Men’s Hockey
MAINE vs. NEW HAMPSHIRE
Time, site: Friday, 7 p.m., Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire; Saturday, 7 p.m., Cross Insurance Arena, Portland
Records: Maine 3-12-1 (2-6 Hockey East), UNH 4-9-1 (1-5-1)
Series, last meeting: Maine leads 60-51-6, Maine 4-2 on 1/25/14
Key players: Maine — C Cam Brown (5 goals, 7 assists), RW Blaine Byron (5 & 5), C-RW Steven Swavely (3 & 7), LW Connor Leen (5 & 2), C Devin Shore (4 & 3), D Ben Hutton (2 & 4), G Sean Romeo (1-8, 3.17 goals-against average, .902 save percentage); UNH— RW Matt Willows (7 & 4), RW Tyler Kelleher (5 & 5), C Andrew Poturalski (4 & 5), C Grayson Downing (4 & 4), LW Casey Thrush (1 & 4), D John Furgele (1 & 3), G Adam Clark (4-9-1, 2.54, .905)
Game notes: UNH’s penalty-killing ranks sixth in the country (90 percent), but neither team is ranked higher than 34th in any of the major statistical categories. UNH is 37th in scoring (2.43 goals per game), 34th in GAA (2.71) and 48th on the power play (10.9 percent) while Maine is tied for 45th in gpg (2.12), 53rd in GAA (3.62) and 43rd on the power play (.118). The Black Bears are 42nd on the penalty kill (80 percent). Willows scored three goals in last weekend’s 2-2 tie and 4-2 loss to Boston College. The senior winger leads his team in scoring and is tops in plus-minus (plus-9). The teams are 6-6-1 in their last 13 meetings. Goaltenders Romeo and Clark are freshmen. Five of UNH’s six defensemen in Saturday’s 4-2 loss to Boston College were freshmen or sophomores and eight of Maine’s 12 forwards in the 3-2 overtime loss at UMass Lowell were first- or second-year players. All-American Shore, who is looking to snap out of a slump (one point, an assist, in his last seven games), has six career points (2 & 4) in five games vs. UNH.