Gendron, Bears Open Season Tonight

The University of Maine hockey team opens the new season tonight 3,297 miles from Alfond Arena when they take on Alaska Anchorage.The game will be part of the Kendall Hockey Classic which also includes Wisconsin and Saturday's opponent, Alaska Fairbanks. The Bears will look to improve on their 16-15-4 record from last season and will be led by junior Devin Shore. The Bears return their top three scorers form last season with Shore posting a team high 19 goals and 24 assists while defenseman Benn Hutton collected 29 points and Connor Leen 23.

Coach Red Gendron begins his second season as the Bears boss along with assistants Jay Leach and Ben Guite.

Next weekend the Bears will play their home opener as they host the defending national champions from Union College.