Lee Saunders, who played hockey at the University of Maine from 1991-94, was killed June 13 in the Netherlands when he fell from a train platform outside Amsterdam and was hit by an oncoming train.
Saunders, 28, is best remembered by hockey fans for scoring the overtime game-winner for Maine against the University of Michigan in the 1993 NCAA semifinals; Maine went on to win the NCAA championship. His death came amidst mysterious circumstances, as two days earlier Saunders had contacted his parents to say that he was not boarding a scheduled flight home to Fernie, B.C.
“He told [his mother, Bridie] that he thought somebody had spiked his drink,” Saunders’ father, Dennis, said. “She said he sounded confused….He needed help.”
Lee Saunders, who was playing professional hockey in Europe, apparently bicycled from the airport to the train station on the night of June 12. After being notified of his son’s death, Dennis Saunders left for Amsterdam, where a memorial service was held. Another service, in Fernie, was scheduled for yesterday morning.
