The University of Maine was riding high after a weekend sweep of the University of Massachusetts two weeks ago. They fell back to Earth last weekend when they visited the University of Vermont, losing 4-3 Friday before getting blown out 4-1 Saturday evening. The Black Bears fell to 3-6-1 overall and 2-2 in conference play while UVM improved to 6-1-1 overall and 4-1-1 in Hockey East.

Black Bears lose in overtime

The Black Bears seemed to be in control Friday night early, but ended up dropping the contest in overtime.

Third-year forward Devon Shore got the scoring started with a power play goal just 12 minutes into the game. Third-year forward Steven Swavely and second-year Cam Brown were credited with the assists.

The Black Bears struck again before the second half ended. Fourth-year forward Connor Leen stole the puck and beat third-year netminder Brody Hoffman to give the Black Bears a 2-0 advantage.

The lead did not last long, as the Catamounts stormed back. Fourth-year forward Colin Markison cut the Black Bears’ lead in half at the 13-minute mark of the second period with a power play goal before Markinson scored again at 14:13 to tie things up. The goals gave him three for the year, good enough for first on the team.

UMaine retook the lead before the end of the quarter when Brown scored for his second point of the night with .2 seconds left in the second period. The power play goal was Brown’s team-leading fifth goal of the season to put the Black Bears up 3-2.

The Black Bears appeared to have the game in hand, but with 59 seconds left second-year forward Mario Puskarich scored the equalizer after the Catamounts pulled their goalie for an extra offensive player.

Second-year UVM forward Mike Stenerson scored the game-winner 3:13 into overtime to complete the second comeback of the game for the Catamounts.

The Black Bears were outshot 37-24 in the contest. Third-year goaltender Matt Morris saved a career-high 33 shots in the loss.

UVM blows out UMaine

Saturday night’s game was all Catamounts as the Black Bears never led in the game.

The Catamounts found themselves on the power play in the first period. Third-year defenseman Alexx Privitera had a shot that first-year goaltender Sean Romeo tipped but could not keep out of the back of the net for a 1-0 UVM advantage. Fourth-year forward Jake Fallon and second-year forward Brendan Bradley were credited with the assists.

Third-year UVM forward Jonathan Turk extended the UVM lead with an assist from Privitera. The goal was Turk’s fourth on the season.

UVM opened things up when Stenerson scored his second goal of the series and third of the season past Romeo for a 3-0 Catamounts advantage.

The Black Bears got on the board with 12:07 left in the second period thanks to fourth-year forward Connor Leen’s goal assisted by second-year defenseman Eric Schurhamer. The goal was Leen’s first of the season.

Second-year UVM forward Brady Shaw put the exclamation point on the rout, burying an empty netter to give the Catamounts their 4-1 victory.

The University of Maine men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams both traveled to Rhode Island to open their seasons against the University of Rhode Island on Friday night, followed by a meet against Providence College Saturday morning.

Women’s team splits weekend

The UMaine women’s team fell Friday night to the Rams by a score of 181.5-118.5 before earning their first win of the season against the Providence College Friars 163-115.

The meet was dominated by Rhode Island fourth-year Chaya Zabludoff. Zabludoff took first in the 100-yard, 1000-yard, and 200-yard races. The Rams also took the top two spots in the 200-yard medley relay, helping them to a strong day in the pool.

The Black Bears were led by first-year Emma Pontius, who won three races on the day. Pontius had a great first collegiate meet, taking first in the 200 and 100-yard butterflies and the 200-yard individual medley.

The meet on Saturday was much kinder to the Black Bears. Fourth-year UMaine swimmer Naja Harvey took first place in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke.

Pontius continued her success in her second meet, winning the 200-meter butterfly.

Providence first-year Katherine Fallon took a pair of wins in the 400-meter freestyle and the 800-meter freestyles. A pair of Friars earned spots in the Big East Tournament, when first-year Meghan O’Connor and Kristen Noonan both qualified in the 100 meter butterfly and 200 backstroke, respectively.

Men’s swimming and diving sweep weekend

The Black Bears started their season out with a pair of wins over the weekend. The first was a victory against the University of Rhode Island before taking down the Providence College Friars 146-129.

