The University of Maine men’s hockey team has played just once since Nov. 22: last Friday’s 3-1 triumph at Merrimack College. The second game was postponed after Merrimack officials closed the school due to a snowstorm.

Maine coach Tim Whitehead admits the lack of games is a concern. His Bears have been preparing for tonight’s game against Bob Gaudet’s Dartmouth Big Green at Alfond Arena.

“We just have to make sure we communicate a lot so we aren’t stale,” said Whitehead.

To try to keep his players fresh, he has slightly altered his practice sessions.

“Coach likes having small[-sided] games. He likes getting little competitions going out on the ice to get the intensity up and get us to work a little bit harder,” said Maine senior right winger Colin Shields. “It makes practice a little more interesting rather than doing just the regular repetitions and the same drills over and over again.”

If Whitehead sticks to the goalie rotation he has used all season, Frank Doyle will man the nets. He hasn’t played since he beat Providence 3-2 on Nov. 22.

How does he handle such a long break between starts?

“You’ve got to make sure you work hard in practice and try to treat practices like a game,” said Doyle. “I’ve been trying to stay sharp in practice. You’ve got to stay positive. Last game out, I had a pretty good game [24 saves]. I want to carry that into the next game I play.”

Sophomore defenseman Jeff Mushaluk said the Bears will have plenty of energy but they can’t allow that energy to be detrimental.

“In some situations, because you haven’t played in a while, you might overhandle the puck. That’s what happens to me,” said Mushaluk.

One of the advantages is Maine has had more time to work on specific aspects of its game.

That includes the power play, which has converted on just two of its last 37 chances.

“We’ve worked on the power play quite a bit this week,” said Shields. “Hopefully we’ll get some power-play goals. We’ve got to get it going or it could hurt us somewhere down the road. Special teams can win or lose games. They will be key this weekend.”

“The power play has looked excellent the last two days [Wednesday, Thursday],” said Whitehead.

Doyle doesn’t foresee the break being a liability.

“That break we had for Thanksgiving was good,” said Doyle. “The guys came back with more enthusiasm. This won’t hurt us at all. We’ve got a lot of older guys with good heads on their shoulders.”

Dartmouth will find itself in a similar situation because the Big Green haven’t played since they tied Boston University on Nov. 28. They have been taking final exams.

The 4-1-4 Big Green will be a good test for Maine, which will be playing at home for the first time since Nov. 16.

“They’ve got a very strong team. They are very well-coached, their goalie [Dan Yacey] is excellent, they have a crew of defensemen who are all over six feet tall and they have a couple of elite players up front,” said Whitehead. “They will be a tough challenge. But that’s what we want right now.”

Following the game, Maine won’t play again until Dec. 27-28 at the Everblades Classic in Florida.