The University of Maine men’s hockey team has gone into quarantine after a member of the program tested positive, the school announced Thursday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer Buy this Photo
Players on the University of Maine men’s hockey program are in quarantine after a member of the program tested positive for COVID-19, the school announced Thursday.
As a result, all team activities have been paused and the team’s weekend series at UMass Lowell will not be played.
According to a release from Dan Demeritt, the executive director of public affairs for the University of Maine system, the positive case of COVID-19 was discovered through the daily antigen testing done on the Orono campus for members of the men’s and women’s hockey programs.
UMaine athletics is working with the university’s Emergency Operations Center on contact tracing and additional PCR testing, according to Demeritt. “We’ll keep everyone apart from each other and support them all,” he said.
Demeritt added that “the coaching staff and direct support staff were not considered close contacts requiring mandatory quarantine as outlined by guidance established by the University of Maine System and the Maine CDC.”
That determination, arrived at through contact tracing, came Wednesday, according to a second release by the university late Thursday afternoon.
“Every step we have taken to prepare for our winter sports season has prioritized the safety of our student-athletes, coaches and athletic staff and our Maine communities,” said UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy in the statement. “The testing and contact tracing strategies in support of our Division I athletics program are working and the university is already taking steps to limit the spread of infection.”
“We are very proud of our men’s Black Bear hockey team and will be providing all of our impacted players and staff with support during their quarantine period.”
This marks the second time during the winter season that the UMaine sports schedule has been paused. Games involving all teams were halted from Nov. 24 to Dec. 8 after positive COVID-19 test results involving multiple teams.
The men’s hockey program is the only one affected by the latest positive test. The women’s hockey team will play at Providence College on Friday and Saturday.
The men’s hockey team has played two games, a tie and a loss at New Hampshire last weekend. Its next games are against UMass Lowell on Jan. 1-2.
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