Patrick McEachen, a defenseman from Stouffville, Ont., who originally gave a verbal commitment to play hockey at Maine, has decided to play at Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y.

"The last couple of years I kept in touch with the University of Maine and they said a lot of positive things," McEachen told the Georgina (Ontario) Advocate. "But late this season, they wanted me to delay my enrollment for a year by playing in the United States Hockey League and I didn't want to do that. It hit me like a ton of bricks when they did that. It's not what I wanted to do because I'm in my last year of high school and I wanted to go right into university."

McEachen did not return phone calls to the Press Herald.

***

Need a hockey jersey? The University of Maine is auctioning game-worn jerseys from this year's senior class - Jeff Marshall, Simon Danis-Pepin, Matt Duffy and Chris Hahn. As of this morning, Duffy's alternate jersey has 20 bids.

Duffy, by the way, has a goal and three assists in three games with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.

***

This morning, it's good to be Boston U., Vermont, Miami of Ohio and Bemidji State. Not so good to be Jerry Pollastrone.

BU, Vermont, Miami and Bemidji have two more weeks of hockey as they'll be playing in the Frozen Four, which begins April 9 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. According to the Greater Washington Sports Alliance, BU will play Vermont in one semifinal and Bemidji will face Miami in the other.

Now about Pollastrone, New Hampshire's snake-bitten forward. BU defeated UNH 2-1 last night for the Northeast regional championship, on a power-play goal by Jason Lawrence with 14.4 seconds left in regulation, a goal ... that deflected off Pollastrone, who dove in an attempt to keep Lawrence from passing the puck to Colin Wilson.

"I just heard the crowd erupt," UNH's Kevin Kapstad said. "That was probably the most disappointing feeling I've had, to be honest with you ... I really had no doubt we were going to win that game, but obviously we didn't."

***

On the topic of strange goals ... Vermont defeated Air Force for the East regional championship on a goal by Dan Lawson in the second overtime. Lawson's blast from the point packed a punch, going past Air Force goalie Andrew Volkening, through the net and off the glass as play continued.

Officials took more than 12 minutes to review the goal before awarding it to the Catamounts. (Click here for the video)

"There's nothing that anybody's going to do or say that's going to make you feel better, regardless of how you lose that game," Air Force Coach Frank Serratore told the Colorado Springs Gazette. "I don't want to equate it to a death in the family, but for an athlete and a competitor, it's like when you lose a loved one. There's nothing anyone can say that's going to make you feel any better.

"We'll never get over this. It'll never leave you. The sick feeling in the pit of your belly will never leave, knowing that the Air Force Academy was one overtime goal away from going to the Frozen Four."

***

Bemidji State's Frozen Four appearance will be, in all likelihood, the swan song for College Hockey America. Bemidji State has applied to join the WCHA, the conference that includes Minnesota, Denver, Colorado College and North Dakota.

Oh, and you might know of a famous Miami of Ohio name - Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

***

While NCAA basketball brackets are being busted across the nation, you might have a second option - the NCAA hockey tournament, which begins tonight. Four Hockey East teams are among the tournament's 16 teams, including No. 1 Boston University. The Terriers open the tournament Saturday in Manchester, N.H., against Ohio State.

There will be a few Maine connections to the NCAA Tournament, such as Portland resident Dan Bartlett, a forward at Princeton, and Ohio State's Zach Pelletier, a China resident who played at Waterville High.

(If I'm forgetting someone, let me know.)

Also, the New York Times takes a peek into Northeastern's program, coached by former Black Bears assistant/interim coach Greg Cronin.

If people think Tim Whitehead is the only Hockey East coach under fire, just look across the state line. Allen Lessels (a former PPHer and current UNH beat guy at the Manchester (N.H.) Union Leader) provides some perspective on the Wildcats' postseason struggles after a visit to the dentist.

***

Just a few odds and ins from college and pro hockey ...

The Portsmouth (N.H.) Herald is reporting that Ryan Bourque, the son of NHL Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque, has decided to play in the QMJHL instead of at UNH.

Former Maine goalie Jimmy Howard, who helped the Black Bears to the 2004 Frozen Four, is the Grand Rapids Griffins' nominee for the American Hockey League Man of the Year.

Nick Petrecki, a defenseman at Boston College, has decided to leave The Heights and plans to turn pro with the San Jose Sharks. Petrecki was a bit of a thorn in Maine's side each time the Black Bears faced the Eagles - in three games this season, Petrecki was called for 10 minutes in penalties and a game disqualification.

And finally, John Tortorella certainly didn't mince words after the New York Rangers lost a three-goal lead in a 5-4 shootout loss Thursday at Atlanta.

"I thought we sucked right on through the game," Tortorella said. "I think we're fortunate to get a point, very fortunate to get that."

In May, Tanner House will head back to his home in Alberta with a new title - "captain." His roommate, Jeff Dimmen, will also head west to Colorado as a designated assistant captain for the Maine hockey team when it opens the season in the fall.

House didn't necessarily set a goal for himself to be named to a formal leadership role. But, he added, "This is an honor. It's a great honor to know the guys on your team voted for you and see you as a leader.

"Coming in as a sophomore, I knew I had to take on a better leadership role and this year, I have to keep expanding on it."

(Note - Dimmen now wears No. 6, not No. 3, which he's wearing in the above photo.)

Think about it. Nineteen months ago (in the fall of 2007), House and Dimmen arrived in Orono.

"My freshman season, I sat back and watched everything and took it in," Dimmen said. "This season, I tried to step a little more, I got into more game situations and I tried to step up a little more and show the freshman class what it took to play at the Division I level."

House and Dimmen will lead a team that struggled during the second half of the season, but will return 20 players next season. House believes that going through last season's struggles will serve him and his team.

"Obviously, we hit a rough patch there in the second half," House said. "That took a toll on us, on our attitude and our motivation. Hopefully I'll have the experience to let the guys know what to do in that situation and how to handle themselves."

Dimmen provided a bit of perspective on the past season.

"We had a tremendously young team this year, and we had a great start and we thought we were on top of the world," Dimmen said. "You just can't play for three months, and knowing that, that's going to help us."

***

Tanner House and Jeff Dimmen will lead the Black Bears next season.

