Men’s Hockey
MAINE vs. MIAMI
Time, site: Friday, 7:35 p.m; Saturday, 7 p.m.; Steve Cady Arena, Oxford, Ohio
Records: Maine 3-1, Miami 1-1-1
Series, last meeting: Maine leads 5-1; Miami 4-1 on 12/29/10
Key players: Maine — RW Mitch Fossier (5 goals, 3 assists), LW Nolan Vesey (2 & 4), C Patrick Shea (2 & 2), D Eric Schurhamer (1 & 3), C Blaine Byron (2 & 1), LW Cam Brown (0 & 3), G Rob McGovern (3-1, 2.22 goals-against average, .932 save percentage); Miami — D Louie Belpedio (1 & 2), C Kiefer Sherwood (1 & 2), C Justin Greenberg (1 & 1), D Scott Dornbrock (1 & 1), LW Anthony Louis (0 & 1), C Josh Melnick (0 & 1), G Ryan Larkin (1-1-1, 1.96, .922)
Game notes: The RedHawks and Black Bears are two of the nation’s youngest teams. Miami has 20 freshmen and sophomores and UMaine has 18. The RedHawks have scored all six of their goals on the power play so the Black Bears can ill afford to take unnecessary penalties. Miami’s penalty-killing percentage (95.2 percent) is fourth best in the country and its power-play percentage (23.1) is ninth. Miami has won at least 23 games in six of the last eight seasons although the RedHawks were 15-18-3 a year ago. UMaine is looking to start developing some supplemental scoring to support the line of Vesey, Pearson and Fossier, which has nine of the Black Bears’ 15 goals. Freshman Larkin has stopped 43 of 45 shots in the last two games: A 2-1 win at Providence and 1-1 tie against Ohio State. Miami coach Enrico Blassi, who is in his 18th season, called UMaine a “good hockey team. They’re well-coached. I like the way they play. They play the right way. They have some dynamic forwards and mobile defensemen.”