MAINE vs. MERRIMACK

Time, site: Friday, 7 p.m., Saturday, 7 p.m.; Volpe Complex, North Andover, Mass.

Records: Maine 18-2-2 (8-1-1 Hockey East); Merrimack 8-9-3 (5-6-1)

Series, last meeting: Maine leads 38-8-3; Merrimack 5-2 on 2/9/02

Key players: Maine – C Martin Kariya (11 goals, 25 assists), C Robert Liscak (9 & 16), LW Lucas Lawson (11 & 10), RW Colin Shields (13 & 7) D Francis Nault (7 & 13), G Jim Howard (10-1, 1.52 goals-against average, .944 save percentage), G Frank Doyle (8-1-2, 1.97, .927); Merrimack – C Marco Rosa (6 & 8), LW Brent Gough (6 & 7), RW Matt Johnson (6 & 7), D Bryan Schmidt (4 & 7), LW Tim Reidy (6 & 4), C Stephen Crusco (2 & 3), G Joe Exter (8-8-3, 3.08, .913)

Outlook: The Bears, No. 1 in both major polls, won’t be taking the Warriors lightly. Merrimack is 5-1-1 at home this season and beat Maine at home last season. Leading goal scorer Shields, out four games with a cracked rib, returns for Maine. The recent return of previously injured Schmidt and Crusco bolsters the Warriors. The Warriors will have seven freshmen in the lineup, including Gough and Johnson, who flank Rosa on the Warriors’ top line. There is a small neutral zone, so turnovers often lead to good scoring opportunities. Maine has won three straight while the Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over UMass on Saturday. Kariya has 20 points in his last 10 games, although his nine-game points streak was snapped in Saturday’s 3-1 win over NU.