House will be the team's captain, succeeding seniors Jeff Marshall and Simon Danis-Pepin, and Dimmen will be the assistant captain, succeeding seniors Matt Duffy and Chris Hahn.

House is a forward from Cochrane, Alberta and Dimmen is a defenseman from Colorado Springs, Colo. Both will be juniors next season.

House and Dimmen were selected as captains by their teammates and by the Black Bears coaching staff.

"Anytime you have your teammates vote you in as captain, that's an honor," Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said. "Two guys who are sophomores to get that, that's an honor, as well. That shows how much they have accomplished in their first two years, and they've still got two years with us."

House was Maine's third-leading scorer this season with 10 goals and 14 assists in 39 games while Dimmen had six goals and nine assists in 37 games

Three players will not return to the Black Bears next season - sophomore forwards Glenn Belmore, Lem Randall and Keif Orsini. Whitehead said the three players will retain their partial scholarships but did not figure into the team's outlook for next season.

"In the end, it was a decision based on their performance on the ice," Whitehead said. "They had a two-year window to prove that they could help make the team better and none of the three had elevated their play to the point where they could help us get back into national contention."

Belmore had one assist in 10 games, while Randall had four goals and five assists in 32 games and Orsini had three goals and four assists in 27 games.

Need to get away for a while?

The University of Vermont has some available tickets for this weekend's NCAA East regional at the Bridgeport Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn.

North Dakota hockey fans will find Manchester, N.H., to be a spring destination.

Josh Morton, director of the Fighting Sioux Club, the fundraising arm of North Dakota's athletics department, told the Manchester (N.H.) Union-Leader that approximately 1,100 UND graduates live in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York - all within driving distance of New Hampshire.

If you can't spare the cash but you're still interested in watching the NCAA hockey tournament this weekend, Inside College Hockey has a grid of the broadcast schedule.

***

A college hockey program will disappear, at the expense of the economy. The University of Minnesota-Crookston will discontinue its Division II men's hockey program.

"We exhausted every possible option before taking this step," Stephanie Helgeson, director of athletics, told the Crookston Daily Times. "We certainly don't take this lightly, but the reality of the economics of the state of Minnesota, the need to manage our University resources effectively, and the increasing challenges of fielding an NCAA independent hockey schedule with no post-season have led us to this difficult decision."

Last week, Bowling Green (Ohio) State University announced that it would field all 18 of its varsity sports next school year after the school mulled budget cuts to its athletic department.

John Vogl, who covers the Buffalo Sabres for the Buffalo News, led his Sunday notebook with a piece on New York Rangers Coach John Tortorella, who played at Maine from 1978 to 1981. Here's a sampling from the story:

Tortorella has earned a reputation as a tyrant. He's outspoken with players and reporters, and he's not afraid to confront or criticize either group.

"It all gets blown out of proportion as far as that I'm some sort of lunatic that's constantly screaming at players and kicking them," Tortorella said in Madison Square Garden. "No, I care about the players. But I'm going to coach them. I am going to coach them. Some players don't like to be coached, but I'm going to coach them."

Tortorella recently became the winningest American-born coach with 245 career victories, passing Peter Laviolette last week.

***

Checking in on a few more former Black Bears in the NHL ...

Teddy Purcell, Los Angeles Kings: four goals, 11 assists in 30 games

Ben Guite, Colorado Avalanche: four goals, seven assists in 41 games

Dustin Penner, Edmonton Oilers: 15 goals, 18 assists in 69 games

Boston University is the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The 16-team field was announced this morning, and BU is one of four Hockey East teams in the national tournament, along with New Hampshire, Vermont and Northeastern.

There might have been a fifth Hockey East team, had UMass-Lowell upset BU last night for the Hockey East title. UMass-Lowell had a goal nullified in the second period - here's the footage, via NESN. (click on the link and go to about 35 seconds into the video.)

If UMass-Lowell's goal had stood, that might have changed the NCAA field a little bit. Otherwise, here's the bracket, part of an NCAA tournament primer (and a decent read) by the New York Times.

After initially being assigned to Rochester of the American Hockey League, Matt Duffy made his professional debut Friday with Florida ... the Everblades of the East Coast Hockey League, that is.

Duffy joined the Everblades, who have two games this weekend in Charlotte, N.C., after initially being assigned to the Florida Panthers' AHL affiliate. According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Duffy will play a pair of games in Naples, Fla., before rejoining the Americans next week. Kevin Oklobzija, the D&C's Amerks' beat writer, makes a good point in his blog entry regarding the topic:

A game in Syracuse against a Crunch team that has the little-skill, goon-it-up Jon Mirasty may not be the best place for an indoctrination to pro hockey.

Duffy played Friday in Florida's 4-3 shootout win at Charlotte.

Four Hockey East players - Boston University forward Colin Wilson and defenseman Matt Gilroy, Vermont forward Viktor Stalberg and Northeastern goalie Brad Thiessen are among the 10 semifinalists for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the top Division I college hockey player.

Joining the four are Michigan forward Louie Caporusso, Alaska-Fairbanks goalie Chad Johnson, Princeton goalie Zane Kalemba, Air Force forward Jacques Lamoureux, Wisconsin defenseman Jamie McBain and Colgate forward David McIntyre.

***

Matt Duffy begins his professional career tonight with the Rochester Americans, who face the Syracuse Crunch in Syracuse, N.Y.

Duffy, who was a defenseman at Maine, is on an amateur tryout (ATO) contract with the American Hockey League. The Florida Panthers own Duffy's rights, but the contract is exclusively with the AHL, according to Amerks media relations representative Warren Kosel.

"In Matt's case, it's an opportunity for a club and a player to meet, and for a player to get experience," Kosel said. "The fact that Matt's been drafted by Florida, that works in his favor, but it's up to Florida to sign him."

***

Wondering what happened to Bentley?

The Falcons, who beat Maine 3-1 in January, are eyeing the Atlantic Hockey conference championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

The Falcons face Air Force in a conference semifinal at 4:05 this afternoon in Rochester, N.Y.

Matt Duffy has joined the Rochester Americans and is listed on the team's roster as of this morning. The Amerks, Florida's American Hockey League affiliate, play Friday at Syracuse. Duffy, a Windham native, is a defenseman who scored seven goals and 10 assists this season with Maine.

Maine forward Gustav Nyquist has been named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team.

