The University of Maine hockey team has landed a defenseman from Bemidji State through the NCAA transfer portal, while Black Bear freshman left winger Justin Poirier is going to Penn State.
Defenseman Isa Parekh, who was chosen to the CCHA All-Rookie team two years ago, will be coming to Orono for this upcoming season, according to online transfer trackers.
Parekh had two assists in 27 games during an injury-marred sophomore season this past campaign after registering three goals and 15 assists in 35 games two seasons ago.
The six-foot, 163-pound native of Toronto played for Nanaimo in the British Columbia Junior Hockey League in 2023-24 and posted 38 points on five goals and 33 assists in 52 contests.
He will join an incoming list of transfers that includes defensemen Chris Romaine (Ohio State) and Alexander Bales (Providence); wingers Lee Parks (UMass Lowell), Judah Makway (Alaska-Anchorage), Tanner Klimpke (Robert Morris) and Sam Alfano (Arizona State); and goalie Petter Wickstrom Stumer (Canisius).
Poirier, who recently underwent hip surgery, was UMaine’s leading goal scorer with 18 in 27 games. He missed the last eight games due to his hip injury.
He also had 11 assists.
He was fourth in the country among players at 63 Division I schools with an average of 0.67 goals per game. However, he scored only one goal in his last eight games for the Black Bears.
He also led the team in power play goals with seven.
He will be joining a program that had a freshman in Gavin McKenna who was a Hobey Baker Award finalist this season and earned a $700,000 Name, Image, Likeness contract with the Nittany Lions making it one of the most lucrative deals in college hockey.
McKenna is expected to be one of the top two players chosen in the NHL draft.
