AUBURN – Before Friday night’s game, Maineiac forward Marc-Andre Daneau, 19, and other players spent the morning at the Central Maine Community College.

They were in their foreign relations class taught by Mitch Thomas.

“We talked about what’s going on with the population on Earth,” Daneau said. Class discussion was about the birth rate in China and how the government limits the size of Chinese families, and the birth rates in other countries.

Daneau and other players are also taking sociology this semester. Last semester, they took three CMCC courses.

“School’s important,” Daneau said with a French accent. Playing in the NHL “is always in my dreams. But you need a Plan B.”

His Plan B is to become a physical therapist.

Daneau has a 3.7 grade point average, team academic adviser Roger Lachapelle bragged.

Another bragging right: Player Marc-Andre Cliche, who’s been drafted by the NHL and may play for the Los Angeles Kings next year, is one of five finalists in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Student of the Year award.

CMCC adjunct math professor John Wallace, one of several who nominated him, wrote that Cliche not only had a firm grasp of math concepts, “his demeanor and attitude in the classroom was unsurpassed.”

Daneau and Cliche are two of 24 education success stories for the team, Lachapelle said of his 24 players.

Three years ago the team’s education program wasn’t working.

Players sat in a windowless room at the Multi-Purpose Center. They had no teacher. They were supposed to be teaching themselves through correspondence courses. Instead some were playing computer games or listening to music. “It was not a good situation,” Lachapelle said.

Lachapelle recalled one of the players pulling him aside and telling him he wanted to go to school. “I don’t want to do this again. I want a teacher.'”

These days all players are in real classrooms with teachers or professors.

All are passing, and all taking five courses. Few other teams have players taking that many courses, Lachapelle said, adding that their academic program is one of the most successful in the Quebec junior hockey league.

He credits the turnaround to several factors:

• the creation of the Maineiacs Education Foundation, which that raises money to support the players education;

• constant messages from head coach Clem Jodoin that doing well academically is crucial; and

• creative class scheduling by Central Maine Community College, where the majority of the team attends classes.

The players can’t go to normal classes at area schools or colleges, Lachapelle said. With their schedule of 75 games per season, they’re on the road for 10 days at a time.

So CMCC stepped in.

When the team’s game schedule comes out in August, Dean of Community Service Diane Dostie develops courses where classes are only held when the Maineiacs are in town.

She’s been able to find professors to teach, despite the wonky schedule and a sometimes French/English barrier. Most of the players speak French, and have or are learning English.

CMCC’s classes also have to be transferable to other colleges, especially those in Canada, since most players will continue their education in Canada. The credits are being accepted, Lachapelle said.

One reason the customized classes have been successful is team’s attitude, said CMCC Dean of Planning and Public Affairs Roger Philippon. Coach Jodoin “is very serious about education. He doesn’t just pay lip service,” Philippon said. “We were impressed with the strong commitment the team had to establishing the best educational program in the league.”