University of Maine senior left wing Spencer Abbott’s status for Saturday’s NCAA Northeast Regional game in Worcester, Mass., on Saturday night against defending national champ Minnesota-Duluth is still up in the air.
Abbott suffered a head injury in Friday night’s 5-3 Hockey East semifinal win over Boston University and missed Saturday’s 4-1 HE championship game loss to Boston College.
University of Maine coach Tim Whitehead gave his team Monday off and said they are planning to practice this week “under the assumption he won’t be available.”
“Obviously, it will be an easy adjustment if he is able to play,” said Whitehead.
Whitehead said he will juggle line combinations during practice this week to come up with a lineup that gives Maine the best chance to beat Minnesota-Duluth.
Matt Mangene, who had been on a line with Mark Anthoine and Stu Higgins, moved up to take Abbott’s spot on the top line with Brian Flynn and Joey Diamond against BC.
Andrew Cerretani was inserted into the lineup with Abbott’s absence and was reunited with Adam Shemansky and Kyle Beattie.
But the Maine coaching staff juggled the lines throughout the game.
Mark Anthoine, the net-front presence on the second power play, moved up to replace Abbott on the first power-play unit and defenseman Ryan Hegarty assumed Anthoine’s role on the second power-play unit.
But the power play went 0-for-5 after a 4-for-6 showing against Boston University.
Whitehead said his team will practice Tuesday but will be off on Wednesday before practicing Thursday and leaving for Worcester after practice.
“The guys need the rest. They’ve played five grueling playoff games the last two weekends,” said Whitehead.
Maine went to three games to beat Merrimack in their Hockey East quarterfinal series and the second game set a record for most penalties (50) and penalty minutes (184) in a Hockey East playoff game.
Whitehead said he was impressed with the way his team played in the second and third periods against BC and “even though we lost the game, we gained some confidence.”
“We know we can go toe-to-toe with BC without our best player. And now we have a week to make more adjustments [for the Minnesota-Duluth game],” said Whitehead.
“We’re looking forward to this challenge and if Spencer is back, it’s a bonus,” he added.
Maine-UMD close matchup
Two of the coaches whose teams played both Maine and Minnesota-Duluth said the game between the two should be a close one.
Providence College first-year coach Nate Leaman, who lost (5-2) and tied (2-2) the Bulldogs and went 1-2 against Maine, also had a first-hand look at UMD in the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
His Union College team lost to the eventual NCAA champs 2-0 in their first round game in the East Regional in Bridgeport, Conn.
Alabama-Huntsville coach Chris Luongo dropped 2-1 and 4-3 decisions to UMD before traveling to Maine two weeks later and losing 4-3 in overtime and 5-0 to Maine.
The only other common opponent was North Dakota. UMD split with North Dakota at home while Maine went 0-1-1 at North Dakota.
“It’ll be a real tight game,” said Leaman, a former University of Maine and Old Town High School assistant coach. “Both teams are good in transition, both are good on the power play and they’re equal in net.
“You have to like Duluth’s [NCAA] experience but I like the Maine team a lot. Tim [Whitehead] did a good job bringing them along,” said Leaman.
“It’ll be a great college hockey game. It’ll be the epitome of our sport,” predicted Luongo.
“Duluth is a little more physical while Maine is a little faster across the board,” said Luongo. “We took a lot of hits the first night at Duluth and the glass in that rink is unforgiving. That wore on us. The next night, we were better tactically and that kept us off the train tracks when they were charging in.
“Maine’s speed was more of an issue for us,” added Luongo. “Maine’s speed up front was a handful. Both teams have good goalies [Maine’s Dan Sullivan and UMD’s Kenny Reiter] so it will be a matter of which one finds his game the most on that night.”
Leaman said senior center Jack Connolly, a Hobey Baker Award finalist, and sophomore right wing J.T. Brown are “really elite forwards.”
“Connolly is very skilled and very intelligent. He excels on the power play. He can find anyone. He’s slick and has a knack for getting open,” said Leaman. “Brown has a lot of speed and makes a lot of plays.
“Their defense is solid and their goaltender is solid,” added Leaman.
The Bulldogs play a “patient game defensively and they have a good transition game,” according to the Friar coach.
“It’s not that they come after you most of the time. They angle you into bad areas and they take away the walls in the neutral zone and force you to turn the puck over,” added Leaman.