Third-year Matt England and fourth-year Ryan Fahey led the way for the Black Bears, each capturing three events on the day.

UMaine third-year Cameron Dwyer won the 200 meter breaststroke and 200 butterfly to help UMaine win their first meet of the year.

The Black Bears got their second win on Saturday in a close meet. Friars fourth-year John Fatigati won a pair of races and took second in the 200 meter backstroke at 2:09:01, setting the Providence College school record.

UMaine was once again led by England, who took home four victories on the day. Second-year Nicholas Sundquist also took four first place finishes, helping carry the Black Bears to a fast 2-0 start.

The UMaine swimming and diving teams will have a week off before hosting the University of Vermont and Boston College Nov. 7 and Nov. 8.

The University of Maine women’s soccer team earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw when they hosted the University at Albany Sunday afternoon at Alumni field. The Black Bears are now 4-7-6 overall with a 2-1-5 America East Conference record, while Albany is now 6-8-5 and 3-2-3 in conference play.

Elise Applegate, Camille Varin-Tremblay, Jordan Pellerin and Liis Emajoe were all honored before the game for senior night.

UMaine’s lone goal came courtesy of some great teamwork at 8:39. Fourth-year midfielder Camille Varin-Tremblay sent a cross to third-year forward Ashley Robinson, who found a cutting third-year midfielder Charlene Achille. Achille fired home her sixth goal of the season to give the Black Bears an early 1-0 lead. Third-year goaltender Alana Brennan gave up the goal.

Despite some early season injury issues, Achille has come on to have a stellar year. Achille leads the Black Bears with 12 points, including a team-high six goals, four more than the next leading scorer, third-year forward Eve L’Abbe.

The Black Bears played well defensively, led by second-year netminder Claudia Dube-Trempe. Dube-Trempe, a front-runner for America East Player of the Year, has a .72 goals against average and a .864 save percentage. She saved six of the seven shots she was tasked with on the day, contributing a solid performance to the tie.

It was a back-and-forth affair for much of the game, with neither team able to gain much of an advantage. The lone goal for the Great Danes came late in the game, in the 78th minute. Dube-Trempe went for a routine punt but had it deflected off of redshirt first-year Kiana Rugar and into the net to tie the game at 1-1.

Rugar has had a standout first year at the collegiate level, scoring 16 points including five goals. Her 16 points are enough for second on the team to fellow first-year Vivian Vega’s 20 points.

Achille had a chance to win it in the last minute of double-overtime, launching a last-second header towards net that was saved by Rugar to ensure the draw.

The Black Bears had some good opportunities in the game, outshooting Albany 22-15 and launching nine shots on net to Albany’s seven. UMaine also had six penalty corners, while Albany had just four.

Brennan played well in goal for the Great Danes, saving eight of nine shots and settling down after allowing the early goal to Achille.

This is not the last that these two teams will be seeing each other. The Black Bears will travel to Albany for the quarterfinals of the America East tournament on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

The University of Maine football team took down Towson University in its first Colonial Athletic Association game of the year, 27-24. The Black Bears even their overall record up at 2-2 and move to 1-0 in the Colonial Athletic Conference, while Towson sees their record fall to 2-3 and 0-1 in conference play.

UMaine second-year quarterback Dan Collins got the Black Bears off to a hot start, going 5-5 on a 75-yard scoring drive that culminated in a 1-yard touchdown pass to second-year wide receiver Jordan Dunn. Third-year kicker Sean Decloux missed the extra point.

The Tigers offense responded near the end of the first quarter, driving 77 yards for a field goal and later 37 yards for a touchdown thanks to a 15-yard run from second-year running back Darius Victor, giving Towson a 10-6 lead. The score was Victor’s sixth touchdown of the year.

First-year running back Nigel Beckford carried the Black Bears through a strong second quarter. UMaine had a long 5:50 drive that Beckford finished with a 3-yard run for the first touchdown of his collegiate career.

The Black Bears defense forced a turnover and proceeded to drive 75 yards on seven plays, ending in a 5-yard run from Beckford. The score sent the Black Bears into the half leading 13-10.

