ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Losing is never fun, and it often leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of those on the short end of the stick.

For most of the Maine Black Bears, the sting of Saturday’s loss will disappear when the team again takes the ice for practice next fall. There are, however, seven seniors that will have to remember the Black Bears’ 2-1 loss to Michigan as their final game in a Maine uniform.

If Martin Kariya, Lucas Lawson, Robert Liscak, Cliff Loya, Chris Heisten, Tom Reimann and Gray Shaneberger were a bit more sullen in the makeshift Maine locker room at Yost Arena after the game, it could be forgiven.

“I really don’t think it’s hit me yet,” said Loya, Maine’s best defensive defenseman and arguably the most improved player from last season. “I was crying a bit at the end of the game, but I don’t think it’ll really hit me until we get back home. This team has gone through so much, this class of seniors. We have Frozen Fours, national title games and the tournament all four years.”

This is the second consecutive senior class that can lay claim to making the NCAA tournament all four years.

“I’m glad we can end it by saying the whole team gave all that we had,” said Reimann. “We lost, and that stinks, but I can look back at the last game I played in and think about how well the team played.”

There were some questions about the three-week layoff that Maine endured after an early exit in the Hockey East tournament, but the team, led by the seniors, answered that by outshooting Michigan 12-6 in the first period and dominating both the offensive and defensive zones.

“I was impressed with the seniors in particular,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead. “They kept the team focused, even when things seemed to turn on us in the second. I feel bad for them. They deserved a win here.”

No one more epitomized senior emotion than Kariya. Both of his older brothers Paul and Steve won national titles with the Black Bears, and Kariya wanted to do everything in his power to add his name to the list.

“It’s been a long four years,” said Kariya. “A lot of people say that college flies by, and that you regret it being over, but I don’t know about that. It’s been a long four years and I’m looking forward to getting on with my life, whatever that life may be.”

Kariya’s disappointment, while expected after a tough loss to a lower seed at their home arena, is somewhat justified.

Kariya’s sophomore year ended with a 3-1 loss to Boston College in the Eastern regional, a game in which a critical call by a referee resulted in coach Shawn Walsh’s ejection from the game. It would be the last game Walsh would ever coach.

Last season, in the national title game, the very same referee called a penalty in overtime that allowed Minnesota to gain the upper hand and score the game-winner.

This year, Michigan tallied its game-winner on a power play with 1:31 to play in the game.

“Every year we’ve had disappointing finishes,” said Kariya. “There are times that you can say we came up short after giving our all, and that would be OK, but it just seems like we’ve been the victim of things that we couldn’t control.”

Looking ahead

While the senior class is relatively large with seven seniors, there are many reasons why the Maine faithful can positively take up the Boston Red Sox anthem of “wait ’till next year.”

The first and biggest reason is what Whitehead calls the backbone of his team. Both Jimmy Howard and Frank Doyle return next season between the pipes.

“We are very fortunate that we have been blessed with goaltending here at Maine for a long time,” said Whitehead.

On defense, Loya is a big loss, and swingman Tom Reimann will be missed, but tough guy Prestin Ryan, offensive defenseman Francis Nault, and young blueliners Travis Wight and Troy Barnes all return next season.

The offense is the biggest question, but with proven scorers like Colin Shields and Todd Jackson, and rising younger players like Derek Damon and Greg Moore, the coaching staff has a lot to build on.

“We’ve been able to recruit for a full year for the first time,” said Whitehead. “That’s made a big difference. We have a strong group of redshirts and recruits that will be a welcome sight next season.”

This year’s seniors won’t be around to see what the next crop of young players can do, but they will always be able to call themselves Maine Black Bears.

jpelletier@sunjournal.com