Defenseman Jack Dalton was captain of the New Mexico Ice Wolves for their North American Hockey League game against the visiting El Paso Rhinos two weeks ago at their Outpost Ice Arena in Albuquerque.
After just three days of practice, Dalton found himself skating for his new team, the University of Maine’s Black Bears, in Saturday night’s 7-2 Hockey East victory over UMass Lowell.
Dalton had a shot on goal on his first shift and had a handful of shifts as the Black Bears’ seventh defenseman. He was plus-one on the evening.
Players receive a plus-one if they are on the ice when their team scores an even-strength or shorthanded goal and a minus-one if the opponent scores one.
The River Forest, Illinois, native made his debut in front of an energized, sell-out crowd of 5,043 at the Alfond Arena.
The arena lights dim as the players step onto the ice surface at the start of every game at Alfond Arena. Fans use flashlights or the lights on their cellphones to create a special atmosphere.
“It was pretty crazy with all the phones and the lights going. I’ve never experienced anything like that. It was pretty cool,” 20-year-old Dalton said.
He thought things went pretty well.
“I tried to keep it simple, dumb the game down a little bit,” Dalton said. “I had my teammates help me out and I helped them out when needed.”
He said there was “definitely an adjustment” when he first got to Orono last week.
“The guys are definitely a little bit stronger and bigger than they are in junior hockey,” Dalton said. “I adapted pretty quickly. I was ready for the pace of the game.”
He said he had a case of nerves for his first shift, but that quickly abated.
“After the first shift, I settled into the game. I recognized it was just another hockey game,” said the 6-foot, 175-pound Dalton, who had five goals and 12 assists in 22 games for New Mexico before coming to UMaine.
UMaine head coach Ben Barr, sophomore defenseman Brandon Holt and junior center Harrison Scott were impressed with Dalton.
“He was great. He was poised, calm. He didn’t seem to have any issues,” Barr said.
“He jumped in well,” Scott said. “He played with confidence. He was moving his feet and making plays. He looked comfortable. He is going to be a great addition.”
“It’s kind of crazy to come in from juniors and start school on such short notice. But he came in and played awesome,” Holt said. “There were a couple of times I thought he might get one (a goal).
“I’m sure he’s happy to get that first (game) under his belt. I’m sure it was a pretty cool experience for him,” Holt added.
UMaine has this weekend off and will resume Hockey East play with games at Northeastern and UMass on Feb. 2 and Feb. 3, respectively.