UMaine first-year quarterback Drew Belcher replaced Collins for their first drive of the second half and completed a 25-yard pass to Jordan Dunn before getting sacked twice and rushed for no gain.

Frazier led the Tigers on a 90-yard drive for a touchdown pass to first-year fullback Zack Vogelei for his second touchdown of the year. An extra-point brought the Tigers back to within striking distance at 20-17.

Towson scored again in the fourth quarter to take the lead when Victor finished a 53-yard drive with a rushing touchdown, giving the Tigers a 24-20 advantage. Victor finished the day with a game-high 131 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Tigers kept UMaine on their heels with an onside kick on the ensuing drive, recovering the kick for solid field position. Frazier led the Tigers down to the UMaine 5-yard line, where UMaine third-year defensive end Trevor Bates forced a fumble and recovered it, returning it to the UMaine 48-yard line and giving momentum back to UMaine. Bates finished with six tackles, a forced fumble and a sack.

A defensive stalemate ensued for much of the fourth quarter, with neither team able to do much offensively. Collins led the Black Bears on their game-winning drive by converting two fourth down passes en route to a 37-yard pass from Collins to Dunn for a touchdown. The catch was Dunn’s team-leading second receiving touchdown of the year and gave the Black Bears a 27-24 lead.

Collins finished with a career-high 225 yards on 19-29 passing with a pair of touchdowns and an interception.

The Black Bears return home Oct. 4 at 12:30 p.m. while Towson will host Stony Brook University Oct. 4 at 3 p.m.

The University of Maine field hockey team enjoyed its home opener Saturday to the tune of a 3-1 victory over Bryant University. The Black Bears captured their second win of the season and first since Aug. 29 to improve their record to 2-5, while the Bulldogs snapped their two-game winning streak and fell to 2-5.

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 1-0 lead due to a goal off of a penalty corner from fourth-year forward Rosie Bird, assisted by second-year midfielder Victoria Danby, six minutes into the game. The goal was Bird’s fifth of the year, adding to her team-leading 11 points. Danby added to her already strong campaign of seven points with 12 shots on goal.

Bird’s early goal was put past second-year goalkeeper Emma Cochran, who settled down after the early goal. Cochran ended up saving five of her six opportunities for her first collegiate victory.

A defensive struggle ensued for the rest of the first half, with neither team able to gain an advantage over the other. The Black Bears sent a flurry of shots at fourth-year goalkeeper Megan Hancock late in the half, but could not score and went into halftime down 1-0.

The Black Bears failed to get on the board until the 51:26 mark when fourth-year midfielder Annabelle Hamilton fed sophomore midfielder Sydney Veljacic off of a corner from 27 yards out to tie the game at 1-1.

Hamilton led the attack just minutes later off of another penalty corner, this time to junior midfielder Nicole Sevey, in a nearly identical goal to give the Black Bears a 2-1 lead. The pair of assists gave Hamilton six points on the season, while the goal was Sevey’s third on the year to tie her for the team lead.

The Black Bears got an insurance goal at 62:35 when fourth-year forward Holly Stewart broke free off of a steal and took it coast-to-coast, hammering it home off of Hancock’s blocker to ensure a UMaine home victory.

Stewart’s goal was her third of the season, giving her six total points scored.

The Black Bears recorded a season-high 22 shots on goal Saturday afternoon, scoring on three of them.

The Black Bears will host Providence College Sept. 27 at 4 p.m. and Quinnipiac University Sept. 28 at noon. Bryant returns home next week to take on the University of California, Davis Sept. 25 at 4 p.m.

As a fan of sport movies, I often wonder what it would be like to take the field with some of the best fictional athletes in history. Here is my highly-touted, highly-debatable list of the greatest fictional athletes you’d want on your team.

10. Forrest Gump, “Forrest Gump”:Somehow in between serving his country in Vietnam and unintentionally exposing the Watergate scandal, Gump had time to become a top-tier two-sport athlete in ping pong and football. Gump started at tailback for the University of Alabama under Bear Bryant and was named an All-American before competing against Chinese teams on a goodwill tour for the U.S. Army in ping-pong.

