BOSTON – The University of Maine hockey team knows a thing or two about overcoming adversity.

This year, the last class to have played under legendary coach Shawn Walsh will lead a very young team into the toughest college hockey conference in the country.

“There’s no question that this conference is, top to bottom, one of the toughest in the country,” said Maine head coach Tim Whitehead. “On any given night, the team in last place can come up and beat the team that’s in first.”

Evidence of the conference’s supremacy can be found in the league’s record against other conferences, and with the number of teams ranked consistently in the top 15 in the country. Last year, in most of the polls, five teams from Hockey East occupied one of the top 15 spots, and the league’s overall recordwas 61-22-13 against the rest of the country.

Maine opens conference play tonight against Merrimack at Alfond Arena in Orono.

Here below is a quick overview of the nine teams in Hockey East, what each brings to the table in 2003-04, and the key players to watch for each club. The teams are listed in projected order of finish, as determined by the preseason Hockey East Coaches’ Poll.

1. Boston College – Looking at the Eagles’ lineup, it’s hard to find a weakness.

Leading the Eagles’ offense will be a large group of talented forwards, maybe the best collection of offense in the country. Patrick (a sophomore) and Ben (a senior) Eaves, Tony Voce, Ty Hennes, Justin Dziama, Ryan Shannon and Dave Spina are all talented, multi-dimentional forwards that have varsity experience. At Boston College that almost always means playoff experience as well.

On defense, J.D. Forrest will be a leader, while the brawn will come from senior Brett Peterson and junior Andrew Alberts, two sizeable defensemen also with valuable experience.

The Eagles have the arsenal to take the Hockey East title, the regional title and even the NCAA title, provided up-and-down goaltender Matti Kaltiainen is equal to the task.

2. New Hampshire – The Wildcats return 55 percent of their scoring offense and six defensemen. New Hampshire also went deep into the NCAA tournament last season, falling in the title game to two-time champ Minnesota, and return one of the top goaltenders in the country in Michael Ayers, who compiled a 27-8-6 record with a 2.18 GAA and a .926 save percentage.

Leading the offense are Patrick Foley and Steve Saviano, co-captains in their senior year, along with fellow seniors Nathan Martz and Tyler Scott. Juniors Sean Collins, Justin Aikins and Preston Callander all had solid seasons on 2002-03.

On defense, the Wildcats are solid with Mick Mounsey, Mike Lubesnick, Tim Horst, Robbie Barker, Tyson Teplitsky and Brian Yandle all returning from last season.

3. Boston University – Goaltending is also the word on Commonwealth Ave. with senior All-America candidate Sean Fields minding the nets this season for the Terriers. Last season, Fields recorded 24 wins in 40 games, making more than 1,000 saves with a .911 save percentage. His 2.49 GAA was the best of his career, and he led BU to the elite eight in the NCAA tournament.

Helping BU this season is the return of 11 forwards that accounted for 70% of last year’s goal production. Leading that group are Kenny Magowan, Mark Mullen, Brian McConnell, Frantisez Skladany, Brad Zancanaro and Saco’s John Laliberte.

The blue line will be a telling sign for the Terriers as well, with Brian Miller and Ryan Whitney holding down the fort. Two other defensemen, Jekabs Redlihs and Dan Spang, also return.

4. Maine – The Black Bears have reloaded quietly this offseason, thanks to four redshirt players that were with the team last season but could not play. Leading that group is Jeff Mushaluk, who already has been named as an assistant captain. Mushaluk is an imposing defenseman who will add size to the blue line and help to replace Francis Nault, forced to leave this year due to eligibility issues.

On offense, the most highly touted of the newcomers is Michel Leveille, a speedy playmaker from Quebec Province that has already turned heads in practices and during the annual Blue/White exhibition.

