Four members of the University of Maine women’s hockey team, including senior captain Alyson Matteau and senior assistant captain Cailey Hutchison, have been suspended indefinitely for alleged violations of the student-athlete code of conduct.
University of Maine spokeswoman Margaret Nagle, the senior director of the public relations and operations division of marketing and communications, confirmed the suspensions in an email.
The other two student-athletes who have been suspended are sophomore defenseman-winger Maggie Blair and junior defenseman Brittany Kucera.
The suspensions stem from two separate incidents.
“All four cases have been referred to UMaine’s Student Conduct Office in the Division of Student Life,” Nagle said. “UMaine does not comment on student conduct proceedings.”
Blair was arrested by Orono police early Sunday morning and charged with operating under the influence of intoxicants, according to Capt. Dan Merrill.
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The jail log revealed she was booked into the Penobscot County Jail at 2:47 a.m. She was released two hours later on personal recognizance bail, according to jail personnel.
An Orono police officer encountered Blair driving at The Avenue, an apartment complex where she lives, at approximately 1:15 a.m., according to Merrill.
According to another university source, Hutchison, Matteau and Kucera were suspended because they reportedly were involved in an altercation at an Orono restaurant and bar.
They were not arrested.
The Black Bears have one regular-season game remaining and it will determine whether they earn a berth in the Hockey East quarterfinals. UMaine is ninth in the conference standings, one point behind Vermont for the eighth and final quarterfinal berth.
UMaine hosts Vermont at 2 p.m. Saturday and must win to leapfrog the Catamounts into eighth place. It will be the Black Bears’ “Seniors Day” game.
UMaine has a 7-15-4 conference record and is 14-15-4 overall. UMaine is winless in its last seven games (0-5-2).
UMaine will be significantly shorthanded. Due to injuries, the Black Bears had only 14 skaters in uniform (excluding goalies) in their last game, a 5-2 loss last Friday at Boston College.
Matteau, Hutchison, Kucera and Blair were four of those 14 skaters.
Matteau was an All-Hockey East second-team selection a year ago and is fourth on the team in points with 16 on two goals and 14 assists in 32 games.
Hutchison had five goals and five assists in 32 games, Kucera posted 2 goals and five assists in 31 games and Blair has five assists in 28 games.
BDN reporter Judy Harrison contributed to this story.