9. Happy Gilmore, “Happy Gilmore”:Hot-headed and streaky, you would most likely want him as your gold partner — unless you are Bob Barker. He is a driving powerhouse, making up for his come-and-go putting. He also had some world-class training at the wooden hands of Chubbs Peterson.

8. Air Bud: Looking past the fact that he is a golden retriever, Air Bud can suit up wherever you need him. He has started as a wide receiver, striker, point guard, volleyball star and baseball slugger. They’ll be petting him one minute and wondering how they got beat the next.

7. Ricky Vaughn, “Major League”:He may be erratic and unpredictable but when he’s on, he’s on. Batters will have trouble standing in the batter’s box when even Vaughn doesn’t know where the pitch will be going.

6. Roy Hobbs, “The Natural”: He may be old, but even a bullet couldn’t stop this guy from being a difference-maker in the MLB. When a guy can knock out stadium lighting with a moonshot of a home run, you want him hitting cleanup.

5. Dottie Hinson, “A League of Their Own”: She’s experienced and level-headed, bringing a sense of calm to you squad. She also calls a solid game behind the plate and isn’t afraid to slide even when she’s wearing an unreasonably short skirt.

4. Crash Davis, “Bull Durham”:He is very similar to Dottie Hinson in his experience and demeanor. He may have never gotten out of the minor leagues, but he does hold the minor league all-time record for home runs and is a wily veteran in terms of getting in opponents heads. He also has a long list of the things he believes in.

3. Lola Bunny, “Space Jam”:While the obvious choices may be Bill Murray or Bugs, Lola was a difference-maker on the court. Her quickness makes up for her diminutive three-foot frame and she is used to playing on the big stage from that time she helped save the world from the MonStars. Just don’t call her “doll.”

2. Apollo Creed, “Rocky”:An American through and through, there’s no way that Rocky could have beaten Clubber Lang or Ivan Drago without Creed’s training and inspiration. A former heavyweight champion of the world, you couldn’t really have him on your team but you sure wouldn’t want him in the other corner.

1. Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez, “The Sandlot”:The word “dedication” gets thrown around a lot in sports. But for an 11-year-old to play baseball every summer day he can, that’s dedication. The lengths that Benny goes to retrieve an old baseball signed by Babe Ruth shows his dedication and love for the game. A leader through and through, I would take this Dodger on my team any day.

Honorable mentions: Ricky Bobby, “Talladega Nights”, Rocky Balboa “Rocky”, Coffee Black “Semi-Pro”, Julian Washington “Any Given Sunday”.

Students are encouraged to take advantage of all the opportunities college offers. For UMaine graduate and former football running back Roosevelt Boone, there has been just as much to give back as there has been to take advantage of.

Boone’s Football Life

University of Maine football coach Jack Cosgrove knew that Boone would be a coach long before he was offered the position.

“I used to kid him that he would be a future football coach whenever I saw him on campus,” Cosgrove said.

Now, three years after graduating from UMaine with a degree in kinesiology and just months after earning his master’s in kinesiology and physical education, Boone is back on the sidelines as the team’s running back coach.

“I took over in the spring, so I had that introduction,” Boone said. “So I had our 15 spring practices to get to know us as a group and our guys individually so we could set our position goals as well as individual goals.”

Boone has adapted quickly to his new position, gaining the respect and trust of his players. Just three years removed from his undergraduate days, Boone knows how to relate to his players and help them with more than just football.

“Some of the things that they have to deal with I’ve already gone through so I can give them some insight or a heads-up,” Boone said. “I can relate to what they’re going through, like coming out of camp or transitioning from summer to now having to handle not only their playbook but also their course load. It’s something I can relate to; I can understand it.”

The players are not the only ones facing a transition. Boone has faced the challenge of jumping into a coaching position with the defending Colonial Athletic Association champions. As challenging as his new job can be, Boone’s experience in the program has helped ease his transition.

“The one thing that’s helped me out is having some experience in the program, so I do know the offense and what we do schematically,” Boone said. “It’s not like I came into a situation where I had to completely learn a new offense, so that helped me out.”

“I already had a relationship with most of the staff,” he continued. “They’ve been patient too. I’ve made mistakes, and I’m still making mistakes as any first-year guy would do but the staff has been diligent and accepting in embracing my position here.”

