MAINE vs. NO. 2 MINNESOTA DULUTH
MAINE vs. NO. 2 MINNESOTA DULUTH
Time, site: Friday, Saturday, 8:07 p.m., Amsoil Arena, Duluth, Minn.
Records: UMaine 2-0, UMD 2-1-1
Series, last meeting: UMD leads 8-4, UMD 2-0 on 10/28/17
Key players: Maine — C Chase Pearson (2 goals, 1 assist), RW Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup (1 & 2), LW Mitch Fossier (0 & 2), D Alexis Binner (0 & 2), D Brady Keeper (0 & 2), D Rob Michel (1 & 0), G Jeremy Swayman (2-0, 1.00 goals-against average, .951 save percentage); UMD — RW Parker Mackay (2 & 2), D Scott Perunovich (0 & 4), LW Jackson Cates (2 & 1), D Mikey Anderson (1 & 2), C Peter Krieger (1 & 1), LW Riley Tufts (1 & 1), G Hunter Shepard (2-1-1, 2.63, .890)
Game notes: The Bulldogs return five of their top seven scorers, all of their defensemen and goalie Shepard off last year’s NCAA championship team, which went 25-16-3. Perunovich, a second-round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues, was just the second defenseman to lead the Bulldogs in scoring last season (11 goals, 25 assists). He was the National Rookie of the Year and his 36 points was a record for a UMD freshman defenseman. UMD has a potent power play (27.8 percent success) as it did a year ago (23.2 percent) so UMaine will have to avoid penalties. The Black Bears also must find a way to solve Shepard, who stopped 52 of 53 shots in UMD’s 2-1, 2-0 sweep of UMaine in Orono last season. Shepard was tied for second in the country in shutouts (8) and was sixth in GAA (1.91). Schmidt-Svejstrup was the Hockey East Rookie of the Week with his goal and two assists in the sweep of St. Lawrence (3-1, 4-1).