Nyquist, a freshman forward from Malmo, Sweden, led the Black Bears in scoring with 13 goals and 19 assists in 38 games.

Joining Nyquist on the Hockey East All-Rookie Team are:
Kieran Millan, goalie, Boston University
Karl Stollery, defense, Merrimack
Chris Connolly, forward, Boston University
Steve Quailer, forward, Northeastern
Casey Wellman, forward, Massachusetts
David Vallorani, forward, UMass-Lowell

***

This summer, Maine goalie Scott Darling plans to visit his family in Illinois for a few weeks, then will return to Massachusetts, where he will live this summer and help out with local hockey camps and train with Brian Daccord's Goaltending Consultant Group.

But Darling plans to take some time in June to head to Arizona. Not a great place to be in the early summer, as high temperatures can soar into the 100s between May and September. But Darling plans to attend the Phoenix Coyotes prospect development camp in June, the third year he's gone to the Phoenix metro area.

(Click on the link and look at the photo of the group of prospects at the summit of Camelback Mountain. Darling is in the back row, the 13th player from the left, next to the guy in the floppy hat and sunglasses.)

It's a business trip of sorts after Darling's first season at Maine, which he regarded as a learning experience.

"I learned how to battle under pressure, bounce back from adversity and work through the second half," said Darling, whom the Coyotes selected in the sixth round of the 2007 NHL entry draft. "Goaltending-wise, I learned about fighting through traffic and seeing the screens and controlling the rebounds through the screens. I think I'll be that much better next year."

Steve Lyons, the assistant director of amateur scouting with the Coyotes, said that the team took Darling on the basis of his potential as a professional player, and that his height (6-5) and athleticism work to Darling's advantage. Ultimately, he believes, so will the struggles Darling had this past season.

"Any time you go through some adversity, it's going to help you down the road," Lyons said. "It gets you tougher mentally, especially as you get to a higher level."

Darling came from an unlikely hockey background - the suburbs of Chicago, known better for Northwestern University, O'Hare Airport and nightmare traffic jams on I-90.

Chicagoland isn't necessarily a hotbed for hockey, unless you count Chris Chelios and Ed Olczyk.

But, Lyons said, Darling gravitated to better hockey. After his first season at Maine, Lyons said that as of right now, Darling will continue to play at Maine and that talk of turning pro isn't much of a discussion.

"We stay out of that," said Lyons, who stayed in touch with Darling throughout his first season at Maine, and said they spoke strictly in hockey terms. "When I speak to Scott, it's a pep talk."

***

Gary Prolman of ProStock Advisors in Portland said Monday afternoon that he expects Maine defenseman Matt Duffy, a Windham resident, to turn professional later this week and join the Florida Panthers' American Hockey League team in Rochester, N.Y.

"I expect him to be signed by the end of the week," said Prolman, Duffy's family advisor. "We're in contract negotiations with Florida right now."

Prolman and Duffy's mother, Cheryl, said Duffy attended classes today in Orono but plans to continue with his coursework online. He is on track to graduate in May with a degree in child development and family relations.

Duffy scored seven goals, including five on the power play, and 10 assists this season for Maine.

The Panthers selected Duffy, a 6-2 defenseman, in the fourth round of the 2005 NHL entry draft, the 104th pick. Also drafted that year?

The Pittsburgh Penguins took Sidney Crosby with the No. 1 pick, and the Anaheim Ducks took Bobby Ryan (a former Portland Pirate) second in that draft.

With the 85th pick, the St. Louis Blues drafted former Maine goalie Ben Bishop, ahead of Maine forward Robby Dee, selected by the Oilers with the next pick.

Also drafted that year: former Boston College standout and current Portland Pirate Nathan Gerbe (fifth round, No. 142 by Buffalo).

BOSTON - Six different players scored as Boston University eliminated Maine from the Hockey East playoffs with a 6-2 win Sunday at Agganis Arena.

BU took a 1-0 lead on Zach Cohen's goal less than a minute into the game, and Spencer Abbott tied the game at 14:19 of the first after an apparent goal by Jeff Dimmen was waved off. But the Terriers scored the next five goals to win the best-of-three series.

BU (29-6-4) is the top seed in the tournament and the No. 1 team in the country, and advances to the Hockey East semifinals, which begin Friday at TDBanknorth Garden in Boston. Maine finishes the season 13-22-4.

Scott Darling made 22 saves for Maine, while Kieran Millan made 24 saves for BU. Gustav Nyquist also scored for the Black Bears.

BOSTON - Who has the momentum now?

It would appear that the Black Bears have it, going into the final game of a best-of-three Hockey East quarterfinal series tonight at Agganis Arena. Maine, the eighth seed, scored five unanswered goals last night, en route to a 6-3 win over the top-seeded Terriers, and the Black Bears won their first game since Feb. 7, a 1-0 win over New Hampshire.

Maine's win came a night after a 2-1 loss to the Terriers, a game in which many agreed Maine played some of its best hockey.

BU, however, has clout on its side, as, pardon the cliché, good teams know how to win. Before last night, the Terriers had gone unbeaten in 17 games since a 4-2 loss Jan. 13 to Providence. Three days after the loss to Providence, the Terriers defeated Merrimack 4-1.

It will be interesting to see how the Terriers - who are already assured a spot in the NCAA Tournament - respond tonight. But here's some food for thought.

BU Coach Jack Parker made a statement when he said this in last night's post-game press conference:

"They should be going home and getting ready for the Garden."

FYI: The Hockey East semifinals and championship game are next weekend at Boston's TDBanknorth Garden.

Starting lineups for tonight:

MAINE
Forwards
Brian Flynn-Tanner House-Gustav Nyquist
Robby Dee-Chris Hahn-Kevin Swallow
Theo Andersson-Keif Orsini-Spencer Abbott
Nick Payson-Brett Carriere-David de Kastrozza

Defense
Will O'Neill-Jeff Dimmen
Josh Van Dyk-Matt Duffy
Mike Banwell-Simon Danis-Pepin

Goalies
Scott Darling
Josh Seeley

BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Forwards
Chris Higgins-Colin Wilson-Jason Lawrence
John McCarthy-Nick Bonino-Brandon Yip
Chris Connolly-Corey Trivino-Vinny Saponari
Zach Cohen-Luke Popko-Joe Pereira

Defense
David Warsofsky-Matt Gilroy
Colby Cohen-Kevin Shattenkirk
Steve Smolinsky-Eric Gryba

Goalie
Kieran Millan
Grant Rollheiser
Adam Kraus

Scratches for Maine: Forward - Jeff Marshall, Glenn Belmore, Kyle Solomon, Lem Randall; defense - Ryan Hegarty (fractured vertebra); goalie - Dave Wilson (groin pull).