Boone’s community efforts at home and abroad

Since Boon graduated with a bachelor’s degree in in 2011, he has been busy.

Boone worked as a camp counselor the summer before his senior year at UMaine and was taken aback by the cost of the programs. In an effort to make things more affordable for underprivileged kids in the area, he founded Strong Mind-Strong Body (SMSB), which allows kids who could not afford expensive sports camps to have a place to go for exercise and lessons in nutrition and wellness.

“The Strong Mind-Strong Body program is pretty much a youth development program where we induce a positive youth development through physical activity where we combat obesity and influencing positive youth development, raising self-efficacy through the curriculum that we do have that focus on mind, body and spirit: The three components of wellness,” Boone said.

In June 2011, a former teammate of Boone’s, running back Charles Kyeremeh Jr., passed away in a motorcycle accident while he was staying with Boone for the summer. Kyeremeh, a native Ghanaian, was visiting his mother at the time for her birthday and was heading into his second-year at UMaine.

Kyeremeh’s family started a foundation in his name, the Kyeremeh Jr. Foundation. Boone was able to work with Kyeremeh’s family to set up trips to Ghana the last two years so Boone could share his passion of health and wellness with the impoverished country.

“The schools that we work with are heavily populated, with 300-400 students in two or three grade levels,” Boone said. “This past year we sent 2,000 books to start a library in Ghana in his name, the Kyeremeh Jr. Library.”

Through his partnership with the Kyeremeh Jr. Foundation and a tireless work ethic, Boone has been able to make an impact in Ghana as well as right here in the Orono community.

Anybody interested in Strong Mind-Strong Body Student, Inc. is encouraged to contact Khari Al-mateen and Diana Abraham on FirstClass.

Playing hockey at the University of Maine is an experience that players don’t forget, no matter where they go when they leave.

For Joey Diamond, nothing since has compared.

“I miss the fans the most. You know, fans at UMaine: There’s nothing like them anywhere else I’ve been,” Diamond said. “Walking to games, getting to games, everything about it, I miss. I miss being a part of campus.”

Diamond, who graduated in the Spring of 2013, enjoyed four successful years at UMaine. Diamond led the team with 25 goals in the 2011-2012 season and served as a captain for his fourth year, contributing 24 points.

After graduating with a degree in child development and family relations, Diamond went on to play for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League, a minor-league affiliate of the New York Islanders. From there, Diamond played for the Stockton Thunder, a AA Islanders affiliate based in Stockton, Cali.

“It was a good experience, a great experience for me. Most of last year was with the Sound Tigers and it was great to get that experience playing in the AHL,” Diamond said. “Then getting out to California and playing with the Thunder was great. I had never gone out to Cali before so getting to do that was a lot of fun and some great experience.”

Diamond has been successful in his post-UMaine endeavors, scoring 17 goals in a season and a half with Bridgeport before tearing it up in Stockton, scoring nine points in just eleven games. He has had success, but it has not come easy for the young forward.

“The season is a lot longer and there are a lot more games so that’s something I had to get used to,” Diamond admitted. “We play 40 more games here than we do in college so the season’s a lot longer and the game is a lot faster so it was definitely a jump, but I thought I handled myself pretty well. It is also easier going into next year knowing what to expect.”

Even through the transition from college to the pros, Diamond has kept his confidence. He still has just as much faith in his abilities as he did when he was skating at the Alfond.

“The way I’ve played has always gotten me to where I want to be,” he said. “As long as people on the next level like the way I play, I think it’ll serve me well.”

No matter how far Diamond goes, Maine is never far from his mind.

“There’s no place like Maine in my eyes,” Diamond said.

The No. 20 University of Maine was able to stave off a near loss with several late defensive stands against Norfolk State in their opening game but were unable to do the same Saturday as they fell to Bryant University 13-10.

The Black Bears fell to 1-1 with the loss while Bryant improved their record to 3-0 with the victory.

The Black Bears led for much of the game, taking a 3-0 lead with 3:36 left in the first quarter when junior kicker Sean Decloux connected on a 24-yard field goal. Bryant responded late in the first quarter with a 27-yard field goal from senior kicker Tom Alberti to knot things up at 3-3.

