Men’s Hockey
MAINE vs. CONNECTICUT
Time, site: Friday, Saturday, 7 p.m., Alfond Arena, Orono
Records: Maine 5-12-4 (2-5-1 Hockey East); UConn 7-13-1 (3-7-1)
Series, last meeting: Maine leads 2-1-2, 2-2 tie on 2/1/15
Key players: Maine — LW Will Merchant (8 goals, 5 assists), RW Blaine Byron (5 & 7), D Dan Renouf (5 & 7), C Cam Brown (3 & 7), C Steven Swavely (5 & 3), D Rob Michel (0 & 6), G Rob McGovern (1-8-2, 2.72 goals-against average, .912 save percentage); UConn— C Max Letunov (8 & 15), RW Tage Thompson (9 & 8), LW Patrick Kirtland (5 & 7), D Joseph Masonius (4 & 7), LW Shawn Pauly (3 & 8), LW Spencer Naas (5 & 5), G Rob Nichols (6-12-1, 2.99, .902)
Game notes: Letunov is the team’s leading scorer and fellow freshmen Thompson and Masonius are second and fifth, respectively. UConn has one of the nation’s top-scoring freshman classes with 26 goals. Maine’s freshman class is one of the lowest scoring in the nation with two goals. Russian Letunov is fifth among the nation’s rookies in points per game at 1.10 and he has registered at least a point in nine of his last 10 games. Maine will have neutralize the line of Letunov, Thompson and senior Pauly. Letunov and Thompson are both 6-foot-4. Maine has given up the game’s first goal in its last six outings and has to play with more energy and urgency in the first period. UConn has been using 13 freshmen and sophomores regularly. Maine has to get its shots off quicker and put more of them on net. The Black Bears had 20 shots blocked and missed the net 20 times in its 5-1 loss to Colgate last Saturday.