Good luck to Tim Whitehead, Congratulations to Steve Abbott

Tim Whitehead is a good guy; let’s just get that out of the way right now. If being a nice guy won hockey championships, Tim Whitehead would have been the best hockey coach Maine ever had. Unfortunately, in college sports (much like in life), nice guys finish last. Today, UMaine athletic director Steve Abbott pulled the trigger on his second firing since taking over the helm from Blake James, sending Whitehead packing after getting enough money from the “Friends of Maine Hockey” to pay his buyout for his final year.

This wasn’t about being a nice guy. Tim Whitehead did not get fired because he was an a-hole (which he wasn’t). He was fired because a once dominant hockey program had begun to deteriorate on his watch. He was far from Ray Handley (who replaced Bill Parcells as coach of the New York Giants), but he was definitely along the same lines as Frank Solich (who replaced Tom Osborne as head coach for Nebraska football) and Pete Carroll (who replaced Bills Parcells as head coach of the Patriots). The farther you got from the end of the golden era, the worse things got.

Recent seasons of lackluster regular season play and a dreadful home record (something completely ridiculous with a home ice advantage at the Alfond) finally wore on a fan base and alumni base who considered losing in the tournament a bad year before 2008. It wasn’t just the record on the ice that sounded the gong for Whitehead. There were the off-ice antics of Scott Darling and the on-ice antics of Joey Diamond. There was the failure to successfully recruit Brian Dumoulin or Jon Gillies, both Mainers, both standout college hockey players, both of whom chose to leave their home state and found success at BC and Providence, respectively. Could you imagine if a Maine kid the quality of Gillies had picked Providence over Maine during the Walsh Era? In the Whitehead Era, it became the status quo.

Tim was always great with the media. Was always great with me and everyone I ever worked with. Wish him well, but don’t feel bad. He gets one year of severance pay and will take over another program somewhere. Tim Whitehead is going to be just fine. The question is: will UMaine be fine?

As much as it’s easy to applaud the change, this is a school that chose homegrown product Cindy Blodgett over Lindsey Gottlieb to be women’s basketball coach. Blodgett went 20-69 in four years. Gottlieb got California to the Women’s Final Four this year. Ostensibly Blodgett had the inside track due to her alumni status. Is having a tie to UMaine a good thing or a bad thing? Is Scott Pellerin or Jim Montgomery a better option than someone who didn’t play here simply because they are a tie to the Walsh era? The Black Bear-shaded glasses can make the magic eight-ball hard to read.

Congratulations to Steve Abbott. He has held the coaches to a higher standard than those before him. Cindy Blodgett and Tim Whitehead both found that out (Ted Woodward should be on deck, but that is a story for another day). He now has to find the right man to right the UMaine ship. When Nebraska fired Frank Solich for Bill Callahan, they downgraded, which is something Maine hockey cannot afford to do. The flagship must not sink.

College Field Hockey: UMaine ranked #17 in the nation

The University of Maine field hockey team continues its rise to the top as it has been ranked as the #17 team in the nation in the latest WomensFieldHockey.com poll. Maine also received 173 votes in the Kookaburra/NFHCA National Coaches Poll, placing them just one spot outside of the top 20.

The Black Bears, currently riding a six game winning streak, sit at 6-1 overall on the season. Maine will carry its winning streak into Providence where it will battle the Friars on Friday at 2 p.m. before facing Michigan State in a neutral site game at Providence beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. The Black Bears opened up last season with a 3-0 victory over Providence at the Maine Field Hockey Complex. Brittany Fleck (Vancouver, British Columbia) picked up the shutout win in the cage for Maine while Jocelyn Mitchell (Kanata, Ontario) notched a pair of goals in the win. The Black Bears last faced Michigan St. in 2009, a road game in which the Spartans were ranked #8 at the time. Maine took a 1-0 lead into halftime on a first half goal by Kelly Newton (Vancouver, British Columbia) but the Spartans would rally for a pair of goals in the second half to take the contest 2-1.

The Black Bears attack continues to impress as Maine is the top scoring team in the nation, averaging 5.43 goals per game with the next closest team being Rider at 4.80 goals per game. The Black Bears trail only California in points per game as Maine is currently averaging 14.14 points per game.

