Hard-nosed University of Maine men’s hockey team sophomore right wing Malcolm Hayes underwent shoulder surgery last Wednesday at the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and will be out for the season.
But because Hayes had played in just three games, he will be a medical redshirt and will retain three years of eligibility.
Under NCAA guidelines, student-athletes can earn medical redshirt status if they suffer a season-ending injury in the first half of the season and don’t play in more than 20 percent of the team’s games. Maine is playing 36 games this season.
“It started hurting during the preseason. I tried to play in Portland, but it got worse from there. The big problem was I was unable to play my physical game. So I got it fixed,” said Hayes, who played in Maine’s season-opening 3-3 overtime tie against Michigan State in the Ice Breaker Tournament in Portland.
He also played in a 1-1 tie at Union and 4-0 loss at Quinnipiac. He didn’t have any points.
“The surgery went pretty well,” said Hayes, who will be wearing a sling for six weeks and then will start rehabilitating the shoulder. He is facing a recovery period from four to six months and should be ready for next season.
He had two tears, one in the front of the shoulder and the other in the back, and there wasn’t a particular hit that created the injury.
“It happened over time,” he said.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Hayes had four goals and two assists in 33 games last season. He had two power-play goals and a game-winner. He was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Week after notching a goal and an assist in a weekend series against New Hampshire last December.
The Atlanta, Georgia, native became an Alfond Arena favorite with his punishing body checks.