BIDDEFORD — It’s been a long time coming for Tyler Fleurent.

Even longer for Dana Gobeil.

Both former Biddeford High standouts will be rewarded for their patience come Friday, when they and their University of New England teammates get the school’s inaugural varsity hockey season underway.

When the Nor’easters welcome Salve Regina to the Biddeford Ice Arena (face off set for 7 p.m.), it will be the start of a new era.

Fleurent has been looking forward to playing college hockey since his days at Biddeford ”“ he was on the 2007 State Championship team ”“ and later with the Portland Jr. Pirates.

“I’m excited,” said Fleurent, a freshman business major. “It should be a good year.”

For Gobeil, a senior, that first face off will be the end of one journey and the beginning of a newer, more challenging one.

He was a freshman when the school announced plans to add NCAA Division-III hockey.

And he was on hand the last two seasons when the Nor’easters played a club hockey schedule while the program continued to build under head coach Brad Holt.

The reality of Opening Night, and the three year process of getting to it, has begun to sink in.

“To be honest,” Gobeil said, “It’s catching up to me.

“I knew the third year was going to be my senior year and probably the last year I would play organized hockey. I knew every year, and every practice, we were working towards this. And here it is.”

UNE will compete in the tough ECAC East, a 10-team loop that also includes Southern Maine as well as Norwich, the perennial Kings of the Conference and former National Champions.

The Cadets, who could be the class of the league again, will visit BIA Nov. 20.

Holt, who played collegiately at New Hampshire under his late father and coaching legend, Charlie Holt, expects that his team will take its lumps at the outset.

“We’re going to make mistakes,” said Holt. “And I know it’s going to be a tough road. Playing a team like Norwich, (they) already have their systems down. They already know what they’re doing. We’re integrating an entire team. I expect that our learning curve will take longer than these other guys.”

Holt said that fans attending Nor’easters contests will be treated to fast paced, up tempo hockey.

Leading the attack will be junior forward Jack Nolin of Somersworth, N.H., who led UNE last year with 25 points (18 g, 7 a).

“He is a dynamic player,” said Holt. “He has size, strength, and is really fast. He’s clearly a Division-I hockey player that we were lucky enough to get. He’s the real deal.”

Holt is hoping that hustle will make up for the inexperience of a squad that features just four upperclassmen.

“Everywhere,” said Holt, “we’re young. And that’s going to be the biggest weakness that we have. That’s going to be difficult.

“We’ve had great recruiting classes. One of the best of any D-III school. We got pretty much exactly what we wanted, and who we wanted. I think we have the makings of a great team.”

Holt’s haul over the past three years have netted him such locals as Gobeil, Fleurent (”He’s really coachable, very smart”), and freshman forward John Melancon of Lyman (”Very smart, with a great stick”.).

He’s counting on significant contributions from each of them.

Meanwhile, Fleurent is just happy to have a place to make that contribution, especially since it’s in his hometown.

“It’s an exciting thought,” he said. “It will be a good memory to look back on.”

— Contact Dan Hickling at dhickling@journaltribune.com.