December 11, 2008
Marshall's Plan
by Nick Lowman/CHN Reporter
First, a quick history lesson. The Marshall Plan of 1947 was the road map for the United State and its allies for rebuilding and creating a stronger foundation for the countries of Western Europe.
Fast forward to the present time where the University of Maine hockey program is slowly re-establishing itself back into dominance.
Heading into this season, the Black Bears weren’t expected to do much. With the departures of their top-six scorers, it’s difficult to have balanced scoring. Instead, it’s been the strong defensive play that has them only six points out of first place in the confrence.
In addition to Scott Darling’s surprising, yet stellar play so far in the net, the leadership and steady play of senior forward Jeff Marshall has helped stabilize the team defensively and become one of the top penalty killing units in college hockey.
As a third line forward, you won’t be seeing Marshall leading his team in scoring or dazzling spectators in any highlight reels anytime soon. Rather, you can expect the gritty forward to provide a ton of energy for the Black Bears while occasionally chipping in offensively.
Although the senior captain has only bagged a goal and assist this season, Marshall has provided invaluable leadership that has injected accountability into a young group that has allowed three or more goals in a game just four times this season.
"The difference has been our attitude and the play of our freshmen class," Marshall said. "They’ve been tremendous and have made things easier for us."
Expectations were minimal as many college hockey experts picked Maine to finish near the bottom of the conference. And rightfully so. With several of their top players bolting to the professional level and welcoming 10 new faces to the program, it’s easy to predict another down year for the Black Bears.
Yet Maine is right in the middle of a tight battle in one of the premiere conferences in college hockey. A big part of their success has been the leadership that has kept this team moving in the right direction. With any young team, it’s important to get young players in the right mindset and work hard every night.
"Our goal coming into this season was to surprise some people and bounce back," Marshall said. "We weren’t expected to do much this season and we’re off to a great start. We know that we will have to continue to out work our opponents if we are going to continue to be successful."
With the obvious demand to win in Orono, things haven’t been easy for the Black Bears recently. Last season Maine finished with a below .500 record, getting many fans up in arms — never minding that the program had reached the Frozen Four in four of the previous six years since Tim Whitehead took over, including 2006 and 2007.
While Maine has taken incremental steps this season, the young cubs have struggled to compete with giants of the conference. To date, they are a combined 0-4 against the top two teams in the conference, but have shown the ability to compete with the them. But with a different outlook this season, it has Maine thinking party crashers by seasons end.
"We haven’t had to put pressure on ourselves because no one expected us to do anything this year. Everyone was counting us out," Marshall said. "We want to work as hard as we can. Being an underdog is a nice change of pace for us. With a young team and no pressure, we can play games knowing that we can surprise some teams."
Marshall’s experience has served the program well. He isn’t like Maine’s super stars of the past, nor does it matter. His presence on the ice and in the locker room is well respected. The senior forward plays with passion and his work ethic is unquestionable. As a leader, Marshall’s message to his young teammates is clear; never settle.
"I want them to learn to not take anything for granted and work hard everyday," Marshall said. Don’t be complacent with where you are, always keep moving forward."
It seems to be working as the team has responded with a recently seven-game unbeaten streak and is one of the top defensive teams in the country allowing the fewest goals scored in the conference.
As Maine looks to get back to their winning ways, Marshall has done an excellent job of keeping everyone energized and motivated in hopes of returning back to the NCAA tournament. With two appearances himself, he understands what it's going to take to earn an invitation.
"We have to take things one day at a time," Marshall explained. "Attitude and willingness to be better goes along way for this team and I think we’ve done a good job of that. Being a part of the tournament has been by far the best part of my college hockey career. It’s an unreal experience and it’s something you want to be a part of every season."
In order to participate in the post season, the Black Bears will have to first take care of business in their own conference. Among the challenges will be arch rival New Hampshire. Yet to square off with the Wildcats, Maine hasn’t had much success against them going 1-6 in their last seven tilts.
"They’re our big rival, they don’t like us and we don’t like them, but those games are intense and fun at the same time," said Marshall. With the Olympic-size rink, it’s definitely a bit different from other rinks, but it’s a nice change to have every once in awhile."
Playing in Hockey East is a brutal, tiresome task. But looking to stay the course on a rebounding season, Marshall realizes the need to not only stay focused, but to have some fun.
"We always want to focus on being sharp in practice, but we like to have fun and joke around," said Marshall. "We know when we can have fun, but we also know when we need to turn it up and do things right. Before games, I’m more quiet and keep to myself. That’s how I need to prepare for games."