Stephanie Gardiner (Vancouver, British Columbia) has 21 points on the year to lead the Black Bears and ranks seventh nationally in points per game at 3.00. Newton currently leads the nation in assists with 11.

Gardiner took home America East Co-Player of the Week honors last week as she tallied four goals in Maine's three victories. Gardiner's first goal on Saturday marked her 100th point in a Black Bears' uniform. Gardiner joins Newton (129 points) in the Maine 100 point club. Mitchell will look to join the duo shortly as she currently sits at 93 career points.

With a pair of goals in last Saturday's 8-0 win over St. Louis, Newton tied Janet Hoskin's record of most goals in a career while at Maine. Newton currently has 47 career goals, matching the record set by Hoskin from 1978-81. Newton's next goal will solidify her as Maine's all-time leader in goals scored.

A pair of first's went down for Maine last weekend as Zoe Berkey (Duncan, British Columbia) tallied her first career goal in the win over St. Louis. In the same game, Alicia Frisch (Calgary, Alberta) tallied her first win and first shutout as she made two saves in the cage for the Black Bears.

-UMaine-

UMaine Hoops: Rogers gets an honor

University of Maine men's basketball standout Andrew Rogers has been selected to the prestigious University of Maine Senior Skulls honor society.

Rogers, from Philadelphia, Pa., just completed his junior year for the Black Bears. He is a two-time America East All-Academic Team election, three-time Maine Scholar-Athlete award winner and three-time member of the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll.

On the court, he played in all 30 games last season and ranked second on the team and 10th in America East with 2.4 assists per game.

The Black Bears have had a player on the America East All-Academic for four-straight years and last season had six Maine Scholar-Athlete Award winners.

In existence since 1914, the Senior Skulls were founded torecognize senior male students at UMaine who exhibit strong moral character, outstanding school spirit, leadership, strong academic achievement,and ability to serve as role model for underclassmen. Twelve men, chosen each spring, represent the top 1% of senior men at the University and are true leaders on campus.

-UM PRESS RELEASE-

Men's Hoops: Black Bears announce new recruits

University of Maine men's basketball head coach Ted Woodward has announced the signings of Justin Edwards and Zarko Valjarevic to National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Maine in the fall and play for the men's basketball team.

Edwards, a 6-2 guard from Whitby, Ontario, is the #8-ranked player overall in Canada for the class of 2011. He averaged 20.4 points, 5.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game during his high school career. Edwards scored more than 3,400 points during his tenure at Anderson Collegiate Vocational Institute and led the team to five Lake Ontario Secondary Athletic Association championships and an Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championship. He was named team MVP four times as well as his school's Athlete of the Year.

"Justin is an explosive versatile perimeter player that scores in a variety of ways," said Woodward. "He is a great athlete and an explosive force on the perimeter. He has had an outstanding high school career and will be a wonderful addition to our team".

Valjarevic, a 6-4 guard-forward from Serbia, played one season for powerhouse Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass., which had eight players sign with Division I schools. He helped lead the team to the semi-finals of the National Prep Championship. Valjarevic is rated a solid mid-major prospect by ESPN with a score of 84.

"Zarko is a great perimeter shooter from the wing positions. He understands the game, is extremely smart using screens, can put the ball on the floor and understands how to make his teammates better. He is a very smart, skilled player that will have an immediate impact on our roster."

Edwards and Valjarevic join a recruiting class that includes Killian Cato (6-8 forward from Finland), Xavier Pollard (6-2 guard from Winchendon Prep in Mass.) and Noam Laish (6-1 guard from Israel).

"We are very excited about the new members of our basketball program. I'd like to thank my staff for all of their hard work securing a class that addresses some immediate needs on our team, continues to provide impact talent at multiple positions, and helps put our team's future on very solid foundation. All of our recruits have a high knowledge of the game, are very skilled and versatile, and are great people as well. We are very excited about what each brings to our team."

The eligibility of all student-athletes is contingent upon admission to the University of Maine and compliance with all NCAA rules, including registration with the NCAA Clearinghouse.

-via Black Bears press release

Awards: UMaine honors its own

The University of Maine Department of Athletics held its annual Awards Night on Monday, April 18, 2011. Several individuals and teams were honored during the evening’s festivities.

