Men’s Hockey
MAINE vs. NEW HAMPSHIRE
Time, site: 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday; Whittemore Center, Durham, New Hampshire
Records: UMaine 0-0, UNH 0-0
Series, last meeting: UMaine leads 69-59-10, UM 2-1 (OT) on 11/16/19
Key players (2019-2020): Maine — RW Eduards Tralmaks (14 goals, 16 assists), RW Adam Dawe (9 & 11), LW Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup (9 & 9), D J.D. Greenway (1 & 9), D Veli-Matti Tiuraniemi (2 & 8), G Victor Ostman (freshman), G Matthew Thiessen (1 game played); UNH — RW Patrick Grasso (13 & 11), RW Charlie Kelleher (6 & 17), LW Angus Crookshank (16 & 6), C Jackson Pierson (2 & 18), LW Kohei Sato (7 & 10), D Benton Maass (3 & 7), G Mike Robinson (9-13-4, 2.56 goals-against average, .899 save percentage)
Game notes: These teams finally get to play after COVID-19 delays. The Wildcats eye their first win since Feb. 8 after finishing last season on a six-game winless streak (0-4-2). UNH returns six of its top seven scorers and most of its defense corps along with veteran goalie Mike Robinson. The Black Bears must replace All-America goalie Jeremy Swayman and its top two scorers. The Whittemore Center is 15 feet wider than Alfond Arena so the Black Bears have to adjust to the larger ice sheet. It will be a contrast in styles as the Wildcats will try to generate a fast tempo to take advantage of their speed. They are good in transition so UMaine can’t afford to turn the puck over and fuel that attack. UMaine will try to get the puck in deep and grind on the forecheck to capitalize on its size and strength. The Black Bears must be physical but avoid taking penalties. UMaine has won the last three meetings.