ORONO – With just a few weeks remaining until Maine’s hockey players head to their summer homes, the team is suffering from a mild case of shock after the NCAA ruled that Francis Nault, regarded by many as the team’s best returning player, is ineligible to play a fourth year at Maine.

“It’s very unfortunate for us,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead. “To lose the top-scoring defenseman in Hockey East after his junior season is a tremendous loss. He really emerged as an elite player this season, and we had already talked about an off season regimen to help him improve.”

Instead of following a Maine workout regimen, Nault is busy shopping his resume to the professional ranks.

According to the NCAA, Nault was not allowed to participate in a few tournament exhibitions the summer after he turned 21. By doing so, Nault forfeited one year of eligibility.

“My personal opinion is that he tried as best he could to follow the rules,” said Whitehead. “He got some bad advice and now he’s paying for it.”

Nault isn’t the only one suffering. The Black Bears were already reeling from the loss of the majority of their goal production thanks to a large senior class. Nault’s unexpected absense puts a big hole in the scoring defense.

“Without a doubt there is no way to replace a player like him,” said Maine defenseman Matthew Deschamps. “His offensive ability at the blue line is unmatched, maybe in the league.”

“It hit a lot of us hard,” added goaltender Frank Doyle. “It will hurt not to have him in front of me this season for sure.”

Doyle and Jimmy Howard both return in net, but the blue line corps returns just one senior in Prestin Ryan.

“At the beginning of next year, we already knew that the defense was going to be critical because of all of the forwards we lost to graduation this year,” said Deschamps. “Now, it’s going to weigh even more heavily on our shoulders.”

According to the players, the team was aware of the situation, but many thought resolving it would be little more than a formality.

“We kind of knew there was a problem,” said Doyle. “We didn’t think it was this serious, though. When we heard he wasn’t coming back, we were shocked.”

Nault’s focus has now shifted to finding a place to play next season. If, for some reason, Nault cannot find a professional job, he still has the option of finishing his degree on scholarship at Maine and continuing on as an assistant coach.

“He’s the kind of person that sees the cup as half full,” said Whitehead. “He always bounces back from things with a positive attitude, and he’s done so here.”

From the time Nault was a walk-on, he made great strides in his game. His ability to make plays under pressure, according to Whitehead, will be the reason he might get noticed by professional scouts.

“He makes plays in full game situations that some guys can’t even do in practice,” said Whitehead.

Now, instead of being the best returning defenseman in Hockey East, Nault becomes the third defenseman in three years to leave Maine early, joining Doug Janik and Michael Schutte.

“As far as the team goes, we are used to it a bit,” said Whitehead. “We have to be careful when we try to recruit to replace him, though. We can’t go out and look for someone just for the sake of filling the spot. He’s really an irreplaceable player.”

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