ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine men’s hockey team began serious preparation for Friday’s season opener against Michigan State in Portland with a spirited Blue-White intrasquad game on Sunday before approximately 500 fans at the Alfond Arena.
“We had real good work habits and intensity,” said Black Bears head coach Red Gendron.
“We need to be more thorough overall in terms of executing our defensive systems and we need to be a little more poised with the puck. We left a lot of plays out there that weren’t that hard. We didn’t execute.
“But that’s going to come with time,” said Gendron. “You can’t expect them to be February form in the beginning of October.”
“It was fun,” said senior captain Steven Swavely. “We played hard. We made some mistakes but, overall, we showed that we’re learning and getting where we need to be. It was definitely a good start toward Friday night.”
Alternate captain Cam Brown was one of goal scorers as his White team beat the Blue 4-1. He was a constant threat as he created scoring opportunities with his trademark quickness and tenacity.
Brown and Swavely are Maine’s top returning scorers with 28 points each.
Brown parked himself just outside the crease and redirected a perfect pass from Brian Morgan into the open net for his goal.
The other White team goal scorers were Andrew Tegeler, who chipped home an Eric Schurhamer rebound after Schurhamer’s shot deflected off a body in front; Billy Norman, who converted a Brady Campbell pass on a 2-on-1; and freshman Dane Gibson, who tucked in a rebound backhander.
Dan Renouf scored for the Blue with a screened wrister from the midpoint.
“It was nice to experience the Alfond in a game situation. Getting to put that jersey on for the first time is definitely an honor and it is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” said freshman forward Justin Rai. “We had a good pace out there. Competing with your teammates for the first time under a game-like situation was definitely fun.”
Freshman goalie Rob McGovern, who didn’t allow a goal, said the compete level was good because “both teams wanted to win” even though it was just a scrimmage.
He felt being exposed to having traffic in front of him and “seeing a forecheck coming at you full speed” was beneficial.
“It was a really productive day,” said McGovern. “I can’t wait to see the Alfond packed.”
Junior goalie Matt Morris and sophomore Sean Romeo both looked sharp.
“There is no doubt in my mind that our goalies will put a show on for us this season,” said Swavely, who called the game a “special experience.
“I finally got to play in a Blue-White game,” said Swavely. “The fans came out to support us. It was a good time.”
They played two 20-minute halves instead of the usual three 20-minute periods and they signed autographs after the game.