UMD returned three of its top five scorers including Connolly, who has 19 goals and 39 assists, along with center Travis Oleksuk (21 & 30) and Brown (23 & 23).
Their top defense tandem features Brady Lamb (9 & 21) and Wade Bergman (3 & 15) and Reiter is 22-8-6 with a 2.40 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.
UMD is the nation’s top scoring team (3.64 goals per game) and it is 16th in goals against (2.56). The power play is ranked No. 15 (21 percent) and the penalty-killing is 53rd (77.6 percent). The Bulldogs are 18th in penalty minutes (14.1 per game).
Maine is seventh in scoring (3.36), tied for 31st in goals against (2.79) and has the second best power play (26.9). It is 45th in penalty killing (79.4) and is the third most penalized team in the country (18.6).
Those concussion tests (read: legalities) will definitely prevent Abbott from playing, mark my words. Look at Wheeler, and she was taken out on a cheap shot by her teammate for crying out loud
Hoping and praying here that you are wrong…. You have been wrong before once or twice:)
Or a billion…
I just don’t want Abbott to feel like he has to rush into back playing. If a team can’t be successful without their top player, they don’t deserve to advance.
They sure so have to prepare like he isn’t there because he isn’t THERE. Stupid story.
“The guys need the rest. They’ve played five grueling playoff games the last two weekends,” said Whitehead.
This is the real story. Sad, Sad, and SAD. Walshy would have had his guys on the ice the second the bus got home from Boston working on stuff they screwed up. SW made winners and pros out of his players and they loved him for their prosperous careers in the bigs. They didn’t like it at the time and cursed him out but they loved him in the end. These players tell coach they respect him but they don’t.
Maine has gotten soft, the fans have gotten soft, the AD is soft and Whitehead is as soft as they come. Just once it would be nice if he actually motivated anyone.
For 180k a year with perks, and all those in the know know what perks mean, he should be motivating his players and the fans. Ho hum.
Bushfan you have NO IDEA what you are talking about. Many times Shawn would rest the team to get them refocused. You’ve been watching Miracle a bit too much. At this stage of the season the team knows what it can do on the ice, rest can help. Meanwhile what they need to do is learn the tendencies of UMD which can be done first in the locker room. Give up the ghost!
Really, no idea huh? Ok pal, whatever you say.
Your soap box just keeps getting bigger and bigger and more tiresome and more tiresome. Don’t fall. I’d hate to tell you what’s in it.
If Bushfan was coaching and his players looked at girls in the stands during a game, he’d probably make them run suicides until they were throwing up. These guys need REST!!!
Typical Maine fan. Complain when they win. SW is gone, Whitehead’s record is exceeded only by Jerry York since Tim took over. It is annoying some people do not get behind the team at a time like this.
Bushfan is just a know it all. He’s one of those that has a line setup in advance and tells you afterwards exactly why they won or exactly why they lost. Based on his discussions he didn’t expect Maine to go so far and he is looking to redeem himself. Can’t be happy for Maine by the sounds. GO MAINE!
So many people want Tim to act like Shawn which I find amusing. Walsh was castigated by many when he was at the pinnacle of his career and he made fun of it. He did not lack for detractors. Tim shows a lot of fire and is even thought of by some officials as being a complainer. I remember several years ago he swung at referee Hanson who got suspended for getting in trouble with Parker the next week. There are 2 Hansons and it was the fiery one who was going through some personal problems. Both Maine coaches have/had their own style of motivation and we are lucky to have Tim. Go Maine!
You’ve got to be kidding me! Motivation and Whitehead shouldn’t be spoken in the same breath. He is not a complainer. Have YOU ever been to a Maine hockey game? EVER? Marshmallow ? Yes Why are the Yorks, Parkers and Dennehys of the world so successful? Because they can motivate and don’t put up with all the crap dished out by the officials. These coaches know the game and the refs know they do. These guys can challenge calls because refs know that they are right 99% of the time. The Boston refs don’t mess with them. Marshmallows they mess with.
I have missed very few games ever. You do not remember the Hanson incident? Did you see the second game at BU when Parker was ejected? You could read his lips and it was disgusting. Ticking off the officials is not the answer. Do you remember Pitrowski? He threw SW out of his last game and also made some bad calls against Maine in the Minnesota title game in 2004 with less than 2 minutes to go and Maine went from winning to losing outright. Pitrowski is now head of all officials in the NCAA. You are delusional.
