NCAA Tournament East quarterfinals

MAINE vs. MICHIGAN STATE

Time, site: Saturday, 8:30 p.m., Providence Civic Center

Records: Maine, 31-3-2; Michigan State, 24-10-8

Series: Michigan State leads 6-3-1

Key players: Maine – C Jim Montgomery (20 goals, 43 assists), LW Scott Pellerin (32 & 25), LW Jean-Yves Roy (32 & 24), LW Brian Downey (19 & 32), RW Cal Ingraham (15 & 30), D Chris Imes (3 & 19), G Garth Snow (25-3-2, 2.42 goals-against average, .883); MSU – RW Dwayne Norris (41 & 38), C Peter White (26 & 49), C Bryan Smolinski (29 & 34), C Steve Suk (11 & 39), LW Rem Murray (12 & 36), D Joby Messier (13 & 15), D Nicolas Perreault (11 & 11), G Mike Gilmore (15-9-7, 3.08, .875)

Outlook: Maine has scored four or more goals in 34 of its 36 games and is 31-1-2 in those games. Michigan State has held teams to less than four goals 26 times in its 42 games and is 20-2-4 in those games.Maine has won the last two meetings, but is 0-2 in postseason play against the Spartans, losing a two-games, total-goals NCAA series in 1987. Linemates Norris (5 & 7) and White (4 & 7) are MSU’s leading playoff scorers this season (CCHA and NCAA) while Maine’s top playoff scorers (Hockey East) are Ingraham (1 & 6), Montgomery (2 & 5), Pellerin (4 & 2), and C Kent Salfi (4 & 1). Maine is 13-0-2 in its last 15 games and has won five in a row.MSU is 8-1-1 in its last 10 games. Michigan State has received 28 goals from its defensemen while Maine’s defensemen have scored 15 goals. Messier (plus-22) and Norris (plus-19) are MSU’s top plus-minus players while Imes (plus-40) and Pellerin (plus-38) are Maine’s leaders.Junior right wing Eric Fenton will replace the injured Steve Widmeyer (herniated disk) on the right wing of the fourth line with Mike Barkley and LW Martin Mercier.

Saturday’s other game: St. Lawrence vs. Wisconsin, 5 p.m.