Maine Black Bears men's ice hockey
| Maine Black Bears men's ice hockey | |
|---|---|
 Current season
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| University | University of Maine |
| Conference | Hockey East |
| Head coach |
Dennis "Red" Gendron 4th year, 41–63–14 (.407) |
| Captain(s) | Cam Brown |
| Alternate captain(s) | Eric Schurhamer Blaine Byron |
| Arena |
Harold Alfond Sports Arena Capacity: 5,124 Surface: 200' x 85' |
| Location | Orono, Maine |
| Student section | The Maineiaks |
| Colors | Navy Blue, Sky Blue, and White |
| NCAA Tournament Champions | |
| 1993, 1999 | |
| NCAA Tournament Frozen Four | |
| 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007 | |
| NCAA Tournament Appearances | |
| 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012. | |
| Conference Tournament Champions | |
| 1989, 1992, 1993, 2000, 2004 | |
| Conference Regular Season Champions | |
| 1988, 1993, 1995 | |
| Current uniform | |
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The Maine Black Bears men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the University of Maine. The Black Bears are a member of Hockey East. They play at the Harold Alfond Sports Arena—commonly known as Alfond Arena or "The Alfond"—in Orono, Maine.
The Black Bears have appeared in eleven Frozen Fours, have a 28–18 record in NCAA Tournament games, and have won two national championships—in 1993 and 1999.
The University of Maine, then known as the University of Maine at Orono, officially developed an NCAA sanctioned men's ice hockey program in 1977. Creation of this program occurred simultaneously with the construction of the Harold Alfond Sports Arena (See Alfond Arena), the facility that is still used for home games today.
This was not, however, the first attempt at birthing a permanent hockey program in Orono. Maine played two seasons of recognized college hockey in 1922 and 1923 totaling 17 games, and primarily playing other Maine colleges such as Bowdoin, Colby and Bates. This program did not stick, and it would be over 5 decades before organized hockey would become a staple at the state's flagship university.
Upon foundation in 1977, the program was coached by Jack Semler (University of Vermont '68). Maine enjoyed modest success under Semler boasting winning records in 3 of their first 4 regular seasons. The Black Bears competed in The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) during their first 7 years of existence, all of which were under Semler. The ECAC was recognized as Division-II hockey until 1979 at which point the conference, and thus Maine, became Division-I – the level of competition they have competed in ever since.
Following the 1983–84 season, head coach Jack Semler submitted his resignation. With Maine set to join the newly formed Hockey East Association, Maine hired Shawn Walsh, a 29-year-old assistant at Michigan State University and ex-3rd string goalie at Bowling Green State University. Walsh served as assistant coach for Ron Mason at his alma mater and Michigan State where he and Mason turned the Spartan's program from being sub-.500 performers to national contenders in only half a decade.
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