ORONO – It could have been a summer of celebration and glory.

Instead, the University of Maine men’s hockey team couldn’t help but wonder about what could have been.

“I don’t think I’ve gotten over it,” said UMaine forward Greg Moore. “I still catch myself day-dreaming in class once in awhile or just sitting around and thinking about the game and what went wrong.”

The Black Bears lost to Denver in last April’s National Championship game in Boston. Maine had its chance to win the game. Not only did it have a Derek Damon goal waived off but also failed to convert on a six-on-three power play in the final minute.

“For me personally, I tried to put it behind me as fast as I could,” said goaltender Jimmy Howard. “You can’t really dwell on that. You can’t look to the past. I just regrouped during the summer.”

The Black Bears spent the summer trying to move on from last year’s heartbreak. It was the third straight year Maine has ended the season with a bitter taste in their mouths. In 2002, the Black Bears lost to Minnesota in the final in overtime, 3-2. In 2003, Maine had an early exit with a 2-1 loss to Michigan.

“Anytime you get that close, and you don’t come out on top, you want to get there next year,” said defenseman Troy Barnes. “Everyone worked extremely hard during the summer, and we’ll be ready to go.”

The Black Bears open the season in Vermont on October 3. Since last year ended, UMaine has tried to find a balance between dwelling on last year and being motivated by it.

“It’s not at the point where we dwell on it or it’s going to hurt us,” said Moore. “It is definitely motivating to know that we can get to that point, and we know what it’s going to take.”

That desire has fueled the Black Bears work this summer. Many players stayed behind and worked out regularly. They skated and had pick-up games that included former Black Bears.

“There was a bunch of us, and we definitely worked hard,” said Howard. “We were so close and yet so far last year. So we just want to give ourselves a chance to get back there this year.”

To Coach Tim Whitehead it isn’t unusual to see such determination from his club during the summer. Getting close to a championship is something the Black Bears expect and are accustomed to.

“We keep our expectations very high here, and we have things we want to achieve,” said Whitehead. “So I don’t think that’s a surprise that they really pushed themselves this summer. I know I certainly did and my fellow coaches did. We want to get back and have another opportunity to play for another Hockey East championship and another NCAA championship. If we keep getting in that arena again and again, we’ll certainly win our share.”

Though last spring’s disappointment has pushed them and incited their hunger, the focus is now on the future. As the team gathered for a team picture Wednesday, the emphasis was on the upcoming season, not the one behind them.

“I think it’s motivating during the summer but at the same time, when you come back and it’s a brand new season, you can’t really go on what happened last year,” said Barnes. “There’s a group of new guys and new chemistry on the team. So its a fresh start for everybody.”