In what was the most successful men’s hockey season at the University of Maine since the 2011-12 season, the former goalie and head coach added an award each to their postseason accolades.
Head coach Red Gendron was named Coach of the Year by the New England Hockey Writers Association. In his seventh year as the bench boss in Orono, Gendron also previously won Hockey East Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award that goes to the top coach across Division I men’s ice hockey. He led Maine to an 18-11-5 record, 12-9-3 in conference play this past season and what would of been their first league quarterfinal playoff series at home since 2012. The Black Bears had the best home mark in Hockey East and one of the top across the nation with a record of 13-1-3 at Alfond Arena.
Jeremy Swayman was named Most Valuable Player by the New England Hockey Writers Association, adding to his already lengthy postseason honors. Now the product of the Boston Bruins after signing an entry level contract days after the rest of the season was cancelled, Swayman adds this new honor to what he has already previously been named. The native of Anchorage, Alaska won Hockey East Player of the Year, the Walter Brown Award, the Mike Richter Award, and was a Hat Trick Finalist for the Hobey Baker in which he finished second in the voting. He was also named to the All-American First Team. In his junior season of 2019-20 he stopped 1,099 shots, the most of any goalie in the country.
