Men’s college hockey
MAINE vs. PRINCETON
Time, site: 7 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Saturday; Hobey Baker Rink, Princeton, N.J.
Records: UMaine 5-7-2, Princeton 3-8-2
Series, last meeting: UMaine leads 8-5, UMaine 3-2 (OT) on 11/28/15
Key players: Maine — C Chase Pearson (8 goals, 6 assists), LW Mitch Fossier (1 & 11), C Tim Doherty (5 & 3), RW Eduards Tralmaks (3 & 4), D Brady Keeper (2 & 4), D Rob Michel (2 & 3), G Jeremy Swayman (5-7-2, 2.91 goals-against average, .913 save percentage); Princeton — LW Ryan Kuffner (10 & 11), RW Max Veronneau (5 & 14), D Josh Teves (3 & 8), C Alex Riche (3 & 8), C Jackson Cressey (3 & 7), D Derek Topatigh (4 & 3), G Ryan Ferland (3-8-1, 3.21, .902)
Game notes: The Tigers, 19-13-4 and the ECAC tourney champion a year ago, have one of the top lines in the country (Kuffner-Riche-Veronneau) so the Black Bears must find a way to limit its effectiveness. Kuffner had 29 goals last season, tied for second in the country, and Veronneau’s 55 points also ranked second. Princeton has the nation’s 10th best power play (23.4 percent) but the Black Bears are 10th on the penalty kill (86.7 percent). Princeton has had problems keeping the puck out of its net, allowing 3.31 goals per game (48th among 60 Division I teams). UMaine has been playing better defensively of late, allowing only six goals in it last three games. The Tigers are the nation’s least penalized team, spending just 6.9 minutes per game in the box. UMaine is the third most penalized team (16.7 mpg). UMaine was expected to add defenseman Jakub Sirota to its roster for the series but he won’t be in the lineup until the Jan. 2, 2019, game against Colorado College.