Eastern Maine Sports Blog

Another season ended with Maine falling short of making a trip to the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament. Despite spending the postseason at home, the Black Bears did produce at least one player who earned national recognition for their play during the 2010-11 season.

Swedish native Gustav Nyquist was named to the ACHA Men’s Division I All-America Second Team after leading Maine in scoring for the third consecutive season. Nyquist accumulated 18 goals and 33 assists for a total of 51 points. Among that number were six power play goals, two short-handed goals and a pair of game-winners. The junior forward was a first-team selection on several All-American teams in 2010 when he tallied 19 goals and 42 assists for a total of 61 points.

Nyquist finished with career tallies of 50 goals, 94 assists and 144 points in 113 games with the Black Bears and ranks 17th on the school’s all-time scoring list. He will now take his game to the NHL after signing a two-year entry level contract with Detroit Red Wings. The club selected Nyquist with their fourth round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Brian Flynn and Will O’Neill have been elevated to team captains for the 2011-12 season following their outstanding play as juniors.

O’Neill, a blueline fixture over three seasons, has appeared in 101 career games for Maine. During that time, he has tallied 16 goals and 52 assists for 68 career points. He played in 28 games as a junior and scored four goals while adding 17 assists for 21 points.

Flynn has played in 112 consecutive games for the Black Bears. He has tallied 51 goals and 57 assists for 108 career points. Flynn experienced his best season in 2010-11 when he scored a team-best 20 goals to go with 16 assists.