NYE FRONTIER CLASSIC

Maine vs. Colorado College, Alaska-Anchorage

Time, site: Friday, 9:05 p.m. vs. CC; Saturday, 11:05 p.m. vs. UAA, Sullivan Arena, Anchorage, Alaska

Records: Maine 1-0, CC 1-1, UAA 1-1

Series, last meeting: Maine leads CC 5-3-2, Maine 4-3 on Dec. 31, 1999; UAA leads 2-1-1, Maine 5-2 on Nov. 17, 1990

Key players: Maine – RW Colin Shields (3 goals, 0 assists), LW Tom Reimann (1 & 1), C Robert Liscak (0 & 2), C Martin Kariya (1 & 0), D Troy Barnes (1 & 2), G Jimmy Howard (1-0, 1.18 goals-against average, .923 save percentage), G Frank Doyle (hasn’t played); Colorado College – LW Peter Sejna (2 & 2), RW Noah Clarke (0 & 4), D Tom Preissing (3 & 0), LW Colin Stuart (0 pts.), D Andrew Canzanello (0 & 2), LW Brett Sterling (1 & 1), G Curtis McElhinney (1-1, 5.35, .814) Alaska-Anchorage – RW John Hopson (2 & 0), RW Petr Chytka (0 & 1), RW Morgan Roach (1 & 0), C Vladimir Novak (0 pts.), D Matt Shasby (0 & 1), G Chris King (0-1, 4.00, .862), G Kevin Reiter (1-0, 2.00, .917)

Outlook: Doyle will make his debut this weekend. The Bears will have to adapt to the Olympic-sized ice sheet against two teams who play on Olympic sheets. Colorado College was picked to finish fourth in the WCHA. The Tigers return 16 lettermen from last year’s NCAA quarterfinalist team that finished 27-13-3. Alaska-Anchorage, chosen 9th in the WCHA, have 17 returnees back off a 12-19-5 team. Sejna has 57 goals and 112 points in 86 career games and his linemate, Clarke, has 110 points in 124 career games. Freshman Aaron Slattengren centers that line. Maine will have to pay attention to them. Maine has to do a better job in defensive zone faceoffs. CC split with UMass-Lowell at home last weekend, winning 6-4 and losing 4-1. Alaska-Anchorage split with rival Alaska-Fairbanks, winning 4-2 and dropping a 4-0 decision the second night. Shasby was a second team All-WCHA pick last year.