Men’s college hockey
MAINE vs. NEW HAMPSHIRE
Time, site: Tuesday, 7 p.m., Cross Insurance Arena, Portland; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, N.H.
Records: Maine 4-9-4, UNH 6-6-4
Series, last meeting: Maine leads 63-53-6, UNH 5-2 on Dec. 5
Key players: Maine — LW Blaine Byron (5 goals, 5 assists), C Will Merchant (6 & 3), Dan Renouf (3 & 6), C Cam Brown (2 & 7), C Steven Swavely (3 & 3), G Matt Morris (4-2-2, 2.55 goals-against average, .928 save percentage), G Rob McGovern (0-7-2, 2.65, .915); UNH— C Andrew Poturalski (16 & 16), RW Tyler Kelleher (6 & 23), LW Dan Correale (10 & 4), D Matias Cleland (2 & 11), LW Maxim Gaudreault (9 & 2), D John Furgele (1 & 8), G Daniel Tirone (4-6-4, 3.66, .889)
Game notes: This is the second year of the back-to-back Portland-Manchester non-conference games between the two archrivals. Maine won the Manchester game 5-2 last season but UNH rebounded to win in Portland 7-4 the next night. The teams have contrasting styles. Maine will try to use its size and strength to create forecheck chances at the expense of the young UNH defense. UNH is quick and will look to generate rush opportunities off transition. UNH plays its home games on an Olympic ice sheet (200 by 100 feet) at the Whittemore Center but the rinks in Portland and Manchester are pro rinks with smaller dimensions (200 by 85) like Maine’s Alfond Arena. That should give Maine an advantage. UNH went 3-for-7 on the power play in the tie and win vs. Maine before the break so the Black Bears can’t afford to take any bad penalties. The nation’s top-scoring line of Poturalski between Correale and Kelleher had four goals and eight assists in those two games so Maine has to be aware of that line at all times.