Orono - Compared to the rigors of boot camp, a college hockey practice might not rank too high in difficulty with guys like Jake McDonald and Sam Cila.

"I'm a currently a Major in the United States Marine Corps and Sam is a former Staff Sergeant in the army," said McDonald.

As a result of their work history, their tactics are pretty effective when charged with leading a group of young athletes from the University of Maine.

McDonald told us, "We're trying to get Maine hockey that much better over the next few days."

He and Cila came to Orono from Massachusetts with a company called The Program, which trains athletes throughout the U.S. and Canada.

"In today's society, it's hard to find people with the values and traits that teammates like Sam and my other teammates in the program possess," explained McDonald.

In hopes of instilling similar values in his team, head coach Tim Whitehead enlisted the group's help last year.

Whitehead said, "They're just quality people with great character who've come through a lot of adversity in their own lives and they can really help improve leadership in any group."

And now the two former service men have found a new way to serve by shaping young athletes to be leaders in the future.

"The program gave me the opportunity to be a soldier again in a different way," said Cila.

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