Men’s Hockey
MAINE vs. CONNECTICUT
Time, site: Friday, 7:05 p.m, Saturday, 3:05 p.m.; XL Center, Hartford, Conn.
Records: UMaine 2-2 (0-0 Hockey East); UConn 2-2 (0-1)
Series, last meeting: 4-4-3, UConn 5-1 on 10/7/17
Key players: Maine — C Chase Pearson (2 goals, 2 assists), Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup (2 & 2), LW Mitch Fossier (0 & 4), D Brady Keeper (1 & 2), D Alexis Binner (0 & 3), D Rob Michel (2 & 0), G Jeremy Swayman (2-2, 3.30 goals-against average, .897 save percentage); UCONN — RW Alexander Payusov (4 & 1), C Jachym Kondelik (0 & 5), C Benjamin Freeman (1 & 2), LW Brian Rigali (1 & 2), LW Karl El-Mir (2 & 0), D Adam Karashik (no points), G Adam Huska (1-2, 3.73, .889)
Game notes: The Huskies lost their top two scorers, Max Letunov and Spencer Naas, and their top-scoring defenseman (Johnny Austin) off last year’s team. Seven of their top 12 point-getters departed. UConn was 15-19-2 overall, 11-12-1 in Hockey East. The teams split last year’s games in Orono. UConn’s first four games have been on the road with a 5-2 win over Army and 3-1 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (3-1) sandwiching a 4-2 loss at Quinnipiac and 7-2 setback at Providence. UMaine has to do a better job sustaining its forecheck and generating scoring chances after being held to 38 shots on net in the two losses at Minnesota Duluth. New York Rangers draft pick Huska had a respectable season last year with a .912 save percentage and a 2.59 GAA. UConn has three freshmen and a sophomores among its top six defensemen so UMaine should try to exploit the Huskies’ inexperience there. Former Bowdoin College hockey and football captain and Boston College assistant hockey coach Mike Cavanaugh is UConn’s sixth-year head coach.