Cassandra Mendonca (Thornhill, Ontario) and Jeremy Bender (St. Paul, Minn.) served as the Masters of Ceremonies. The evening opened with a welcome from Eileen Flaherty, Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator. Guy Whitten, University of Maine M Club President then spoke. Brian Landry (Yorktown, Va.) and Brynne Davis, SAAC Co-Presidents, presented the Graduation Stoles to the seniors. That was followed by Letter Winner Recognition. Awards were then presented to various teams and individuals.

The Black Bear Citizen Award went to women’s basketball. The award highlights a team that has been exemplary in its community service activities.

The Male Iron Bear Award, honoring someone who has made great strides in the weight room, went to men’s basketball senior Troy Barnies (Auburn, Maine.) Barnies’ strides in the weight room contributed to his huge senior season. He earned a spot on the America East First Team and the NABC All-District I Second Team. He led the Black Bears in scoring with 14.3 points per game and 7.7 rebounds a contest.

The Female Iron Bear Award went to Mallory Anderson (Hampton Falls, N.H.) of the field hockey team. Anderson also made great strides in the weight room during her career as a Black Bears. Anderson, who started just two games as a junior, started all 19 her senior season. She had four assists on the season.

The Male Athlete of the Year went to men’s ice hockey junior Gustav Nyquist (Malmo, Sweden). Nyquist led the team in scoring for the third season in a row. He had 18 goals and 33 assists for 51 points. He was named to the Hockey East First Team, the All-New England First Team and named a Second Team All-American. For the second year in a row, Nyquist was one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in college hockey. Following the season, he signed a professional contract with the Detroit Red WIngs.

The Female Athlete of the Year went to field hockey’s Kelly Newton (Vancouver, British Columbia). Newton earned a spot on the America East First Team for the third year in a row. She was named the America East Offensive Player of the Year. She was named to the All-Northeast Region First Team, the Longstretch/NFHCA All-America Third Team and the WomensFieldHockey.com All-America Third Team. In 2010, she tied the school record for points in a season with 19 goals and seven assists for 45 points. As a junior, she has already set the school record for career points, as she currently has 112.

The men’s basketball team was named Male Team of the Year. The team finished 15-15 overall and 9-7 in America East play. The Black Bears were atop the conference standings for part of the season and finished in a tie for third place.

The women’s soccer team was named Female Team of the Year. After finishing sixth in the 2010 regular season standings, the team won quarterfinal and semifinal road games to earn a spot in the 2010 America East Championship game at Boston University.

-UM-

Baseball: Maine splits with Stony Brook

The University of Maine baseball team split a doubleheader with Stony Brook in games played at Adelphi University on Sunday afternoon. The Black Bears picked up a 7-3 win in the first game, but dropped the second one 7-0. Maine moves to 10-19 on the season with the split and 1-3 in America East action. The Seawolves improve to 19-8 on the campaign and 3-1 in conference play.

In the first game, Maine took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Joey Martin (Portland, Maine) was hit and Taylor Lewis (Montville, Conn.) singled up the middle. Both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch. Martin scored when Tyler Patzalek (Burlington, Ontario) grounded out. Lewis scored the second run of the inning when Alex Calbick (Burnaby, British Columbia) hit a RBI single.

Maine added three more runs in the top of the second inning. Troy Black (Mississauga, Ontario) singed up the middle and Mike Conolly (Middleborough, Mass.) followed with a single. Michael Fransoso (Portsmouth, N.H.) had a bunt single to advance both runners. Martin hit a two-run singled scoring both Black and Connolly. Fransoso scored when Patzalek grounded out.

Stony Brook got on the board in the bottom of the second inning. Maxx Tissenbaum walked and scored when Travis Jankowski singled to third base. The Seawolves added a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to pull to within a pair of runs. Chad Marshall and William Carmona had back-to-back singles up the middle. Tissenbaum followed with a double scoring Marshall. Carmona scored when Stephen Marino grounded out.

The Black Bears countered with a run in the top of the sixth. Fransoso singled up the middle and advanced to second on a Martin sacrifice bunt. He moved to third when Lewis grounded out and scored when Patzalek singled up the middle. It was the third RBI of the game for Patzalek.

Justin Leisenheimer (Middle Village, N.Y.) led off the top of the seventh inning with a homer to left field to extend Maine's lead to 7-3.

