BOSTON COLLEGE AT MAINE
Time and place: Saturday, 7 p.m., Alfond Arena, Orono
Records: Maine, 2-0 overall (0-0 in ECAC); Boston College 1-1 (0-1 ECAC)
Series, last meeting: Maine leads 2-1-1, 2-2 OT tie on Feb. 20
Top players: Maine – RW Karen Droog (3 goals, 2 assists), RW Jarin Sjogren (2 & 1), C Raffi Wolf (1 & 2), C Andrea Keller (1 & 2), LW Christine Lane (1-0-1), D Kelly Nelson (1-0-1), G Dawn Froats (1-0, 1.00 GAA, .929 save percentage); Boston College – LW Kelly McManus (2 & 2), C Jen Buckley (3 & 0), D Gen Richardson (0 & 2), RW Alaina Clark (0 & 2), C Renee Taylor (1 & 0), D Amber Bobin (0 & 0), G Amy Coletta (1-1, 6.50, .790)
Outlook: Both teams have played Bemidji State (Minn.) with Maine winning 4-1, 5-2 and BC triumphing 6-5 in overtime. BC has since lost to powerhouse Dartmouth, Maine’s Sunday afternoon opponent, 8-1. BC is coming off a 6-22-2 season, 1-21-2 in the league. Coach Tom Babson has overhauled the team with 10 new players, including five transfers. McManus is a UNH transfer. Two Maine players, right wing Emily Stevens and defenseman Rebecca Ouellet, will make their debuts after concluding their soccer and field hockey seasons, respectively. Mai tie but can’t afford to look past the Eagles toward the Dartmouth game. Dartmouth is the nation’s top-ranked team. Coletta used to play for Maine.
DARTMOUTH at MAINE
Time and place: Sunday, 3 p.m. Alfond Arena, Orono
Records (entering Saturday’s games): Maine 2-0 (0-0 ECAC), Dartmouth 1-0 (1-0 ECAC)
Series, last meeting: Dartmouth 4-0, Dartmouth 4-0 on Feb. 19
Top Players: Dartmouth – F Carly Haggard (2 goals, 3 assists), F Carrie Sekela (2 & 1), F Kim McCullough (0 & 2), D Liz Macri (0 & 1), F Kristina Guarino (1 & 0), F Sarah Clark (1 & 0), G Meaghan Cahill (1-0, 1.00 GAA, .917 save percentage)
Outlook: Dartmouth is the ECAC’s preseason favorite and a legitimate national championship contender. Maine will receive a valuable benchmark vs. the Big Green. Dartmouth opened with an 8-1 victory over Boston College and will play New Hampshire on Saturday while Maine will meet BC. Dartmouth has nine players with at least 20 career goals led by Lauren Trottier’s 48 and Jennifer Wiehn’s 47. The Big Green has lots of depth and is extremely disciplined. Maine will have to play a smart, thorough defensive game and capitalize on its chances. They must withstand Dartmouth’s periods of dominance by playing sound positional hockey.
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