Perhaps more intriguing will be the line combinations coach Tim Whitehead invents. Starting the season, Todd Jackson played with Maine duo Derek Damon of Bangor and Greg Moore of Lisbon. The two players from Maine have played together since high school and can feel each other out on the ice. Add in Jackson’s speed, and the line has lethal potential.

On defense, Mushaluk will lead a young group that Whithead said may see action as more of a platoon. The first four defensemen will play most of the minutes, while the others on the roster will rotate through unless someone is either hurt of showing extraordinary potential. Overall, Maine may well be the team with the most potential to move up from its preseason ranking.

5. Massachusetts – Last year’s biggest surprise might be this year’s biggest sleeper. The Minutemen shocked the league last season with two big wins over Maine in Orono during the Hockey East playoffs.

The crux of the team last season was freshmen and sophomores, and with just one key player missing from last year’s team, UMass may be poised to crack the top four and battle for home ice positioning in the playoffs for the first time.

On offense, Mike Warner is the only returning senior out of 12 returning forwards, with five juniors and six sophomores joining him on the front lines. Tim Vitek and Stephen Werner are two of the more explosive forwards in the Minuteman arsenal.

On defense, seven of the eight blueliners return this season, and that includes Thomas Pock, who set several school records last season with 17 goals and 20 assists from the blue line.

In net, Gave Winer and Tim Warner return as well.

6. Providence – With seven returning defensemen, the Friars will rely heavily on their experienced defense to make it through the season.

Jason Platt and Stephen Wood are both solid defensemen with size, and will be counted on to lead the squad. Last year, Providence went 6-0-2 in February and Wood was named the Hockey East defensive player of the month.

In goal, the Friars should also be strong. Bobby Goepfert, a sophomore, played very well for Providence and also made a name for himself on the national scene by playing for the United States at the World Junior Championships held in Canada. In 13 games with the Friars last season, Goepfert was 6-6-1 with a 2.39 GAA and a .924 save percentage.

On the offensive side of things, Providence may struggle. The seven players missing from last season will make it hard for them to score against some of the top defensive teams in the league.

7. Lowell – Youth is the word in Lowell this season, with 24 freshmen and sophomores on the roster to start the season. That inexperience will probably lead to a tough year for the Riverhawks, but bodes well for the future.

On offense, Lowell lost three of its top five scorers, including Ed McGrane, but will reload nicely with the likes of Andrew Martin, Ben Walter, Danny O’Brien and Elias Godoy.

On defense, Peter Tormey, a junior returns and will lead a squad that will have a load to bear with the aparent lack of scoring punch.

The biggest question mark for Lowell this season will be between the pipes. Chris Davidson will take over after a rough season last year.

8. Northeastern – With 30 percent of the team listed as freshmen, the Huskies are making a successful stab at a future, but this year may run into some problems.

One strong part of NU’s game will be in net. Keni Gibson split time last year with Mike Gilhooly, and was their No. 1 for much of the season. Adam Geragosian, a freshman, will push Gibson from the start of the season.

On the blue line, the Huskies return a trio of juniors that should provide some stability in Tim Judy, Donny Grover and Jon Awe. The rest of the group will be young and will need to learn fast.

On offense, despite returning 12 letter winners, Northeastern is still rather young. If the forwards learned from their experience last year, and if a few newcomers step into their roles, the Huskies could grind out some crucial wins.

9. Merrimack – With just four seniors and despite the low ranking by the coaches, Merrimack could be a sleeper team in Hockey East this season.

On offense, Merrimack returns Tim Reidy, Marco Rosa (who has been drafted by Dallas of the NHL) and Jeremy Wilson as seniors, and a wealth of scoring in Brent Gough and Matt Johnson. The latter two are part of a talented sophomore class that will ensu0re the Warriors are solid for a couple of more years.

On the blue line, Eric Pederson and Tony Johnson anchor a solid base, and will do well to protect goalies Casey Guenther (a junior) and Jim Healey (a freshman). Both goalies take over in the shadow of two-year starter Joe Exter.

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