Keith Bilodeau (Bourne, Mass.) pitched the complete game for the Black Bears. He allowed three runs on nine hits while striking out five. He improves to 3-2 on the season.

Frankie Vanderka went just one inning in the start for Stony Brook. He allowed five runs on seven hits. He falls to 2-2 on the season. He was replaced by James Campbell who pitched the final six innings. He allowed two runs on six hits while striking out five.

In the second game, Stony Brook jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Marshall was hit-by-a-pitch and Carmona followed with a double. Both runners scored on a Tissenbaum single.

The Seawolves added five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Joshua Mason led off the inning with a double to left field. Cantwell reached on a fielder's choice. Marshall followed with a single and Cantwell moved to second. Carmona hit a two-run double scoring Cantwell and Marshall. Tissenbaum then doubled and Carmona scored. Marino followed and belted a home run, extending Stony Brook's lead to 7-0.

Justin Leisenheimer led the Black Bears with a pair of hits in the game.

Shaun Coughlin (Northfield, Conn.) went five innings on the mound. He allowed seven runs on nine hits while striking out three. He falls to 1-1 on the season. He was replaced by D.J. Voisine (Plainville, Conn.) went two innings and allowed just one hit while striking out two. Fran Whitten (Westborough, Mass.) pitched the eighth. He did not allow a hit.

Brandon McNitt went seven innings and allowed just five hits. He struck out five batters and improves to 3-1 on the season. He was replaced by Evan Stecko-Haley. Stecko-Haley went two innings and allowed just one hit while striking out four.

The Black Bears return to action on Saturday, April 16 when they travel to Hartford for a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 12 noon.

UMaine Basketball: List of verbal commitments to mens team grows

UMaine Mens Basketball got another verbal commitment, this time from Noam Laish, a combo guard from Israel. His YouTube chanel channel is here if you'd like to scout him for yourself.

Pete Warner from the BDN has some other names to keep an eye on. It has a distinctly foreign feel to it.

Maine names Hathorn assistant soccer coach

University of Maine women's soccer coach Scott Atherley announced today that he has named Linda (Consolante) Hathorn assistant coach. Hathorn starred for the Black Bears for 2001–2005, where she was a two-time America East Defensive Player of the Year. Hathorn has a wealth of coaching and playing experience that will be an asset to the Black Bears.

"I am thrilled that we have been able to hire Linda," said head coach Atherley. "She returns to our program having gained tremendous coaching experience at the collegiate and international levels since graduating in 2006. She is a natural selection for the position given her familiarity with the University, soccer program and me. I have enjoyed following her development as a coach for the past five years, and I am confident that she will contribute greatly toward our continued success".

Hathorn comes to the University of Maine from Valparaiso University in Indiana where she served as an assistant coach from April through December, 2010. While at Valparaiso, she assisted the head coach in all aspects of directing a Division I women's soccer program. She helped with team training, recruiting, scouting, travel, summer camps and clinics along with academic monitoring and compliance.

Prior to Valparaiso, she was an assistant coach at Regis University, a top-30 Division II program in Denver, Colo. She designed and executed a spring training program in addition to recruiting student-athletes and aiding with individual skill training.

Hathorn began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Northern Arizona University from July 2006 through May 2009. In 2007, the team attained its first .500 season in school history. In 2008, the team posted its first winning season in school history, won the Big Sky Conference Championship and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

In addition to collegiate coaching experience, Hathorn also has national coaching experience. She serves as an assistant coach with the Canada Women's Youth National Teams, which won the U17 CONCACAF (World Cup qualifying tournament) in Costa Rica in May 2010. She also serves as a consultant for the Canadian Soccer Association National Teams. She provides technical support and assistance for Dartfish Video Analysis Software within the Canadian Soccer Association.

Hathorn also has Club coaching experience. She served as a staff coach for the Westminster AFC in Westminster, Colorado from May 2009-April 2010. She also served as a Technical Trainer for the Flagstaff Soccer Club. In addition, she has worked numerous summer camps.

Hathorn entered the coaching ranks after a stellar playing career. She was on the Canadian Senior Women's National Team in 2003 and 2004. She played in the Women's World Cup in 2003. Hathorn also played in the Pan American games. She played for the Ottawa Fury W-League from 2003-2006.

