« DI Hockey 2012-13

Mark Nemec

School
Maine
Position
Defense
Major
Mechanical Engineering
G
2
A
1
PTS
3
+/-
-4

Classroom

Mark Nemec received his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in May of 2012. With a year of eligibility remaining, he is pursuing a double major in management. Nemec has a 3.39 cumulative GPA. He finished with a 3.77 GPA in the spring of 2012, the highest on the Maine team. He has been named to the Dean’s List at the University of Maine. He has also been named a three-time Maine Scholar-Athlete Award winner and named to the Hockey East Academic All-Star Team the past three season. Few players can balance a mechanical engineering degree and playing a Division I sport the way that he has.

Character

Nemec is a person of extremely high character. A recruited walk-on as a freshman, he has turned into a senior captain of the Black Bears. He is someone that teammates look up to not by as much of what he says, but how he acts and conducts himself on and off the ice. After sitting out his freshman year as a redshirt, he broke his thumb in just his second collegiate game. He overcame the injury to earn a spot in the lineup. He is the type of person that everything he does, he puts 100 percent into it, which is why he is so successful both in the classroom and on the ice.

Community

Nemec has been active in the University of Maine community since his freshman year. He has participated in numerous community service activities. He was the team’s top finisher in the Race for the Cure road race to benefit cancer research. Last season, he spent time at Eastern Maine Medical Center visiting children with serious medical conditions. He has also taken part in three benefit softball games against local police for Special Olympics. He has played in several Sled Hockey games against quadriplegics. He was among a small grass roots effort that went and talked to students on campus encouraging them to come out to athletic events. He has also participated in Skate with the Bears, Kids Zone, and coaching at Youth Hockey clinics.

Competition

Nemec went from being a recruited walk-on to a senior captain and one of Maine’s top defensemen. He is just one of two Black Bears seniors (out of seven) to have played in 100 or more career games. Nemec is always among the +/- leaders on the team. He was named the team’s recipient of the Unsung Hero Award for the 2011-2012 season. Nemec is one of Maine’s top penalty killers along with one of its top shot blockers. He is usually the top defenseman on Maine’s penalty kill and is always on the ice during a five-on-three or the last minute of a game to shut down the other team. He was a part of the team that led Maine to a return trip to the NCAA Tournament last season after missing the tournament several years in a row. He is one of Maine’s top players to watch this season on a strong, defensive-minded team.