Orsini's status was uncertain until gametime tonight, as he suffered a leg injury last night, but he is in tonight's lineup. Orsini skated during warm-ups but Marshall was on standby.

BOSTON - Spencer Abbott scored the go-ahead goal on a power play in the second period to help Maine defeat Boston University 6-3 in the second game of a Hockey East quarterfinal.

Maine tied the quarterfinal at 1-1 and ended BU's 17-game unbeaten streak, handing the Terriers, the No. 1 team in the country, their first loss since Jan. 13.

Gustav Nyquist scored two goals for the Black Bears (13-21-4), who trailed 3-1 halfway through the first before tying the game on Keif Orsini's goal at 12:38.

Scott Darling made 29 saves for Maine while goalie Kieran Millan made 20 for BU (28-6-4).

The best-of-three series concludes at 7 p.m. Sunday at Agganis Arena.

***

1 for 10.

That's how productive BU's power play has been in two games. Entering this weekend's series the Terriers had the No. 1 power play in the country at 24.3 percent.

Meanwhile, Maine's power play has gone 5 for 10 in two games, including Saturday's 4-for-7 effort.

"It's just the playoffs," said Gustav Nyquist, who scored a power-play goal in the win. "I think we've had a good power play all year. We just couldn't get the puck in the net."

After Saturday, Notre Dame became the nation's top man-advantage team, according to CollegeHockeyStats.net, with a 23.7 percent conversion rate. BU is second (23.3 percent) entering Sunday's game.

***

When it seemed as if Chris Hahn was carrying Maine's second line, centering Robby Dee and Kevin Swallow, Dee and Swallow became contributors in the win at BU. Swallow was part of Maine's offense on the ice when Keif Orsini scored the game-tying goal on a shot that bounced off Terriers goalie Kieran Millan and Dee scored a power-play tally at 11:04 of the third.

"We haven't gotten a lot of scoring outside of that first line (Tanner House, Brian Flynn and Gustav Nyquist) all year so it's nice for some other guys to step up, for Robby to step up and get that goal tonight and it helps the team out a lot," Swallow said. "Six goals is huge."

Dee, Hahn and Swallow combined for five points - a goal and an assist each for Hahn Dee and an assist for Swallow

Hahn is Maine's fourth-leading scorer with six goals and eleven assists but had been scoreless in six games entering Saturday.

Swallow, meanwhile, hasn't scored a goal since Nov. 14 and was originally credited with Orsini's goal. After the game, the goal was credited to Orsini and an assist to Swallow.

***

Here's how BU's scoring sequence left, between Chris Hahn's goal and Gustav Nyquist's goal:

Hahn's goal 42 seconds into the game gave Maine a 1-0 lead, but the Terriers capitalized on a pair of defensive miscues by the Black Bears in the next four minutes to take a 2-1 lead on goals by Brandon Yip and Luke Popko.

Yip picked up the puck in front of the goal as Maine goalie Scott Darling attempted to poke it away with his stick and tucked the puck between Darling's pads to tie the game at 1-1 at 3:40, and Popko picked up Josh Van Dyk's pass, intended to go behind the net to Duffy, and beat Darling at 5:23.

John McCarthy gave BU a 3-1 lead on a shorthanded goal at 11:41 and it appeared that BU was in control.

But 26 seconds later, Nyquist cut the lead to 3-2, roofing a backhand past Kieran Millan, and Orsini tied the game at 12:38.

BOSTON - So the season comes down to tonight for the Black Bears. Win tonight, and they'll get a third game tomorrow against Boston University, the top seed in the Hockey East tournament, at 7 p.m. at Agganis Arena, a winner-take-all game in the best-of-three quarterfinal series. Lose tonight, and the Black Bears will finish the season winless in their final 10 games.

Something obviously worked last night, as both teams will use the same lineups from last night, a 2-1 win for No. 1 BU.

Starting lineups
MAINE
Forwards
Brian Flynn-Tanner House-Gustav Nyquist
Robby Dee-Chris Hahn-Kevin Swallow
Theo Andersson-Keif Orsini-Spencer Abbott
Nick Payson-Brett Carriere-David de Kastrozza

Defense
Will O'Neill-Jeff Dimmen
Josh Van Dyk-Matt Duffy
Mike Banwell-Simon Danis-Pepin

Goalies
Scott Darling
Josh Seeley

BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Forwards
Chris Higgins-Colin Wilson-Jason Lawrence
John McCarthy-Nick Bonino-Brandon Yip
Chris Connolly-Corey Trivino-Vinny Saponari
Zach Cohen-Luke Popko-Joe Pereira

Defense
Steve Smolinsky-Matt Gilroy
Colby Cohen-Kevin Shattenkirk
David Warsofsky-Eric Gryba

Goalie
Kieran Millan
Grant Rollheiser
Adam Kraus

Scratches for Maine: Forward - Jeff Marshall, Glenn Belmore, Kyle Solomon, Lem Randall; defense - Ryan Hegarty (fractured vertebra); goalie - Dave Wilson (groin pull).

BOSTON - Colby Cohen's goal with less than three minutes left in the third period helped Boston University to a 2-1 win over Maine in the first game of a Hockey East quarterfinal Friday at Agganis Arena.

Tanner House gave Maine a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal in the final minute of the first period and Kevin Shattenkirk tied the game at 1-1 at 9:01 of the second.

Maine goalie Scott Darling made 22 saves while BU goalie Kieran Millan made 20 saves.

Maine (12-21-4) and BU (28-5-4) continue the best-of-three series at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Agganis Arena.

***

Boston University is No. 1 for a reason. Special-teams wise, that is.

BU entered Friday's game with the nation's best power play at 28.4 percent, and the Terriers ultimately proved that on Cohen's goal.