BTW I was in Boston at the games this weekend. Also, Jerry York knows how to complain to the officials. He is also a gentleman and I believe Whitehead has those qualities
Yes I do remember those incidents. I was at the Garden last weekend also. How much emotion was shown by our own when Abbott was pounded and no call by the ref? How much? I hope you don’t say Whitehead went ballistic. The no call was accepted and play on. Ho Hum Seriously, do you think Jack or Jerry would have stood there arms folded and accepted the lack of officiating? Please don’t put a Whitehead in the same breath with York or Parker. Division III is calling.
The hit did not appear serious when it occurred and Diamond struck Escobedo in the back immediately. This type of play and the physicality of it is common, especially in championship play. It is, after all, ice hockey. There is a vast difference between Parker and York. You will not see the culture of sexual predation and hooliganism in York’s program which Parker is currently being investigated for. I am sure Pitrowski will look into the hit.
Say what you want about Jerry York, but the guy is a class act. He demands excellence from his program, and he pretty much gets it.
I don’t think anyone here wants Tim Whitehead to be exactly like Shawn Walsh. But, a little emotion on the bench, a little fire on the bench, a little player motivation on the bench. You just don’t see it. The perception is he doesn’t care about the program. If we were winning, that perception wouldn’t exist. He would look like a genius. But, when you combine his actions behind the bench with the ho-hum record over the past five years, the perception is that he is a poor coach. Unfortunately, perception is often reality.
I started the online petition to fire Tim Whitehead. That said, I am a huge proponent of replacing him. But it is time to cheer for this team. It is time to stop the bickering about who knows best about Maine Hockey. Accept that we have a team back in the tourney, and rally behind them with some positivity. Then, if we don’t win, we can get back at it. But, we’re back at the dance. Let’s enjoy it!
I agree. For the sake of argument, who do you propose would want to coach in Orono? That is not as plum a position as many think. Be careful.
I would have made a play for Nate Leaman after last season. Orono is all what you make of it. When Grant was recruiting we kept up with the Joneses. If you give them a reason to come I.e. great coaching, winning tradition, etc. they will come. The fact that anyone uses Orono as a crutch for poor performance is complete BS.
You can make a play for anyone but that does not mean they will come. Remoteness and long travel does count. Was Whitehead the first pick? I heard he was not. Just be careful, it also counts if coaches see someone like TM get the business he has, would you step into that kind of cesspool? We do not need to act like the fans of NH BC BU. Maine fans were rated a few years back and we made the top three.
Also, you say you do not want TM to act like SW but he should show more emotion. Sounds like you are in a gordian knot.
I would say with great certainty that Nate Leaman would have taken the Maine job should it have been offered to him. He left Union for Providence of all places. He was an assistant here in ’99, he knows the fan base, he knows the community, he knows the tradition. And look at how he transformed the Union program. His recruits took them to a #1 seed, #3 tournament seed overall, without any scholarships this year. 0 scholarships. He convinced kids to come to a little known program in Schenectady, with no tournament pedigree, hardly a “go-to” place like Boston, and convinced them to pay their own way to the tune of $54,273 with tuition, room and board included. His summer job is selling ketchup popcicles to people in white gloves.
Let’s be honest here, too. Coaches and players want to play for a fan base that is knowledgeable and expects success. It isn’t like stepping into Alfond Arena is like walking into the Montreal Forum/Bell Center. It isn’t like the media harasses the coach with hard hitting pieces. You have the best fans in college hockey, and the best home atmosphere in college hockey. It is a dream place to coach. But, we haven’t had an open headcoaching position since Walsh took over the program.
Putting Parker in the same breath as York is a travesty.
That title game you mentioned was in 2002. That was really fair…to play Minnesota in St. Paul…my wife is still bitter about this 10 years later. Parker is a jack***
Excuse me, that is correct. Sports Illustrated even mentioned the curious calls and fans of other hockey east teams said we got screwed. It still bothers me, also. We do not need Tm taking any coaching tips from Parker. Sometimes Parker is the best player we got. Most sports have cleaned up their officiating corps and it is time to do it in ice hockey. The embellishment calls at Alfond make me want to explode.
