Gary Conn remembers the first tryout session for the players trying to earn a roster spot for the new University of Maine men’s hockey program.

It was 1977.

“I was jogging through the woods with 80 other guys, not knowing who was going to make the team. I knew they were only going to keep 20 and there were 80 of us running in the woods,” Conn recalled. “It was a little scary.”

He surveyed those around him and saw guys like Bill Demianiuk, who would later go on to captain the team.

“They looked like such great players,” Conn said.

Conn not only made the team, he went on to have a tremendous career, racking up 221 points in 127 games over four seasons.

Conn and five other members of that first UMaine team were honored during Friday night’s 5-2 UMaine win over Holy Cross to start this season for the Black Bears.

Jack Semler was the head coach in 1977 and assembled a team made up of all freshmen and senior Dan Sweeney, who would go on to captain the team.

Most of the players hadn’t been heavily recruited so they came to UMaine with a chip on their shoulders and an intense desire to prove to other schools that they made a mistake by not recruiting them. They formed a special bond and took an ‘us against the world’ underdog mentality onto the ice.

They were a gritty bunch that never got outworked.

The Alfond Arena faithful took to them immediately. That endeared them to the community, which had already fallen in love with the sport and the speed and physicality of it.

The novelty of adding a new sports program is going to attract fans, especially a fast-paced sport like hockey.

But when you have instant success, thanks to that first group of players, that creates even more interest across the state, not just the Bangor area.

The Black Bears were in NCAA Division II for their first two seasons before moving up to Division I for the third year.

UMaine went 78-47-2 overall in its first four seasons. The Black Bears made the playoffs in their second season in both Division II and Division I, after just missing the playoffs in the first season at each level.

The program has since gone on to win two NCAA championships, earn 20 NCAA Tournament appearances and 11 trips to the Frozen Four.

“The crew Jack was able to get in just a few months was amazing. It’s a credit to him,” Conn said. “He’s really responsible for it. He doesn’t get enough credit.”

Semler would have a seven-year run as the head coach before leaving and being replaced by the late Shawn Walsh.

Winger Jamie Logan remembered Semler bringing the team together at center ice at Alfond Arena after the final practice before the season-opener against Acadia University of Nova Scotia.

“He said, ‘Guys, tonight begins an incredible journey,’” Logan recalled. “‘Make the most of it because these four years are going to go faster than you could ever believe. Take advantage of every shift, every opportunity.’ And I still carry that with me today.”

Demianiuk, the winger who captained the team his junior and senior years, is 38th on the program’s all-time scoring list with 119 points (49 goals, 70 assists) in 127 games. He was also in attendance Friday night.

“It was a lot of fun. We had a great team and everybody was together,” Demianiuk said.

Defenseman Tom LeBlond said the best part of every day was coming to the rink for practice.

“We were spending four to five hours a day around each other in the locker room at practice, eating dinner together,” LeBlond said. “Those are the things that I remember the most.”

Winger Brian Hughes, who is 22nd on the all-time scoring list with 51 goals and 90 assists for 141 points in 124 games, also credited the UMaine fans.

“The crowds up here were tremendous,” Hughes said.

He also recalled the greatest comeback in program history that occurred on Feb. 19, 1980 against Boston University at Alfond Arena.

“We were down 6-1 with two minutes left in the second period,” Hughes said.

UMaine cut the lead to 6-4 in the third period, until BU scored to extend the lead to 7-4 and seemingly cement the win.

But the Black Bears roared back to score four unanswered goals to win it 8-7.

Hughes scored the game-winner.

The six alums on hand Friday night have followed the program and its growth. They take pride in being a part of it and the role they have played.

“It has an unbelievable tradition now,” said Conn. “We were the first team and we kind of started the tradition.”

And it’s great to see how far the program has progressed. Conn, who now lives in Massachusetts, was at the TD Garden in Boston last season to watch the Black Bears win the Hockey East tournament.

“There was so much camaraderie. The whole arena was just Maine [fans],” Conn said about that experience. “It was great to be a part of. It was like no other feeling.”

Conn’s 221 career points — 107 goals and 114 assists — have him ranked third on the school’s all-time scoring list behind Jim Montgomery (170 games, 103-198-301) and Hobey Baker Award winner Scott Pellerin (167 games, 106-117-223).

“It’s such a great university. The people are terrific,” Conn added.

The group of alums were impressed with the $50 million renovation to the arena.

“It’s beautiful,” said former defenseman Artie S. Demoulas, who lives in Boston.

Logan, who now lives in Michigan, said the work done to the campus and all the sporting venues is truly remarkable.

“I thought it was first class before but now it is out-of-the-world first class,” Logan said about the newly renovated Alfond Arena.

Demianiuk has had a first-hand look at the evolution of the program. His son, Dusty, played against UMaine for UMass. He noted the many different changes going on this year, including the addition of Canadian Major Junior players in college hockey and the ability for schools to pay student athletes directly, on top of the facilities changes in Orono.

“It’s unbelievable. The spirit is still here but the changes have been great.” Demianiuk said. “It’s a totally different environment than what we had.”

LeBlond also stressed how much those facilities have changed.

“When we were there, we had three rooms. Our locker room and two other rooms. Now they have the [hydrotherapy room] and the weight room,” LeBlond said. “It’s fantastic and the young athletes are going to benefit from it.

LeBlond, who lives in Scarborough, said the noteworthy upgrades in the rink are not surprising given the Black Bears’ popularity in the state of Maine.

“They are the best show in the state, no doubt about it,” LeBlond said. “They’ve gathered a lot of momentum.”