UNE students gain real world experience through partnership with The Maine Mariners by enhancing fan engagement, supporting growth and team operations. 

February 25, 2025 

Maeve McDermott 

University of New England Communications student 

In the summer of 2024, The University of New England (UNE) and The Maine Mariners, a minor league hockey team based in Maine, partnered. This partnership was designed to fuel UNE’s mission to equip students with real world skills and provide The Maine Mariners with opportunities of new growth with data analytics. 

This partnership was initiated by Conor Blake (he/him), Manager of the Center for Sport and Business Innovation at UNE and Norm O’Reilly, Dean of UNE’s College of Business, which launched earlier this year. The Mariners, which was recently acquired by Dexter Paine, entered a new phase of ownership offering a unique opportunity for collaboration. 

“Our mission is to help give students experience, and there’s no better way to do that than working on a real-life project.” Blake highlighted. 

He also states, “While the Mariners are talented and have a great staff, they might be limited in some areas where we can help. By identifying key growth opportunities, we provide them with the necessary research and insight to tackle challenges they may not have the bandwidth to address right now.”

Blake highlights the new MBA program for UNE’s College of Business. He states “MBA students come from all walks of life…Being able to also support the Mariners with that kind of cohort of students will also be important. So we can kind of address projects on multiple levels…we’re excited about the opportunities with Mariners growing and the college growing at the same time.”  Noting this addition is not only exciting for UNE but for the Mariners as well. 

Sam Murray (he/him), Vice President of Sales & Strategy at The Maine Mariners states “The students have been incredible. They’ve jumped into some really important projects for us, from analyzing data to helping us figure out what works best for our fans. It’s a win-win—they get real-world experience, and we get insights that will help us grow as a team.”

The Mariners, part of the number one minor league sports market in the country, face challenges in areas such as fan engagement, player performance analytics, and facility expansion. 

Students have been gathering feedback from fans through surveys at games to understand their preferences and experiences. Whilst also collected data for building a team on the ice and collecting market research for a new practice facility. In return, opening the door for many opportunities for The Mariners to answer questions that they wouldn’t have the research for otherwise. 

Kelly McCarthy (she/her), senior Business major and member of UNE Womens Ice Hockey team shares many valuable insights on her excitement for getting an opportunity to join the project. “What excites me most about participating in this research collaboration with the Maine Mariners is the hands-on opportunity to apply my hockey experience, having played at UNE, to a project that directly impacts both the team and the community”

McCarthy reflects on the collaboration noting “The more the college is involved in impactful, high-profile research, the more it will be recognized as a leader in the fields of business, sports management, and innovation, which will drive more opportunities for both students and faculty alike.” 

She adds “As students not directly involved in the day-to-day operations of the team, we can provide fresh insights (to The Maine Mariners) and innovative solutions that might not be immediately obvious to those working within the organization. Our ability to approach problems objectively allows us to ask different questions”

The Mariners and UNE are excited to continue growing their relationship and expanding opportunities for students to engage, all while helping the sports industry succeed. With great optimism, Blake states, “The future is bright for both UNE and the Mariners, and this partnership is just the beginning.”