© Abby Patkin/USA Today Network BRENDAN WALSH ’00 has long held a reputation as an enforcer. Two decades ago, he patrolled the ice of Alfond Arena as a tough-as-nails member of UMaine men’s ice hockey team, the 1999 NCAA national champions. Today, Walsh polices a different territory as a detective with the Boston Police Department.…
Alfond Arena and the Alfond Stadium bear witness to Harold Alfond’s generosity to the University of Maine. Alfond Arena opened in 1977 and was expanded in 1992; Alfond Stadium was completed in 1998. THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE in Orono will be the largest beneficiary of the Harold Alfond Foundation’s historic investment in Maine’s public universities.…
Thanks to the Harold Alfond Foundation’s latest investment in UMaine academics and athletics, Black Bear Athletics today unveiled a master plan designed to improve the quality, accessibility, and gender equality of the university’s intercollegiate and recreational facilities. Projects include a new soccer facility that will feature synthetic turf, stadium seating, broadcast-quality lighting, and more. (See…
Although basketball fans can’t pack The Pit in person to cheer for the Black Bears this season, they can show their support with a fan cutout. These cutouts, which are made from photos of individuals, will occupy seats in The Pit during men’s and women’s games. At the end of the basketball season, fans can…
UMaine’s ice hockey and basketball teams have returned to competition following a two-week delay prompted by COVID-19-related precautionary measures. “Our teams are thrilled to be able to resume their competitive seasons,” says UMaine athletics director Ken Ralph. “The students have worked hard to stay safe while preparing physically for their seasons. ” Last week, the…
Mal Osborn ’52 of Winston-Salem, NC, misplaced his beloved UMaine letter jacket last fall. The 92-year-old alumnus was a cross country and track star at the university in 1949-1952, and later had a long legal career. Thanks to his family’s efforts on social media, he recovered his UMaine jacket. In this 2016 photo, Mal wears…
The University of Maine will be a major beneficiary of the Harold Alfond Foundation’s historic $240 million gift to the University of Maine System. UMaine President Ferrini-Mundy noted that the historic gift would “benefit our students for decades.” She added, “With $20 million from the Alfond Foundation, we will develop new programs to support student…
For a recent update on this season’s Black Bear sports, watch Director of Athletics Ken Ralph, soccer head coach Scott Atherley ’89, ’91G, and football coach Nick Charlton discuss the challenges of COVID-19 on UMaine athletics. Members of the women’s basketball team discuss measures that the Athletics Department took to keep them safe. Watch the…
Jeremy Swayman, a junior goaltender on the Black Bears’ men’s ice hockey team, opted to pass up his final year at UMaine and signed with the Boston Bruins in March. Swayman’s final season as a Black Bear was a memorable one. He was selected as Hockey East Player of the Year and received the Mike…
Photo by Aaron Boothroyd ON THE ICE, Mitch Fossier ’20 is known as a creative playmaker. His 32 assists this past season placed the University of Maine men’s hockey senior in a tie for fourth place in the country in that category. The Black Bears captain is equally creative off the ice where he is…
Black Bear hockey legend Alfie Michaud ’00 was the subject of a recent feature in National Post, Canada’s fourth-largest newspaper, about the racist slurs and treatment he received in Canada as an Indigenous citizen and athlete. The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other recent incidents of racial injustice prompted UMaine assistant hockey coach…
The action shot of UMaine #69 offensive lineman Liam Dobson has people talking, even though football season is months away. Maine Football tweeted that the image was a runner-up for this year’s poster design. Not all viewers will have the same gut reaction to the image of the exposed athleticism of the 6-foot, 3-inch, 340-pound…