The University of Maine’s winter athletic teams are back in business.
Citing no positive COVID-19 tests among members of Black Bear teams during the university’s two-week suspension of sports, UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for competition.
“Our return to competition has prioritized the safety of our student-athletes and Maine communities,” Ferrini-Mundy said. “We are incredibly proud of how hard and responsibly our student-athletes have prepared for this season.”
UMaine paused winter sports activities on Nov. 24, citing cases of COVID-19 within the athletic program.
Since the pause, there have been 1,020 tests administered to winter sports athletes, coaches and staff members and all have come back negative.
“Our teams are thrilled to be able to resume their competitive seasons,” UMaine athletics director Ken Ralph said. “The students have worked hard to stay safe while preparing physically for their seasons. It will be exciting for all Black Bear fans to see their teams take to the court or the ice this weekend!”
Games resume at 2 p.m. Thursday when the women’s basketball team visits Providence College. The Black Bears then face the University of Rhode Island on Friday at 6 p.m.
The men’s hockey series between UMaine and New Hampshire, which had been scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Alfond Arena in Orono, has been moved to the Whittemore Center in Durham, New Hampshire.
The women’s ice hockey games will be played Friday and Saturday at UNH as previously scheduled.
Those will be the first games of the season for the UMaine and UNH men’s hockey teams. The Black Bear men had four games postponed due to the two-week shutdown due to the pandemic.
University of Maine System spokesperson Dan Demerritt said UMaine is not able to hold hockey games on campus under the current guidelines.
“The University of Maine System has a group-size limitation of not more than 50 people in accordance with directives of Maine Civil Authorities,” he said in an email. “UMaine can host basketball games within that limit but the capacity needed to host a collegiate hockey game is higher.”
Demerritt said UMaine officials are assessing the situation at Alfond Arena to determine whether Black Bear teams can play there while adhering to indoor gathering limits.
“We’re just happy to be playing,” UMaine men’s coach Red Gendron said. “This has been tough on the players. But they have maintained a positive attitude.”
His team was forced to return to small-group sessions during the two-week pause, but held a normal practice on Tuesday night after receiving the OK.
“They’ve invested three months of time and effort and sacrifice into this. They have earned the right to play,” Gendron said.
Game times for UMaine’s hockey games at UNH have not been determined as both the women and the men are scheduled to play.
Gendron doesn’t know whether the initial games will be considered conference contests or non-league games, because UMaine also is scheduled to play Jan. 29-30, 2021, in Durham. Those could become UMaine home games if the hosting situation changes.
Hockey East men’s teams are scheduled to play two conference games against each of the other 10 teams but they also had set up some nonconference games among league teams.
The UMaine women’s hockey team had four games postponed because of the suspension. But both UMaine teams should be able to make some of those up during the second half of the season as part of the flex schedule and bye weeks scheduled by Hockey East.
The men’s basketball team had four games canceled outright and the women’s basketball team has lost two contests.
The men’s hockey team is one of six programs among 11 in Hockey East that hasn’t played a game yet. The others are UMass Lowell, Northeastern, Vermont, Boston University and New Hampshire.
UMaine men’s basketball does not have any games scheduled until Dec. 19-20.