Sports

Men’s Hockey: Blueliner Dimmen provides scoring punch

Posted on Feb. 25, 2010, at 1:42 a.m.

Bobby Orr revolutionized hockey’s defenseman position, and current NHL stars such as Brian Rafalski and Duncan Keith followed suit.

University of Maine junior assistant captain Jeff Dimmen is also part of an up-and-coming selection of blueliners that complement their defensive abilities with a knack for scoring goals. This type of player has blurred the prototypical image of a big defenseman known primarily for taking advantage of their size and delivering brutal bodychecks.

That is not to say the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Dimmen does not create literal and figurative headaches for opposing forwards, but his twine-seeking point shots add another element for his counterparts to be concerned with. Dimmen’s career-high 10 goals this season are fifth-most on the team, and he is a critical component of the nation’s most efficient power-play unit. Sophomore Will O’Neill has been his defensive partner since last year.

“It helps that Coach has the confidence in us to put us on the power play,” Dimmen said. “We get a lot of chances out there.”

One in every five chances Dimmen has taken this season has gone in the net, and he has dished out 14 assists. O’Neill has combined five goals and 19 assists for his 24 points. The two-headed monster is matched in Hockey East Conference defensemen scoring only by Boston University’s Colby Cohen and Kevin Shattenkirk, who have 25 and 23 points, respectively.

“We both have the same strengths, and we cover for each other when we’re jumping into the play,” Dimmen said. “I think it makes us real deadly out there. [Opponents] have to worry about both of us, not just one of us.”

UMaine associate head coach Bob Corkum, a former NHL veteran center, sees their skill as a rarity.

“You’re seeing a lot more guys that are portrayed as an offensive guy,” Corkum said. “Whether they can do it at this level or not is another story. Both Jeff and Will have been able to do it up to this point.”

“I think with the new NHL there are a lot of puck-moving defensemen,” O’Neill said. “They’re all Dims’ size, and move the puck, and they’re tremendous players.”

Dimmen progressed from scoring two goals as a freshman and six as a sophomore. In his first year, he learned alongside senior Bret Tyler, who finished second in team scoring with 20 points on eight goals and 12 assists.

“I got to run with one of the best offensive defensemen that’s been around here in the last couple years,” Dimmen said.

Before that, Dimmen was paired with the University of Michigan’s Scooter Vaughan, while playing for the North American Hockey League’s St. Louis Bandits in 2006-07. Vaughan scored eight goals that season for the Bandits, while Dimmen scored seven. Vaughan has since switched to playing forward for the Wolverines.

Despite graduating defensemen Simon Danis-Pepin and Matt Duffy last year, the Black Bears have improved depth at all three positions. O’Neill spent some time at center last year due to injuries, but the defensive pairing has been able to maintain consistency this year, even with three centers injured early in the season.

Corkum said the coaching staff thought about utilizing O’Neill at center again with the shortage of healthy players at that position, but felt Dimmen and O’Neill are more effective side-by-side.

“They complement each other very well,” Corkum said. “They’re both very well-rounded hockey players. They come to the rink every day wanting to get better and are great leaders within the team itself.”

Dimmen said UMaine coach Tim Whitehead joked with him about wanting to test his offensive ability at forward as well, but Dimmen said he hopes he has secured his spot on the blue line.

The way Dimmen plays his position is not the only way the Colorado Springs, Colo., native defies the norm. While most Division I hockey players learned to skate when they learned to walk, it took a friend quitting his middle school soccer team in favor of hockey to spark Dimmen’s interest in the sport.

“I started begging my mom to play, and she thought it was just a phase and it would pass,” Dimmen said.

Dimmen also competed in swimming before playing for four different junior hockey teams in three years, based from St. Louis to Alaska.

“It was a good experience to get to see a lot of different places,” Dimmen said.

He requested a trade to St. Louis, an NAHL powerhouse, for his final year because he wanted to contend for a championship. The Bandits lived up to expectations, winning the Junior “A” national title.

Rather than pursuing a spot with local Colorado College — another hockey hotbed —Dimmen’s desire for a change in scenery and successful hockey tradition brought him to Orono. Dimmen played against his favorite childhood team in the championship game of the Florida College Classic in December, and assisted on Tanner House’s game-winning goal.

“That was pretty special,” Dimmen said. “I grew up watching them and cheering for them, and that was my dream to play for them.”

Dimmen’s constant pursuit of progress has earned him respect among his peers and coaches, and is signified in his selection as an assistant captain as a junior.

“You can’t ever be satisfied with what you have,” Dimmen said.

“He’s really the epitome of Maine Hockey,” Corkum said.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 25th, 2010, 1:42 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.