College hockey
Hockey East playoffs
No. 11 MAINE vs. No. 6 NORTHEASTERN
Time, site: Friday, Saturday, Sunday (if necessary) 7 p.m., Matthews Arena, Boston
Records: Maine 8-22-6 (5-15-2 Hockey East); Northeastern 16-13-5 (10-8-4)
Series, last meeting: Maine leads 52-45-19, NU 7-1 on Feb. 2/27/16
Key players: Maine — LW Blaine Byron (8 goals, 14 assists), LW Will Merchant (13 & 8), C Steven Swavely (9 & 10), C Cam Brown (6 & 12), D Dan Renouf (6 & 8), RW Andrew Tegeler (3 & 10), G Rob McGovern (2-12-3, 2.74 goals-against average, .907 save percentage); Northeastern — RW Zach Aston-Reese (12 & 23), LW Nolan Stevens (16 & 17), C John Stevens (8 & 20), RW Mike McMurtry (8 & 18), C Adam Gaudette (10 & 15), D Garret Cockerill (7 & 10), G Ryan Ruck (14-10-4, 2.20, .916)
Game notes: NU has won seven in a row and is 14-1-2 in its last 17. Maine is 6-1 vs. Northeastern in the Hockey East playoffs with six straight wins but they haven’t met in the playoffs since 2001. Nolan Stevens was the league’s Player of the Month for February (6 & 8 in 14 games, 3 game-winning goals) and Ruck was the Rookie of the Month (7-1-1, 1.57, .938). NU got upset by Merrimack in the first round of the playoffs a year ago so the Huskies will be eager for redemption. NU swept Maine last weekend 5-3 and 7-1, going 4-for-7 on the power play in the second game. NU has scored a power play in seven of its last eight games and the Huskies are 13-for-31 (41.9 percent) with the man advantage over that stretch. Maine will have to stay out of the penalty box, outwork the more skilled Huskies and manage the puck effectively. The Black Bears will also need top-notch goaltending and veterans like Renouf (1 & 1 in his last 15 games), Brown (1 & 1 in 8) and Byron (0 & 1 in 8) to snap out of slumps.