Held scoreless on their first seven man-advantage opportunities, the Terriers maximized the extra room on the ice late in the third period, taking advantage of a 5-on-3 power play. Cohen's one-timer from the left circle broke a 1-1 tie, 65 seconds after Maine defenseman was sent to the box for hooking, joining teammate Robby Dee, who was penalized for boarding at 15:06

"Their power play is pretty dangerous," House said. "We've got to be a lot cleaner and a lot smarter in those situations. That cost us."

Dimmen sent BU forward Colin Wilson into the boards behind the Maine goal, and the whistle sounded as Wilson fell to the ice and remained prone for a few seconds as Dimmen went to the box.

When asked about the penalty after the game, Dimmen responded, "I have no comment."

Maine, however, set the tone in the game with its strong physical play in the first period, and finished with nine of the game's 13 penalties.

"They were banging the hell out of us," BU Coach Jack Parker said. "They were physical and we weren't."

***

Darling had arguably his best outing since making 31 saves in a 1-0 shutout Feb. 7 at New Hampshire, and Friday night the freshman got plenty of help from his defense, which made a concerted effort to defend its own net, less than a week after, to paraphrase several of the Black Bears, being hung out to dry. (Clothesline, anyone?)

"He played great tonight," Dimmen said. "He kept us in the game the whole way. We had our chances."

Gustav Nyquist agreed, and went so far as to suggest the series would go three games.

"Scott was unbelievable in net," Nyquist said. "He's got to do that in two more games down here."

***

Maine has yet to win a game at Agganis Arena, and is 0-6-1 since the building opened in January of 2005.

***

Maine was the only low seed to lose in the opening night of the Hockey East playoffs. No. 6 Boston College defeated No. 3 New Hampshire 5-3, while No. 5 UMass-Lowell defeated Vermont in overtime, 4-3, and No. 7 Massachusetts defeated No. 2 Northeastern 2-1.

BOSTON - Maine is about a half hour away from its first postseason appearance since the spring of 2007, but the Black Bears ended the regular season on a downward slide … and their reward was drawing Boston University, the No. 1 team in the country and the No. 1 seed in the Hockey East playoffs.

Consider that BU is the No. 1 team in the country and the No. 1 team in the PairWise rankings, the RPI and the KRACH rankings, all considered mathematical indicators for who goes where in the NCAA Tournament. You'd think BU would want to take it easy, but the general consensus is that the Terriers want to play hockey for the next two weekends. That's a sign of a quality hockey team, kids.

Starting lineups
MAINE
Brian Flynn-Tanner House-Gustav Nyquist
Robby Dee-Chris Hahn-Kevin Swallow
Theo Andersson-Keif Orsini-Spencer Abbott
Nick Payson-Brett Carriere-David de Kastrozza

Defense
Will O'Neill-Jeff Dimmen
Josh Van Dyk-Matt Duffy
Mike Banwell-Simon Danis-Pepin
Goalies
Scott Darling
Josh Seeley

BOSTON U.
Forwards
Chris Higgins-Colin Wilson-Jason Lawrence
John McCarthy-Nick Bonino-Brandon Yip
Chris Connolly-Corey Trivino-Vinny Saponari
Zach Cohen-Luke Popko-Joe Pereira

Defense
Steve Smolinsky-Matt Gilroy
Colby Cohen-Kevin Shattenkirk
David Warsofsky-Eric Gryba

Goalies
Kieran Millan
Adam Kraus
Grant Rollheiser

Scratches for Maine: Forward - Jeff Marshall, Glenn Belmore, Kyle Solomon, Lem Randall; defense - Ryan Hegarty (fractured vertebra); goalie - Dave Wilson (groin pull

Maine goalie Dave Wilson will travel with the team for its quarterfinal series at Boston University, but Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said Wilson will not be available for Friday's game. Wilson suffered a groin pull last week during practice and sat out last weekend's series at UMass-Lowell.

The Black Bears travel to Boston with three goalies - Wilson, Scott Darling and Josh Seeley.

A year ago, Boston University was the No. 2 team in the league entering the Hockey East playoffs but, ultimately, did not make the NCAA Tournament. Several things are working in BU's favor as it opens the playoffs this year - the No. 1 team in the land has depth offensively and defensively, has one of the nation's strongest special teams units and has two more elements it didn't have last season, namely freshman goalies Kieran Millan and Grant Rollheiser.

Millan has played in 26 of BU's 34 games with a record of 21-1-3, a saves percentage of .925 and a goals-against-average of 1.77. Plus, when you're playing behind one of the country's top defenses - BU is fourth in the nation, allowing just 1.92 goals a game - it makes your job a little easier.

Of the 13 Terriers whose rights are held by NHL teams, one vital cog chose to return to BU - forward Colin Wilson, the nation's second-leading scorer. Defenseman Matt Gilroy turned down nearly two dozen NHL offers to return to BU for his senior year.

"They've got a ton of skill at every position," Maine defenseman Jeff Dimmen said. "They've been scoring and keeping pucks out of the net, and just have been playing great this year."

***

Maine's current roster only has five players with experience in the Hockey East tournament: defensemen Simon Danis-Pepin and Matt Duffy, forwards Jeff Marshall and Chris Hahn and goalie Dave Wilson. Combined, the four skaters have played in 12 games, recording two goals and an assist. Wilson has played in 118 minutes in the Hockey East tournament with a goals-against average of 3.54 and a saves percentage of .863.

***

ORONO - Two days before the start of the Hockey East playoffs, Hockey East announced that the late Shawn Walsh earned the league's top coaching performance.

Walsh, who coached at Maine from 1984 to 2001 before he died of renal cell carcinoma, was honored for Maine's NCAA championship in the 1992-1993 season, when the Black Bears finished 42-1-2 and 22-1-1 in Hockey East.

***

Dave Wilson's status for the weekend playoff series at Boston University is still up in the air, as of this afternoon. Wilson, a junior goalie, suffered a groin pull last week and watched today's practice from the stands, in sweats. But after practice was over, Wilson worked out alone on the ice in full gear, under the supervision of head athletic trainer Paul Culina.

"It's unlikely that he'll play this weekend but we're still hoping he can recover quick enough to be ready this weekend, " Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said of Wilson, whose last start came Feb. 28 in a 2-1 loss to Vermont. "If this were mid-season, we wouldn't be toying with the possibility but given that this is the playoffs and it's now-or-never, David and Paul are going to do everything they can to get David healthy."

