FALMOUTH, Maine — Excitement is building in the local college hockey community as Maine prepares to host the inaugural Lobster Pot tournament this January. The event will feature the state’s four Division 3 programs—University of Southern Maine (USM), Bowdoin, Colby, and the University of New England (UNE)—competing at the Family Ice Centre in Falmouth on January 2nd and 3rd.
“I believe the hockey community in Maine, they’re gonna make it big,” said USM coach Matt Pinchevsky.
Bowdoin hockey coach Ben Guite, a former standout at the University of Maine, emphasized the tournament’s significance beyond the participating teams.
“All four teams could essentially walk away with that trophy,” Guite said. “We’re trying to make this like a hockey day in Maine type of event where we really want to grow the game at the grassroots level and keep as many people involved as possible.”
Longtime Colby hockey coach Blaise MacDonald, who has experience with the Beanpot tournament from his time at Boston University, believes the Lobster Pot will resonate with Maine’s hockey fans.
“You will walk away so thoroughly impressed with the talent level, the quality of play,” MacDonald said. “I think it’ll be great for kids; then they’ll want to say, ‘Hey, maybe that could be me someday.'”
Pinchevsky added that the Lobster Pot will serve as a perfect post-holiday celebration for the community.
“When they start to see the opportunity to start off the new year as a hockey community annually to share this amazing time, I just think people are going to get really excited and mark their calendars for years to come for this event,” he said.