
“If you work hard, good things typically happen,” said Lacroix, who feels he has improved over the course of the season.
“I’ve been able to do [more] with the puck on my stick. That has been huge. My skating has gotten a little better and I’m playing with more confidence now,” he said.
Lacroix is the son of former NHL enforcer Danny Lacroix, who had 11 goals, 7 assists and 379 penalty minutes in 188 games for five teams. Danny Lacroix is currently an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens.
Gendron said father and son are both “physical, hard-nosed players who work hard.”
“[My dad] cares about two things: my work ethic and if I’m having fun,” said Cedric, a native of Shefford, Quebec. “He tries to watch my games on computer and he gives me feedback. I’ll call him right after a game and he’ll let me know what I need to improve on.
“It’s a great tool for me. I’ll have his feedback and the feedback of [the coaches] and I’ll come to practice and work on those things,” said Lacroix.
Lacroix and the Black Bears will have to solve South Portland native Jon Gillies this weekend if they are to sew up eighth place and a home ice slot for the first round of the best-of-three playoffs. They lead New Hampshire by one point and UConn by two. New Hampshire hosts 11th-place Merrimack for two while UConn entertains last-place UMass for one.
Gillies is 6-0-1 with a 1.55 goals-against average vs. Maine, including four wins in a 16-day span a year ago, two at the end of the regular season and two in the Hockey East quarterfinals.