Whitehead said Kyle Solomon, who has sat out the last five games with an ACL sprain, is available for this weekend's best-of-three series at BU.

***

One Hockey East player has already decided to test the professional waters. Matt Taormina, Providence's captain this season, signed a tryout contract with the Binghamton Senators, Ottawa's AHL farm team. He scored a goal last night in the Sens' 3-1 win at Portland.

Maine Coach Tim Whitehead didn't mince words during this morning's Hockey East teleconference.

"The season, to this point, has been disappointing," said Whitehead, whose team has won only two games since Christmas. "The first half was surprising but the second half has been disappointing. We're not exactly going into the playoffs with a bang but in the past, we've had some success in bouncing back."

The Black Bears have a tall task ahead of them when they open the Hockey East quarterfinals on Friday - they'll face Boston University, the No. 1 team in the country. Since a 4-2 loss Jan. 13 to Providence, the Terriers are undefeated in 16 games (13-0-3).

"Our mindset is that we have to clear the slate," Whitehead said. "It might be a short one (the playoffs) if we can't clear the slate quickly."

***

Boston College is in an unusual place this time of the year. The defending national champions open the Hockey East playoffs on the road as the conference's sixth seed, and will face No. 3 New Hampshire.

"We feel like we're playing solid hockey and that we have a chance to go to the Garden," BC Coach Jerry York said Tuesday in a Hockey East teleconference.

The Eagles are 7-9-4 since Dec. 5, but won three of their final four regular-season games entering this weekend's quarterfinal series in Durham, N.H.

"We've played some of our best hockey the past three or four weeks," York said.

***

Several Hockey East coaches offered their thoughts on what makes teams successful in the postseason, especially being a low seed.

"Perfect discipline, and play great team defense," said Massachusetts Coach Don Cahoon, whose team is the seventh seed and faces No. 2 Northeastern.

"To make it work, a team needs great goaltending and needs to be good on special teams," BU Coach Jack Parker said. "You can't let things get away from you if you give up three power-play goals or you go 0-for-4 on the power play."

Boston University will enter the postseason as the Hockey East regular-season champion and the nation's No. 1 team. The Terriers - Maine's opponent in the Hockey East quarterfinals, which begin Friday - are again atop the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports top 20 poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey top 15 poll.

***

Try being the Providence College hockey team, which can't get a break. Sunday, Providence's team bus broke down en route to Agganis Arena in Boston, prior to a 3-0 loss to BU.

"When we got the flat tire on the Mass Turnpike only 5 miles from the rink I said, 'It has to be one of those games,' " Providence Coach Tim Army told the Boston Herald.

The Friars finished the season in 10th place in Hockey East, at 4-18-5 in the league and 7-22-5 overall.

***

Here are the pairings for this weekend's Hockey East quarterfinals:

No. 8 Maine (12-20-4, 7-17-3 Hockey East) at No. 1 Boston University (27-5-4, 18-5-4)
No. 7 Massachusetts (15-18-3, 10-14-3) at No. 2 Northeastern (23-9-4, 18-6-3)
No. 6 Boston College (16-13-5, 11-11-5) at No. 3 New Hampshire (19-10-5, 15-8-4)
No. 5 UMass-Lowell (17-15-2, 14-11-2) at No. 4 Vermont (20-9-5, 15-8-4)

All games in the best-of-three series begin at 7 p.m., with the exception of Friday's UMass at Northeastern game, which starts at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on NESN.

Boston University, the No. 1 team in the country, will be Maine's opponent in the Hockey East quarterfinals, which are scheduled to begin Friday.

The Terriers clinched the Hockey East regular-season championship this afternoon with a 3-0 win over Providence.

LOWELL, Mass. - Kory Falite scored two goals as UMass-Lowell shut out Maine 6-0 Saturday in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Falite and Maury Edwards scored power-play goals for the River Hawks (17-15-2, 13-11-2 Hockey East). Falite gave UMass-Lowell a 1-0 lead 2:54 into the game on a power-play goal, and Mark Roebothan gave the River Hawks a 2-0 lead at 8:40. Roebothan was credited with the goal, which went in off a defender.

After Edwards' goal at 12:34 of the second, Jeremy Dehner, Michael Budd and Falite added third-period goals for UMass-Lowell.

Maine (12-20-4, 7-17-3) finished with 19 shots on UMass Lowell goalie Carter Hutton - but only 10 in the first and second periods - and the Black Bears' best scoring chance came 23 seconds in the second, when Brian Flynn's shot from the left circle hit the post.

Scott Darling made 15 saves in goal for Maine, which opens the Hockey East tournament on Friday at the top-seeded team in the league, either Northeastern or Boston University.

***

Saturday's game concluded the regular season, Maine's second consecutive losing season and its worst season since 1985-1986, when the Black Bears went 11-28-1 and 8-25-1 in Hockey East, in Shawn Walsh's second year coaching in Orono.

In the past two seasons, the Black Bears are a combined 25-38-7 and 16-32-6 in Hockey East: 13-18-3/9-15-3 in 07-08 and 12-20-4/7-17-3 in 08-09.

Maine had a worse record than it did last season - when it didn't make the playoffs for the first time in 25 years - but somehow Maine got a playoff berth (largely on account of going 4-0-2 against ninth-place Providence and 10th-place Merrimack). But whom the Black Bears face remains to be seen - Boston University, the No. 1 team in the country, closes the regular season Sunday against Providence, while No. 4 Northeastern lost 4-1 to Boston College. Northeastern is the No. 1 team in Hockey East with 39 points, one point ahead of BU.

So it's certain. The season comes down to two more games for Maine. Maybe even three, as Hockey East's quarterfinals are a best-of-three series.

***

Through two periods there was no pizzaz, no fire among the Black Bears. That translated to Maine's offense, which put only 10 shots on goal in the first 40 minutes, including Brian Flynn's shot that hit the post early in the second. (If anyone's keeping count, that's three times the Black Bears hit the post this weekend.)

Maine put 34 shots on goal Friday night, including 14 in the first 10 minutes of the second period.

For the second consecutive night, Maine's penalty killing unit was sub-par. UMass-Lowell was 2 for 3 Saturday and finished the weekend 6 for 11 on the man-advantage.

