ORONO — Jake Rutt’s eyes weren’t quite as big and wide as those on the oversized, inflatable black bear out of which the team skates prior to games at Alfond Arena.

But as he emerged from the bear’s mouth Sunday for the first time in a competitive setting, they were close.

“It was pretty exciting, going out of the bear head for the first time,” Rutt said. “Seeing the crowd and everything, I had a few jitters. But it was a good feeling.”

Rutt, one of seven freshmen on the Maine squad this season, saw his first game action Sunday in an exhibition against the University of New Brunswick, a 7-3 Maine victory. Because it was exhibition play, Maine dressed every healthy skater on its roster, and almost all of the players saw equal time. Rutt’s efforts Sunday produced a plus-1 rating and a pair of minor penalties, one for hooking and the other for tripping.

“Obviously it’s a pretty big adjustment, but it’s a work in progress,” Rutt said. “It’s not going to come like a snap of the fingers. It’s going to take a little time, and I just have to be patient.”

The biggest difference Rutt’s already noticing?

“It’s definitely the speed,” Rutt said, “and the talent of the players. Every level you go up, they get smarter and they get better with the puck. That will take a few games.”

Rutt came to campus at Orono with a solid pedigree. Before enrolling at Maine, and following his high school career at St. Dominic Academy and Scarborough High School, Rutt spent time with the Manchester Junior Monarchs.

“He comes from a good junior program, a lot of us played there so we know what to expect and he knows what to expect of us,” junior assistant captain Mike Cornell said. “Right away, that gives him a little bit of an advantage. He was good in our book, coming in from there.”

Cornell is among five players other than Rutt on Maine’s roster to have also played for the Junior Monarchs.

Over the summer, Rutt also joined a handful of current and former Maine players — including some Maine natives — to train for his freshman season. He spent time in Saco with teammate and fellow Mainer Mark Anthoine, former Black Bear standout defenseman Matt Duffy, also from Maine, Biddeford native and Boston College star defenseman Brian Dumoulin, as well as a host of other Maine alumni.

“(Duffy) had a great four year career here at Maine,” Maine head coach Tim Whitehead said. “It’s ideal when you can get one of your alums to associate with one of your current players over the summer and have those two connect, that’s always a plus for the program.”

As the school year drew closer, Rutt and the six other freshmen filtered onto campus early. It was there that Whitehead saw just what he’s getting in the rugged defenseman.

“He’s a big rig,” Whitehead said. “And what I love about Jake is that he’s a good athlete. He was an all-state baseball player in addition to a good hockey player, so this is a kid that has a lot of upside, a lot of athleticism. I think that’s going to translate, now that he’s focused just on hockey, I think you’re going to see a big growth spurt there on the ice.”

One of the biggest adjustments, Rutt said, is learning to play more of a defense-only role, something he began to learn in junior hockey.

“It’s obviously a big change from high school and even junior hockey,” Rutt said. “I can’t just lug the puck 200 feet. I’ve learned there are better puck-carriers out there than me, and I give them the puck. I learned well in juniors (with the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs) that my job as a defenseman is to defend and distribute.”

“He has a great opportunity to learn,” Whitehead said. “We have six returning defensemen that he can really learn a lot from. I think the biggest thing is learning how to train, learning how to budget your time in college so that you’re not exhausted when you get to the rink.”

By all accounts, Rutt appears to be adjusting just fine.

“He’s a big, strong kid,” Cornell said. “He’s got good offensive potential, he’s a good defensive player and he’s a good kid. Nothing but upside for him and we’re excited to have him on the team.”

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