Hathorn had a great career at the University of Maine from 2001 through 2005. She was a two-time America East Defensive Player of the Year. She was an All-Rookie team selection in 2001 and earned a spot on the All-Conference team in 2002, 2003 and 2005. She was also an All-Academic selection from 2001 through 2005.

--UMAINE COMMUNICATIONS--

Maine makes the right move (for once)

Yesterday's announcement that Cindy Blodgett has been fired as head coach of the Maine women's basketball team came as a surprise to many folks in the state. Not because of the results on the court, but because the University has been rewarding mediocrity for years. For once, the university finally held someone accountable for taking a step back.

Yes, Maine isn't an SEC or Big East football school, so coaches are always going to get more leeway here than they would somewhere else. We also live in a society where people always want coaches fired, but a record of 24 wins and 94 losses is really tough to defend, even with the built-in "Oh, no one wants to come to Orono" and "The program was in bad shape when she got here and she needs time" excuses that are constantly thrown out when it comes to UMaine. The University is continuing to try and raise funds for a renovation of the Memorial Gym and the Alfond Arena, don't you think that if the teams on the court, field and ice were having consistent success that the money would have already been raised?

This move was a long time coming for this athletic department. While I was surprised it was Blodgett and not men's hockey coach Tim Whitehead or men's head basketball coach Ted Woodward (both of whom have failed with ALOT more talent than Blodgett ever had), it still sends a message to the rest of the head coaches that the time for excuses has ended, because either Woodward or Whitehead being fired would have sent a message without the detractors of the move being able to complain that a historic face of Maine basketball took the fall for the athletic department's overall failures. While Blodgett has done fantastic things as a player for the state of Maine basketball-wise in the high school and college levels, facts are facts: she was not qualified to run a Division I women's program. She was given a two-year contract extension before last season, and two of the top three girls high school players (Kayla Burchill of Deering and Nicole Taylor of York) in this state are going to Vermont, not Maine, and that in itself is this program's biggest issue: keeping the most talented kids in-state in lieu of letting them go to in-conference competitors (see Dumoulin, Brian for a hockey example).

Being a great player does not always translate to success on the bench or in the front office (see Baylor, Elgin; Thomas, Isiah; McHale, Kevin for examples), and it was shown here in all it's glory. It's not a knock on Cindy as a person, and it's very possible she can use this experience to improve in her next gig. The fact of the matter is, whether you're talking about the shadows of Joanne Palombo, John Winkin, or Shawn Walsh, the bar has been set high. It's time to reach the standards that have been already been set instead of lowering the bar to fit the excuse of the day. UMaine-Orono can be a special place, and it has been before. Hats off to Steve Abbott for sending a message that the time for excuses is over, and that the time for results has come.

Update: Blodgett has planned a press conference for Thursday.

Black Bears hoops 2011 playoff schedule announced

John Fantino from the Burlington Free Press posted the schedule for the America East Tourney on the men and women sides. The UMaine women play Stony Brook Thursday night at 8:05 PM. The men take on Hartford Saturday night at 8:15. Check out the full schedule below.

2011 America East Tourney Schedule

Maine beats UNH

Troy Barnies (Auburn, Maine) scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the University of Maine men's basketball team to a 64-50 win over New Hampshire on Tuesday evening at the Alfond Arena. Maine won its sixth-straight game and is now 13-7 overall and 7-1 in America East play while New Hampshire falls to 8-12 in 2-6 in league play.

The Black Bears used a 14-to-3 run courtesy of two three-pointers from Terrance Mitchell (Milton, Fla.), and a three each from Andrew Rogers (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Gerald McLemore (San Diego, Calif.) to go along with two Barnies free throws to stretch a 32-27 Maine lead 2:30 into the second half into a 16-point lead with just under 15 minutes left.

New Hampshire cut the lead to 48-40 with 10 minutes left, but Maine would score the next six points, and New Hampshire could get no closer than 12 the rest of the way.

The teams played a tight first half, with neither team taking more than a four-point lead, and the teams were locked at 19 with just under nine minutes left.

The Black Bears were able to grab a lead as they went on an 8-to-nothing run through the next five minutes, the Wildcats would eventually cut it to 29-24 as time expired in the first stanza.

