The University of Maine men’s Hockey East home games against UMass Lowell this weekend have been moved to Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Massachusetts, due to the state of Maine’s COVID-19 protocols limiting indoor events to 50-plus people.
The games will be played at 6 p.m. on Sunday and at 3 p.m. on Monday instead of Friday and Saturday nights in Orono.
The Black Bears came off 10-day quarantine on Sunday after a UMaine player had a false-positive rapid antigen test just before a series at UMass Lowell. The follow-up PCR test, which is more conclusive and accurate, showed the player negative for COVID-19.
But the team still had to be quarantined.
Maine remains the only state in New England that hasn’t hosted a college hockey game this season.
UMaine hasn’t played since a two-game series at New Hampshire on Dec. 11-12 — two games that were supposed to be played in Orono.
The teams skated to a 1-1 tie in the opener but UMaine won the shootout 3-2 and then UNH posted a 6-2 victory in the second game.
Following the series at UMass Lowell, the Black Bears are scheduled to play a pair of 2 p.m. games at Vermont on Jan. 8-9, which would give them a stretch of four games in seven days.
There has not been a positive COVID-19 test in the men’s hockey program, but they have had eight games postponed or canceled.
UMass Lowell is 1-1 with a 4-2 loss to Providence on Dec. 13 and a 2-1 win over UConn on Dec. 21.