"We didn't take many penalties and we couldn't keep them out of the net," Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said. "Lowell converted on their chances and we didn't."

Also, the Black Bears played tentatively in the first period, as evidenced by its four shots on goal in the first, and its lack of physical play.

***

Just a quick reminder - don't forget to turn your clocks ahead tonight.

LOWELL, Mass. - Finally, it's the regular-season finale, and tonight at Tsongas Arena, the University of Maine men's ice hockey team hopes to end the season and go into the playoffs on a winning note. The Black Bears are 0-6-1 in their last seven games, and gave up four power-play goals to UMass-Lowell last night in a 5-3 loss.

Two of those goals came in a 5-on-3 situation with Chris Hahn and Lem Randall penalized, and Randall's penalty, a slashing call at 12:58 of the second, allowed the River Hawks to rally for a 4-3 lead in the next two minutes. Furthermore, the Black Bears' power play - which has produced nearly half of the team's offense this season - was unable to capitalize on a 5-on-3 situation earlier in the second period of last night's loss.

Looking at the lineups, Randall is a healthy scratch for tonight's game, as are his linemates from last night, captain Jeff Marshall and junior Brett Carriere. Their replacements on tonight's fourth liners, Nick Payson, Glenn Belmore and David de Kastrozza.

Payson is playing for the first time since Feb. 24, after being suspended for three games and then a healthy scratch for the last two. This is Belmore's first game since Feb. 6, while de Kastrozza plays for the first time since Feb. 20.

Starters
Maine
Forwards
Brian Flynn-Tanner House-Gustav Nyquist
Robby Dee-Chris Hahn-Kevin Swallow
Theo Andersson-Keif Orsini-Spencer Abbott
Nick Payson-Glenn Belmore-David de Kastrozza

Defense
Will O'Neill-Matt Duffy
Josh Van Dyk-Simon Danis-Pepin
Mike Banwell-Jeff Dimmen

Goalies
Scott Darling
Josh Seeley

UMass-Lowell
Forwards
Michael Scheu-Ben Holmstrom-Paul Worthington
Mark Roebothan-Scott Campbell-Mike Potacco
Michael Budd-David Vallorani-Jonathan Maniff
Kory Falite-Nick Monroe-Patrick Cey

Defense
Jeremy Dehner-Nick Schaus
Ryan Blair-Maury Edwards
Steve Capraro-Barry Goers

Goalies
Nevin Hamilton
Carter Hutton

Scratches for Maine: Goalie-Dave Wilson (groin), Defense - Ryan Hegarty (fractured vertebra); Forward - Kyle Solomon (ACL sprain), Brett Carriere, Jeff Marshall, Lem Randall.

***

The Hockey News published its "Future Watch" issue this week and among THN's top 50 drafted prospects are three Hockey East players - BU's Colin Wilson (No. 4, Nashville) and Kevin Shattenkirk (No. 29, Colorado) and UNH's James van Riemsdyk (No. 6, Philadelphia).

THN put former Maine goalie Jimmy Howard is among the Detroit Red Wings' top 10 prospects (seventh) but said of the goalie's situation:

Wings are out of options for him; either play him next year or let him go.

Howard is 13-10-3 with a .914 saves percentage and a 2.39 goals-against average with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League.

LOWELL, Mass. - The University of Maine men's ice hockey team gave up a pair of second-period power-play goals in a 5-3 loss to UMass-Lowell on Friday in a Hockey East game at Tsongas Arena.

UMass-Lowell and Maine combined for five goals in the first period, including three in a span of 1:19 - Brian Flynn's power-play goal at 10:44 for Maine, followed by Patrick Cey's tying goal at 12:14. Nine seconds after Cey tied the game at 2-2, Tanner House gave Maine a 3-2 lead, and the Black Bears killed off two late penalties in the first period to take the one-goal lead into the second.

Maine put 17 shots on goal in the first 10 minutes of the second period, before the River Hawks capitalized on a 5-on-3 power play. Maury Edwards tied the game at 3-3 at 13:20, and Scott Campbell scored at 14:41 to give the River Hawks a 4-3 lead. Paul Worthington's power-play goal with 1:50 left in the second gave UMass-Lowell a 5-3 lead.

House scored two goals for Maine (12-19-4, 7-16-3 Hockey East), while goalie Scott Darling made 26 saves for the Black Bears. Nevin Hamilton made 32 for UMass-Lowell (16-15-2, 13-11-2).

Maine and UMass-Lowell conclude the regular season at 7 p.m. Saturday at Tsongas Arena.

***

The downfall of Maine on Friday night? The penalty kill, which didn't execute in a critical situation Friday night in the loss to UMass-Lowell. After the Black Bears were unable to convert a 5-on-3 early in the second period, Maine was called for two penalties less than 12 minutes into the second - Chris Hahn was whistled for hitting from behind at 11:44, and Lem Randall was whistled for slashing 1:14 later.

That's when UMass-Lowell struck. Down 3-2, Edwards picked up a rebound to the right of Darling and tied the game at 13:20, and with Randall still penalized, Campbell gave UMass-Lowell a 4-3 lead 1:21 later.

Maine gave up a third power-play goal with 1:50 left in the second, Paul Worthington's tally. The River Hawks finished 4 for 8 on the power-play against Maine, which entered Friday's game with Hockey East's fourth-best penalty kill (85.3).

"We need more execution on the penalty kill," Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said. "We have an opportunity and we know exactly what they're going to do. There wasn't a lot of mystery, we just didn't execute and they did a great job executing. But it's basically bearing down tomorrow and staying out of the penalty box. Those are things we didn't do. On the penalty kill, we're not blocking shots and we're not clearing the second shot."

Brian Flynn, who scored a goal for Maine, agreed.

"Special teams, that was the difference in the game," said Flynn, who had a goal and an assist. "That's the game right there. (UMass-Lowell) kept it simple, kept their shots up high and kept working around the net."

***

Tanner House scored two goals for Maine, but the Black Bears had two chances hit the post behind UMass-Lowell goalie Nevin Hamilton - Keif Orsini hit the post at 6:50 of the first on a one-timer from Theo Andersson, and Simon Danis-Pepin hit the pipe on the power play at 6:12 of the third.

Ka-ching. If you're a shooter, chances are that the puck ringing off the goal cage an ugly, distinctive sound.