Barnies led Maine with 10 points and nine rebounds while McLemore added five and Alasdair Fraser (Falkirk, Scotland) four. The Black Bears shot 42.3 percent from the floor while limiting New Hampshire to 35.7 percent while grabbing 24 rebounds to New Hampshire's 15.

Maine took an eight-point lead to open the second half before the Wildcats cut the lead to five, and Maine responded with the run.

McLemore would finish with 13 points and four rebounds while Raheem Singleton (Boston, Mass.) added seven points and five rebounds. Mitchell added six points, five rebounds and three assists.

Maine shot 42.6 percent for the game while New Hampshire ended up at 34 percent. Maine won the rebounding battle 45-31.

Barnies was named Maine's America East Player of the Game for his efforts.

Chandler Rhoads led New Hampshire with six points, four rebounds and three assists.

The Black Bears return to action on Saturday when they travel to Binghamton for a 7 p.m. game.

--UM Communications--

Black Bears Football Nets CAA Weekly Award

According to a press release from the CAA, UMaine football's Terrel Walker (running back) won the CAA Rookie of the Week Award. From the release:

Walker earned this week’s Rookie of the Week award after logging a large portion of the Maine ground attack in the Black Bears’ win at Rhode Island, 28-23, Saturday. The rookie, who had played in just two games prior to the Rhode Island contest, carried the ball four times for 99 yards and his first career score Saturday. The Taunton, Mass., native picked up a huge chunk of his yardage in the third quarter when he broke free for 86 yards and a touchdown with 3:47 left in the third quarter. The 86-yarder ranked as the longest play from scrimmage for the Black Bears’ this season and also marked the conference’s longest rush this season.

Congrats to Terrel on the hardware.

Maine Black Bears Hoops to appear on ESPN

The University of Maine men's basketball team has been selected to participate in a 2011 ESPN BracketBusters game.

The Black Bears, coming off a 19-11 campaign and third place finish in America East, will be among five teams from America East to play in a non-conference game between February 18-20, 2011. Maine will be on the road at an opponent to be announced
January 31, 2011.

The ninth annual BracketBusters, a three-day men's college basketball event pitting potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other, will feature 11 nationally televised games - on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU -- selected from a pool of 114
teams, the largest BracketBusters pool in the event's history.

For the sixth straight year, ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will feature five BracketBusters games, while ESPN or ESPN2 will televise up to six contests.

BracketBusters, named because of the success of the teams in NCAA Tournament play, will provide the 22 televised teams an opportunity to play other top non-conference opponents three weeks before Selection Sunday. The 92 teams not selected for
BracketBusters will compete against each other through the same three days.

The 114-team field will feature teams from 15 conferences as well as one independent: 12 from the Mid-American Conference and Colonial Athletic; 10 from the Ohio Valley Conference, Missouri Valley and Metro Atlantic Athletic; nine from Big Sky, Big
South, Big West and Western Athletic; eight from the Horizon League; five from America East and Southern; two from the MEAC and West Coast; and one from the Summit League, as well as independent Seattle.

As part of the agreement, all eleven of the BracketBusters home teams in televised games, as well as the remaining 46 home squads, will play a "return" game at the home facility of their opponent in November or December of the 2012-13 season

Teams participating this season in BracketBusters have produced 74 appearances in the last five NCAA Tournaments.

--UMaine Communications--

Pete Warner From the Bangor Daily news Breaks Down Black Bears Football

Pete Warner from the Bangor Daily News joined us to preview Black Bears football today as they get ready to kick-off the year against Albany.

Whitehead Gets a 3 Year Extension w/ #BlackBears

According to the Black Bears official website, Maine men's hockey coach Tim Whitehead has signed an extension that will last through the 2013-14 season.

Whitehead, who has guided Maine to 4 Frozen Fours, is entering his 10th season as the Maine head coach.

#Maine Football Honored for Academic Excellence

Five CAA Football squads have been recognized for top academic performance by earning NCAA Public Recognition Awards. Maine, Northeastern, Richmond, Villanova and William and Mary were all honored this week for their teams’ work in the classroom during the 2009 season.

