Maine vs. Merrimack

Time, site: Thursday, 7 p.m.; Alfond Arena, Orono

Records: Maine 5-0 (0-0 Hockey East); Merrimack 2-2-1 (1-1-1 HE)

Series, last meeting: Maine leads 40-8-4, Maine 4-2 on Feb. 9

Key players: Maine – LW Todd Jackson (5 goals, 2 assists), C Michel Leveille (0 & 7), RW Greg Moore (3 & 3), D Troy Barnes (1 & 5), C Derek Damon (4 & 1), G Jimmy Howard (2-0, 1.00 goals-against average, .959 save percentage), G Frank Doyle (3-0, 1.33, .942); Merrimack – LW Brent Gough (2 & 1), RW Matt Johnson (0 & 3), LW Tim Reidy (2 & 0), C Marco Rosa (2 & 0), Bryan Schmidt (1 & 1), D Eric Pedersen (0 & 2) G Casey Guenther (2-2-1, 2.17, .921)

Outlook: Guenther was Hockey East’s Player of the Week, stopping 59 of 61 shots in a 4-2 win over Northeastern and a 0-0 tie with Providence. Goals could be hard to come by as Maine, the nation’s top-ranked team, has allowed only six and Merrimack has surrendered 11. The Warriors have scored only 10 goals while the Bears have lit the lamp 27 times, including four shorthanders. Merrimack has one of the league’s best offensive defensemen in Schmidt, who scored nine goals last season. Maine has won the last eight meetings between the two at Alfond Arena. Both teams are aggressive on the forecheck and both have had good special teams. Merrimack and Maine could have as many as 11 freshmen and sophomores in each of their lineups. The line of Gough-Rosa-Johnson has been Merrimack’s most productive while Maine’s top line is Jackson-Damon-Moore.