***

Maine won't find out its opponent in the Hockey East quarterfinals until after tomorrow night. Boston University defeated Providence 8-2 while Northeastern defeated Boston College 2-1 in overtime, keeping BU one point behind Northeastern, 38-39, entering the final game of the regular season.

UMass-Lowell, meanwhile, clinched the fifth seed in the Hockey East playoffs with the win over Maine and will face either Vermont or New Hampshire in the quarterfinals.

LOWELL, Mass. - Maine's locked into a playoff spot so this weekend, the Black Bears really don't have anything to play for, other than pride. But consider that they're 0-5-1 in their last six games, something that hasn't sat well with the Black Bears heading into this weekend's series at UMass-Lowell.

With Dave Wilson injured, Scott Darling is now the team's No. 1 goalie this weekend. Darling made 23 saves last Friday in a 3-2 loss to Vermont and is 9-10-3 with three shutouts, a goals-against average of 2.36 and a saves percentage of .909.

Starters
Maine
Forward
Brian Flynn-Tanner House-Gustav Nyquist
Robby Dee-Chris Hahn-Kevin Swallow
Theo Andersson-Keif Orsini-Spencer Abbott
Lem Randall-Brett Carriere-Jeff Marshall

Defense
Will O'Neill-Matt Duffy
Josh Van Dyk-Simon Danis-Pepin
Mike Banwell-Jeff Dimmen

Goalies
Scott Darling
Josh Seeley

UMass-Lowell
Forwards
Michael Scheu-Ben Holmstrom-Paul Worthington
Mark Roebothan-Scott Campbell-Mike Potacco
Michael Budd-David Vallorani-Jonathan Maniff
Kory Falite-Nick Monroe-Patrick Cey

Defense
Jeremy Dehner-Nick Schaus
Ryan Blair-Maury Edwards
Steve Capraro-Barry Goers

Goalies
Nevin Hamilton
Carter Hutton

Scratches for Maine: Goalie - Dave Wilson (groin), forwards - Kyle Solomon (ACL sprain), Nick Payson, Glenn Belmore, David de Kastrozza; Defense - Ryan Hegarty (fractured vertebra)

***

Also, here's a quick primer from the Boston Globe about the upcoming Hockey East playoffs. It seems that when it comes to the pairings, several things are hypothetical until the weekend's over.

The Black Bears are hoping this weekend's series at UMass-Lowell sets the tone for their entry into the Hockey East playoffs, which begin next Friday (March 13).

"These games don't mean a lot standings-wise, but they mean a lot in getting ready for the playoffs," Maine forward Tanner House said. "Getting back to playing like it's playoff hockey, and maybe getting on a roll going into the playoffs."

But freshman forward Brian Flynn has a certain sentiment about the situation Maine is in right now - eighth place. The Black Bears are among the top eight but can't go any higher, as Massachusetts has locked up the seventh seed by virtue of winning the season series against Maine.

"We're definitely not happy we came in eighth, but one of the goals is to make the playoffs," Flynn said. "Once the playoffs start, it's a new season. You kind of regroup and take it from there."

House described the second half of the season as "frustrating" - of Maine's 10 losses by one goal, seven have come after Christmas.

"We have lost a lot of one-goal games over that time period (since Christmas) and a few games in overtime," Flynn said. "I think we're a lot better than our record shows but, still, we just have a lot of trouble getting wins and we really need to get one or two this weekend."

Wins, Flynn said, are crucial in setting the tone for the team going into the playoffs. Those have been hard to come by in the past three weekends, as Maine enters its final regular-season series winless in its past six games (0-5-1).

"There's only so much that playing well and not getting wins can do for you," he said. "I think we just need to find a way to get a win this weekend, no matter how we play. If we play well, if we play OK ... we've just gotta find a way to get a win."

***

Game times for the quarterfinals, according to Hockey East, are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. One quarterfinal game, however, will be played at 7:30 p.m. - NESN's Friday night Hockey East broadcast. That game will be determined Sunday night, after all the playoff pairings are set.

ORONO - Maine goalie Dave Wilson suffered a groin injury and did not practice today, instead watching from the stands in street clothes. Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said Wilson is scheduled to be evaluated by doctors later this week and as of right now, will not play in this weekend's series at UMass-Lowell. Josh Seeley, a walk-on from Howland who played high school hockey at Bangor, will serve as Maine's second goalie.

"Whether or not he's ready for next weekend, that's what we're shooting for," Whitehead said of Wilson. "We're not going to take a chance."

Lem Randall, who has been playing on Maine's third and fourth line, suffered an injury to his left leg in practice today. Randall had to be helped off the ice by assistant coach Bob Corkum and Simon Danis-Pepin, and Whitehead said that Randall may have tweaked his left hip or his groin.

"He felt fine after practice so hopefully he'll be ready to go," Whitehead said. "If not, we'll slide Nick Payson in."

Forward Kyle Solomon, who did not play in the series against Vermont after suffering a sprained ACL, practiced today but was wearing an orange jersey, designated for players who are injured and cannot participate in contact drills.

***

Today is the NHL's trade deadline - 3 p.m. EST, to be exact - and while six Black Bears have their rights held by NHL teams, none have been traded yet, as of 1:45 p.m. Those six are: Scott Darling (Phoenix), Simon Danis-Pepin (Chicago), Gustav Nyquist (Detroit), Will O'Neill (Atlanta), Matt Duffy (Florida) and Ryan Hegarty (Anaheim).

Also, the Philadelphia Flyers haven't traded the rights to UNH forward James van Riemsdyk - yet.

Maine closes the regular season this weekend with a two-game series at UMass-Lowell, which is fifth in the eight-team Hockey East standings. UMass-Lowell boasts an NHL name: Craig MacTavish, who played at UML from 1977-1979. MacTavish helped the Oilers win three Stanley Cups as a center (1986, 1987 and 1989) and is in his eighth season as coach of the Oilers. You might remember MacTavish as one of the last helmetless players in the NHL.

MacTavish also helped the RiverHawks - then the Chiefs - win the 1979 Division II national championship, scoring a goal and three assists in a 6-4 win over Mankato State (now known as Minnesota State).

However, MacTavish's career also serves as a cautionary tale. He did not play during the 1984-1985 season as he served a jail term for vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence.

***