Two defenseman on the University of Maine men’s hockey team have recently decided to leave the program.

Black Bear first-year head coach Ben Barr said Dominic Dockery, who had been a regular on the blue line this season after transferring in from Merrimack College, and seldom-used junior Perry Winfree have departed.

Dockery had one assist in 17 games this season while Winfree had appeared in just two games and didn’t register a point.

Sophomore defenseman Kabore Dunn left the program earlier this season. Dunn, who also played forward this season, was scoreless in four games.

The two latest departures leave UMaine with just seven defensemen. Barr intends to bring in a defenseman for the second semester to go with the seven the team has right now.

Barr said Dockery indicated he wanted to begin a pro hockey career. Winfree was looking to transfer to another school and Dunn intended to go back to junior hockey.

Dockery played in 125 career games between Merrimack and UMaine and registered three goals and 17 assists.

Winfree appeared in nine games for the Black Bears and didn’t register a point.

Dunn played in 11 games over his two seasons at UMaine and produced two assists.

“Players make decisions based on what they feel is best for them,” Barr said. “I wish them all the best of luck. We will move forward.”

Freshman Tim Gould is a defenseman who has been playing up front due to injuries that have sidelined four forwards. Barr said he could move Gould back to defense or convert another forward to defense.

Forwards Grant Hebert, Matthew Fawcett and Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup have been sidelined by concussions and Brad Morrissey has a lower body injury.

Graduate student Cam Spicer, seniors Jakub Sirota and Simon Butala, juniors Adrien Bisson and Dawson Bruneski and freshmen David Breazeale compose the defense corps. Sirota, Spicer, Bisson and Breazeale have played in all 17 games. Butala has played in 14 and Bruneski has played in six since becoming a regular this month. Gould has played in five games as a forward.

UMaine, 2-11-4 overall and 1-8-2 in Hockey East, will travel to take on Penn State for the first time ever on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day at 5 p.m.

Penn State is 11-8 overall, 3-7 in the Big Ten.