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The Portland Beacons co-op boys hockey team announced Friday that the program has been reinstated after winning an appeal to the Maine Principals’ Association and will play the final two games of its regular season.

The program announced Wednesday that it would forfeit its remaining games after leaving the ice just 10 minutes into a game on Feb. 7 against Old Town/Orono. That game was recorded as a forfeit victory for Old Town/Orono.

Players and family were notified Friday in an email from the athletic directors at Portland, South Portland, Deering and Waynflete that the team will be allowed to play its final two games, but the coaching staff will be “prohibited from being in attendance at practices and games for the remainder of the season.” The email was posted to X.com by reporter Michael Hoffer of Hofferhighschoolsports.com.

Under MPA rules, any team that forfeits a game is ineligible to complete the season. High school varsity teams that can’t complete a season also face a two-year ban from competition. The Beacons still plan to appeal that ban.

Friday’s email stated that Dan Winship, coach of Portland’s girls co-op team, will serve as the interim coach of the boys team.

The four schools that form the boys co-op team appealed the “non-completion of season penalty” to the MPA, and the appeal was granted Friday according to the email sent to players and family. “As a result, the Beacons Boys Ice Hockey team has been reinstated and will be permitted to complete the remainder of the 2025-26 season, but is ineligible for postseason play.”

The incident Saturday that led to the initial forfeit came with Old Town/Orono holding a 2-1 lead just over 10 minutes into the game and about to begin a 5-on-3 power play. First, Portland was called for an interference penalty. When Beacons coaches complained about the call, they were issued a bench minor. As the refs were lining up the players to resume play, Portland co-op coach Joe Robinson waved his team off the ice. The Beacons walked up the stairs to their locker room and the game was declared a forfeit.

Robinson, who played for South Portland High and graduated in 1994, has been a head coach since 2007, first when South Portland was a standalone program, then overseeing the co-op team.

The Beacons are scheduled to play the Marshwood co-op on Saturday in Dover, New Hampshire, and end the regular season against Kennebunk/Wells on Feb. 19. Portland (4-12) is currently ranked 11th in Class A and not in the running for a playoff berth.