The UMaine “Black Hole” defense was successful at stopping the run Saturday, allowing just 29 yards on the ground to the Bulldogs. Second-year linebacker Christophe Mulumba Tshimanga led the way with 13 tackles.

Sophomore quarterback Dan Collins and freshman tailback Nigel Beckford showed some explosiveness in the beginning of the second quarter, driving 69 yards for a UMaine touchdown. Collins began the drive with an 11-yard pass to fourth-year wideout Damarr Aultman before Beckford ripped off back-to-back runs of 27 and 11 yards to keep the Bulldogs defense on their heels. Collins later finished the drive with a 5-yard pass to fourth-year fullback Carlton Charles, giving the Black Bears a 10-3 advantage.

Aultman caught four passes as the Black Bears’ go-to wide receiver, gaining 63 yards with a long of 41.

The Bulldogs responded with an eight-minute drive during which second-year quarterback, Dalton Easton converted on two fourth-down passes to set up another Alberti field goal, bringing the score to 10-6. Easton finished the game 26-43 with 301 yards passing and a touchdown.

Scoring resumed on the Bulldogs’ eventual game-winning drive. The drive began with just over three minutes left to play with an Easton pass 41 yards to third-year wide receiver Chad Ward, bringing them to the UMaine 33-yard line. Easton completed another pass to redshirt junior running back Ricardo McCray for 19 yards and another to Ward for the go-ahead touchdown. Ward led all receivers in the contest with 123 yards and a score while McCray also had a big game, hauling in seven passes for 77 yards.

The Black Bears looked for a last-ditch drive when Aultman returned the kickoff 61 yards to the Bryant 29 yard line, but it was called back due to a holding penalty and turned the ball over on downs before Bryant would run the clock out for a 13-10 win.

UMaine got some bad news for their defense this week when they found out third-year defensive end Michael Kozlakowski tore his right biceps in their victory over Norfolk. Kozlakowski suffered a similar injury last year when he tore his left biceps. The Black Bears will look to younger faces such as sophomore defensive back Davonte Burke to fill in.

Umaine does not have an easy schedule going forward as they will travel to take on Boston College Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs will travel to take on Liberty University Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.

The University of Maine Cross Country team kicked off their season Saturday morning by hosting an NEC Pre-Meet, featuring the University of New Hampshire, University of Vermont and the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The event was scored as three separate meets, though all of the runners ran the five mile course together.

The UMaine men lost to UNH 15-44, Lowell 15-50 and UVM 15-45.

The Black Bears felt the loss of now-graduated Kelton Cullenberg, who was the UMaine captain and second-fastest male runner in the competitive America East Conference last year.

UVM junior Dan Moroney took first place overall with a 25:59, running at a blistering 5:11 clip. Moroney was nearly 20 seconds ahead of second place finisher, freshman River Hawk Paul Hogan, who finished with a 26:17. UVM sophomore Dylan Souder rounded out the top three finishers, coming in with a 26:25.

The Black Bears were led by sophomore Lucas Bourget and junior Jesse Orach, who finished 20th and 21st with times of 27:16 and 27:18 respectively. Senior Jarrod Lenfest and freshman Joshua Home were just a few strides behind, finishing at 23rd and 24rd with times of 27:21 and 27:27.

The UMaine women did not fare much better, falling to UNH 17-46, Lowell 26-29 and UVM 16-45.

The women’s 5K race was swept by UVM in dominating fashion. Junior Alicia Clark was the first Catamount to cross the finish line with a time of 18:57. She was followed by sophomore Julie Richer at 19:20 and junior Hilary Rawding at 19:22.

The first Black Bear to cross the line for the women was senior Carolyn Stocker, finishing in eighth place with a time of 19:45. Junior Annabelle Wilson finished in 14th at 20:12. Junior Naomi Holzhauser rounded out the top-30 women finishers with a time of 6:48.

The Pre-Conference Meet is always held at the host school of the Conference Meet, which will take place at UMaine Nov. 1. Until then, the Black Bears will travel next weekend to take on the University of Massachusetts Amherst Sept. 13 at 11 a.m.