Men’s College Hockey
MAINE vs. NEW HAMPSHIRE
Time, site: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Alfond Arena, Orono; Saturday, 7 p.m., Whittemore Center, Durham, New Hampshire
Records: Maine 4-8-3 (2-4 Hockey East), UNH 4-6-3 (1-1-3)
Series, last meeting: Maine leads 63-52-6, Maine 4-0 1/24/15
Key players: Maine — LW Blaine Byron (5 goals, 5 assists), C Cam Brown (2 & 7), C Will Merchant (5 & 3), D Dan Renouf (3 & 5), C Steven Swavely (2 & 3), D Rob Michel (0 & 4), G Matt Morris (4-2-1, 2.52 goals-against average, .930 save percentage); UNH— C Andrew Poturalski (11 & 14), RW Tyler Kelleher (6 & 17), D Matias Cleland (2 & 9), LW Dan Correale (8 & 2), D Cameron Marks (0 & 8), RW Maxim Gaudreault (5 & 2), G Daniel Tirone (2-6-3, 4.01, .877)
Game notes: Maine has won four of the last five meetings. UNH is the No. 9 scoring team in the country (3.62 goals per game) but the Wildcats are also one of nation’s worst defensive clubs (3.92 gpg allowed, 56th among 60 teams). UNH has surrendered three or more goals in 10 games. Maine will have to neutralize the high-powered line of Correale-Poturalski-Kelleher. The dynamic Kelleher leads the country in assists. UNH’s power-play percentage (25 percent) is ninth best thanks to eight goals in its last 25 chances (32 percent). Poturalski and Correale have combined for nine power-play goals. Poturalski was the HE Player of the Month (6 & 17 in seven games). Maine’s veterans have finally come to life in the four-game winning streak as Renouf has 3 & 3, Byron has 4 & 1, Swavely has 2 & 2 and Brown and Merchant each have 1 & 3.
Women’s Basketball
MAINE vs. NORTHEASTERN
Time, site: Friday, noon; Cabot Gym, Boston
Records: Maine 6-3, Northeastern 4-2
Series, last meeting: Maine leads 34-21, UM 60-51 on 12/13/14
Key players: Maine — 5-8 G Sigi Koizar (17.2 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, 4.0 assists per game, 1.4 steals per game), 5-10 G/F Liz Wood (10.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.8 spg), 6-2 F Mikaela Gustafsson (7.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, .518 FG pct.), 5-10 G Chantel Charles (7.3 ppg), 5-8 Sophie Weckstrom (7.1 ppg, 2.4 apg), 5-11 F Bella Swan (5.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg); Northeastern — 6-0 F Samantha DeFreese (17.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.1 blocks per game), 5-5 G Jess Genco (10.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.1 spg), 6-0 F Gabriella Giacone (9.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg), 5-7 G Claudia Ortiz (7.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.7 spg), 6-2 C Francesca Sally (5.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg)
Game notes: UMaine opens its two-game weekend set looking for its third straight win. The Black Bears handled Division III Colby 82-42 on Tuesday. Northeastern, which beat New Hampshire 66-54 on Tuesday, has already matched its win total from last season (4-25). The Huskies are starting two freshmen in Genco and Giacone. UMaine is No. 75 in the NCAA Rating Percentage Index (RPI), one of the measurements used to select and seed teams for the NCAA tournament. The Black Bears rank 55th in scoring defense (55.3 ppg) and are No. 21 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.22). Koizar has emerged as UMaine’s offensive catalyst while shooting 49 percent from the field, including 51 percent on 3-pointers and 87 percent from the foul line. Northeastern has been strong defensively, giving up only 58.7 ppg while holding opponents to 28 percent accuracy from the 3-point stripe. The Huskies have tended to start slowly, so UMaine could benefit from an efficient offensive effort early.