Um, no, we played Denver in 2004, not Minnesota, dude. Check your facts.
No I was agreeing. It frustrates me and I was at the title game in Boston. Even though we lost, the final 2 minutes of six on three was some of the best college hockey I saw. Sorry I was not more clear. My bad.
No worries. That was just as frustrating. I was there, too.
Parker can certainly motivate. Remember the time at Alfond when he got behind and threw absolutely everything off the bench onto the ice – water bottles, hockey sticks, pucks, clip boards – really motiva – oh wait. He still lost. But Pope Jack still holds the record as the only coach in Alfond history to behave that way. The Boston press loved him for it. He is Pope Jack, after all, and anything he says goes.
Whered bushfan go, watching Miracle again. what a bonehead that meatball is. This is a very good hockey team from the coaches to the players. Both national championships, we lost the hockey east tournament. We are looking REAL good as long as spencer Abbott is with us. Number 1 in the powerplay nationally. come on Bushfan. get you head on straight. GO MAINE.
York and Parker get by with it since it’s the Boston in crowd. Anyone else (with the exception of the one Parker incident) would get dumped on by the league. Ever heard the students chant, “BU/BC payroll”/ They aren’t too far off.
“Whitehead’s record is exceeded only by Jerry York since Tim took over.” Say what?!
Since Timmay was handed this job erroneously by Suzanne Tyler, there are plenty of coaches who have exceeded Timmay, including Jack Parker and Dick Umile, and many non-HEA coaches too.
Since 2001-02 season:
Timmay 239-161 -45, 0 HEA season titles, 1 HEA tourney title, 0 national titles, 7 NCAAs
Parker 245-141-52, 2 HEA season titles, 2 HEA tourney titles, 1 national title, 7 NCAAs
Umile 250-132-53, 4 HEA season titles, 2 HEA tourney titles, 0 national titles, 10 NCAAs
Last 5 seasons it’s even worse:
Timmay 85-92-19 (incl. 15-32-6 vs BC BU UNH)
Parker 114-66-20
Umile 100-67-24
You seem to live in the same dream world as Timmay does….
There You Go Again! The one string TW Guitar. You need to get a life! Go Blackbears! I think they are ready to show the other Conference what HE is really about. In the meantime Find a Life!
How many title games have Umile and Parker been in? Parker right now is under investigation. Umile currently is in a slump. Most programs do this, even Tim’s. Overall it appears Tim has represented Maine well. Using Timmay does not put you in very good light either, and makes replying seem hopeless.
Hardly a typical Maine fan. I don’t identify with these complaints.
It would be a wonderful outcome if Maine could win Saturday, ousting the defending national champions a year removed from supposedly being a program in decline. The always-full-of-itself WCHA could use a dose of early humiliation.
Hope Abbott is well enough to play. To bad the cheap shot he took didnt result in a penalty. Oh yeah they were playing in Mass. No wonder.
The hit on Abbott was infuriating. Diamond hit the offending player from behind just after and nothing was called which indicated the officials knew they blew the call. Sometimes they have bad games too.
If Herb Brooks was coaching this team, I guarantee you Spencer would play, no matter what.
spencer abbott wouldn’t crack the lineup on a herb brooks team
ouch
ouch indeed lol.
Herb Brooks is Dead! Long Live Blackbear Hockey! Spencer Abbott is the real deal. My bet is he plays Saturday because he is a great Team Player.If he does’nt play the rest of the guys will figure out how to beat MD. I Like It!!!!!
Did everyone also check out the Pete Warner Column, “Refs added insult to injury in the Abbott hit”? The only way to reply to that one is via Facebook, etc. and I don’t do Facebook so I’ll respond here. Yeah, the refs goofed up that non-call big time, but what did we expect from that crew? I was out of town and didn’t see the Merrimack games but friends said it was the worst game of officiating they ever saw.
Indidently, does anyone know how to send a comment to NESN? I tried once earlier in the season to complain about their biased and generally unkowledgable game calling but found absoultely no contact info whatsoever. I was going to gripe about the announcer’s non-call on the Abbott non-call, explaining that Abboot was going down anyway and chose to ignore the blow to the head. Sat. night they softened a bit but still didn’t acknowledge the bad hit/bad call. Didn’t even try to contact this time.