Men’s Hockey
MAINE vs. NORTHEASTERN
Time, site: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Saturday 7 p.m., Alfond Arena, Orono
Records: Maine 12-17-3 (7-9-2 Hockey East), Northeastern 14-11-4 (9-7-2)
Series, last meeting: Maine leads 53-42-19, NU 4-3 on 2/22/14
Key players: Maine — C Devin Shore (11 goals, 18 assists), C Cam Brown (7 & 17), RW Blaine Byron (11 & 11), C-RW Steven Swavely (8 & 13), LW Nolan Vesey (7 & 11), D Ben Hutton (6 & 10), G Matt Morris (6-7-2, 2.63 goals-against average, .916 save percentage); Northeastern — LW Kevin Roy (16 & 21), C Dalen Hedges (8 & 21), C Mike Szmatula (11 & 14), D Matt Benning (0 & 20), D Colton Saucerman (6 & 8), G Clay Witt (9-6-2, 2/51, .913), G Derick Roy (5-5-2, 2.57, .915)
Game notes: The Huskies are 7-0-1 in their last eight games and 14-3-3 since an 0-8-1 start. Roy is one of the country’s best forwards. He is 10th in the nation in points per game (1.32). He had a goal and five assists in a win and a tie vs. Maine a year ago. Saucerman is tied for sixth in the country in power-play goals — all six of his have come with the man advantage. Maine holds a 3-2-3 edge in the last eight meetings with NU. The Huskies have a potent power play, ranking 12th in the country at a 21.5 efficiency rate. But Maine has killed off 44 of the opponents’ last 49 power plays (89.8 percent). Roy and Hedges are linemates along with Mike McMurtry (3 & 16) so the Black Bears have to play thorough team defense and limit that line’s time and space with the puck. Hutton has three goals and two assists in five career games against NU and Shore has 1 & 4 in five. The Black Bears need to limit their mistakes and make smart decisions with the puck. Maine is 2-3-1 in its last six games at Alfond Arena.
Baseball
MAINE vs. CLEMSON
Time, site: Friday, 11 a.m., Saturday (2), 11 a.m.; Lake Olmstead Stadium, Augusta, Georgia
Records: Maine 1-3, Clemson 2-1
Series, last meeting: Clemson leads 19-1, Clemson 10-2 on 2/23/14
Key players: Maine — 3B Luke Morrill (.500, 2 runs batted in), RF Brian Doran (.400, 2 RBI), Brett Chappell (4 RBI), Lou Della Fera (.333, 1 RBI, 1 stolen base), CF Sam Balzano (.278, 1 RBI); Clemson — DH Tyler Krieger (.600), RF Steven Duggar (.375, 1 RBI), 3B Weston Wilson (.333), CF Tyler Slaton (.273)
Pitching matchups — Maine: RH Jeff Gelinas (0-1, 13.50 earned run average, 1 strikeout), RH Justin Courtney (0-1, 7.36, 1K), LH Scott Heath (1-0, 3.86, 6K); Clemson: LH Matthew Crownover (0-0, 0.00, 8K), LH Zack Erwin (1-0, 1.50, 5K), RH Brody Koerner (0-1, 2.25, 8K)
Game notes: The Black Bears headed to South Carolina hoping for baseball weather, but with cold temperatures, ice on the field and rain in the forecast, the games were moved to Georgia. UMaine looks to gain some needed experience against a Tigers squad that this week slipped out of the top 25. UMaine had a 7.64 ERA in its four-game series against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, thus hopes for a better effort against Clemson, which scored only five runs in a season-opening series against West Virginia but posted a 2.33 team ERA. Clemson is coached by former UMaine football and baseball standout Jack Leggett.