ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine men’s hockey game against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Saturday night was missing a regular feature of the Alfond Arena experience for most of the game.
The recent UMaine alum who was dressed up as the school’s mascot, Bananas T. Bear, was asked to end his performance early by the UMaine Police Department because the student who drove him to the game had been arrested by UMaine police after allegedly driving while intoxicated, according to UMaine spokeswoman Margaret Nagle in a news release.
The arrest took place at 7 p.m. in the Alfond Arena parking lot.
Matt Donahue, one of the advisers to the Sigma Xi Chapter of Alpha Delta National Fraternity, which directs the Bananas program, said that the alum was filling in for a student who begged off the gig earlier in the day.
He preferred to not name the alum.
The alum walked around the building once dressed as Bananas before the police asked him to end his routine.
The alum had served as a Bananas during his undergraduate days at UMaine.
“The alum didn’t know that the student who drove him to the game was potentially intoxicated,” said Donahue, who added that there may be some question whether or not the student was, in fact, intoxicated.
Donahue said before he gave the alum the Bananas costume, he asked him if he had been drinking that day.
“I talked to him face-to-face. He said he had a few drinks, but it was much earlier in the day. He was fine. I’m an adviser who is much older than they are, and I have fairly good sense about those things. I was very confident and comfortable that he was completely sober,” said Donahue.
He said the alum was upset about the fact a former fraternity brother was in custody, so when he was asked by the police to curtail his Bananas activities, he felt it was important to comply.
At that point, it was too late to bring in another Bananas for the rest of the game, said Donahue.
According to the university’s news release, both the driver and the alum were referred to the UMaine Student Conduct Office.
Donahue said that he was perplexed by the Police Department’s decision to curtail Banana’s performance and by the statement pertaining to the UMaine Student Conduct Office.
“The alum didn’t do anything wrong. And he is no longer a student,” said Donahue.
The Bananas program serves as a source of school support and entertainment before, during and after sporting events such as hockey, football, men’s and women’s basketball games and baseball and softball games.
Bananas T. Bear also appears at community events and charity activities that aren’t sports-related.
During hockey games, Bananas skates onto the ice with the team at the start of the contest and sometimes skates between periods.
The mascot also often mingles with the crowd and has pictures taken with fans as they do at the other sporting events.
Donahue said they have about 20 brothers in the service fraternity who can don the Bananas costume.
He also said the fraternity supplied over 1,400 hours of service a year ago in its various ventures including Bananas.
Bananas will have a busy schedule next weekend as the men’s hockey team entertains national runner-up Quinnipiac University on Friday and Saturday nights. He also will appear at Saturday’s noon homecoming football game against the University at Albany.