The public recognition awards are given each year to teams scoring in the top 10 percent of their sports based on the most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR). The APR provides a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester or quarter by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention and graduation in the calculation. High-performing teams receiving public recognition awards posted APR scores ranging from 978 to a perfect 1,000.

“We’re extremely pleased with the CAA Football teams honored by the NCAA with Public Recognition Awards,” CAA Football Commissioner Tom Yeager said. “The fact that three of our five squads were also NCAA Championship participants is a credit to the hard work and commitment by our student-athletes, coaches and academic support staffs who are determined to succeed at the highest level both on the playing field and in the classroom.”

CAA Football’s five teams were among 19 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) squads recognized. Only four of the 16 teams which competed in the 2009 NCAA Division I Football Championship earned Public Recognition awards. Three of those squads were CAA Football members including 2009 NCAA Division I National Champion Villanova. The Wildcats were one of only two NCAA National Champions to earn Public Recognition, joining Fairleigh Dickinson’s women’s bowling squad.

Not only can CAA Football fans from all 10 schools get up-to-date information on CAASports.com, but they also have a CAA Football news source outlet on Twitter. Get a look at CAA Football and its programs by following the league at twitter.com/The_CAAFootball. CAA Football will tweet throughout the spring season and continue into the 2010 fall season. Be sure to also check out the 2010 CAA Football Spring Blog at CAASports.com. Various student-athletes have been dropping in with their takes on the spring practice season, while the CAA Football Blogger continues to keep fans up to speed on other news and notes from around the league.

Darling Releases Statement Through UMaine

WCSH has posted the statement of suspended Maine goalie Scott Darling, which was released via the University of Maine.

"I'll be away from the team for a while as I deal with personal issues. I understand the reasons for my suspension and accept responsibility for my actions." Darling says.

"I apologize to my teammates, coaches and our fans and I will work hard to return to the program when Coach Whitehead decides it is appropriate. I am thankful for the support I have received, and I am determined to learn from this situation and return ready to contribute in a significant way."

WLBZ rumored yesterday he had or was going to go to alcohol rehabilitation. Hopefully, he can get a once promising career back on track, but more importantly, gets his life in order.

WCSH6:Suspended UMaine Goalie Makes Statement

#BlackBears Hoops Gets Clawed by #Wildcats

The UMaine Men's basketball team went into the America East Tournament as a 3rd seed, and faced off against the 6th seeded UNH Wildcats on Saturday night, who came into the game with a 13-16 record. Guess who won? I'll give you a hint, don't wait around for the Black Bears name to be called on selection Sunday.

BDN:Wildcats Upset Black Bears

Thursday-Where Black Bears Winning at the Buzzer Happens

Junior Bernal goes up for a rebound in the 2nd half (Bangor Daily News/Michael York photo)

The week of nothing continues. Well, the Pro Bowl is this weekend. Never mind I was right the first time.

The Maine Black Bears Men's hoops team continued their run, knocking off BU 56-54 on Wednesday night at the Alfond. They improve to 14-6 on the year and 6-1 in America East, good for first-place, just ahead of second place Stony Brook.

Three of the Red Sox top prospects made MLB Network's Top 50 Prospect list last night (and all of them will probably play in Portland this year).

Wes Welker is scheduled for knee surgery next Tuesday at Mass General.

Vince Wilfork told WEEI yesterday that getting hit with the franchise tag would be a "Slap in my face." Yeah, that's going to end well.

The Red Claws knocked off the Stampede in Idaho last night.

WEDNESDAY SPORTS FLASH AND LINKAGE

WEDNESDAY MORNING SPORTS FLASH


Former Portland Pirate Goaltender Mike McKenna returned to Portland Tuesday night with the Lowell Devils and promptly stopped 29 shots to beat the Pirates 2 - 1. The Pirates lone goal came when TJ Brennan scored his 1st AHL goal. Next home game for the Pirates is Friday night when they face the Worcester Sharks.

The Maine Red Claws fell apart in the 2nd half again, losing this time to the FT Wayne Mad Antz 104 - 94. The Claws return home Friday to face Dee Brown's Springfield Armor.

The University of Maine Black Bears Womens Basketball team overcame a 12 point 1st half deficit to to beat the UNH Wildcats 65 - 61. Maine brings home its 1st America East victory of the season. Freshman center Corinne Wellington lead the Black Bears with 18 points in the win.