Men’s Hockey

Hockey East Quarterfinals

MAINE vs. MERRIMACK

Time, site: Friday, Saturday and Sunday (if necessary), 7 p.m.; Alfond Arena, Orono

Records: Maine 26-7-3 (17-5-2 Hockey East); Merrimack 11-17-6 (6-12-6)

Series, last meeting: Maine leads 43-8-4; Maine 5-2 on 1/6/04

Key players: Maine – RW Colin Shields (14 goals, 25 assists), C Michel Leveille (5 & 32), LW Todd Jackson (19 & 11), C Derek Damon (13 & 16), D Prestin Ryan (3 & 17), G Jim Howard (9-3-3, 1.18 goals-against average, .952 save percentage), G Frank Doyle (17-4, 1.83, .924); Merrimack – LW Brent Gough (12 & 16), C Marco Rosa (15 & 10), D Bryan Schmidt (6 & 15), LW Tim Reidy (10 & 9), D Tony Johnson (3 & 16), C Steve Crusco (10 & 6), G Jim Healey (5-7-3, 2.88, .905)

Outlook: Merrimack coach Chris Serino feels his team has to generate 25-30 shots on goal, get traffic in front of Howard and Doyle, and out-compete Maine below the faceoff dots in the offensive and defensive zones. The Bears have to drive the net against freshman goalie Healey and finish their checks. Healey is a four-time Hockey East Rookie of the Week and has a .925 save percentage over his last six games. Maine has a power play goal in its last six games (8-for-31). Merrimack has good special teams, so Maine must avoid taking bad penalties. Maine is 15-1-1 at Alfond Arena, while Merrimack is 5-9-2 on the road. Damon (4 goals, 4 assists), Jackson (4 goals, 3 assists), and Shields (1 & 5) have six-game point streaks.

Women’s Basketball

NCAA Div. III Northeast Sectional

SOUTHERN MAINE at BOWDOIN

Time, site: 7 p.m.; at Morrell Gymnasium, Brunswick

Records: Bowdoin 27-0, USM 29-1

Series, last meeting: USM 26-8; Bowdoin 59-52 on 12/2/03

Key players: Bowdoin – 5-9 G Lora Trenkle (13.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.8 apg), 5-11 F Eileen Flaherty (10.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg), 6-0 F Erika Nickerson (7.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg), 5-11 F Justine Pouravelis (7.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.6 spg, 2.6 bpg), 5-10 G Vanessa Russell (5.5 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.7 rpg), 5-9 G Alison Smith (5.2 ppg, 4.0 apg); Southern Maine – 5-9 F Tiffany Jones (15.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.0 apg), 5-10 F Jen Webster (14.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg), 5-11 F Megan Myles (10.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.9 apg), 5-8 G Meg Cressler (8.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg), 5-9 F Ashley Marble (7.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg), 5-5 G Katie Sibley (6.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.4 apg), 5-8 G Katie Frost (5.4 ppg, 2.5 apg, 1.7 rpg)

Outlook: The Huskies have won eight consecutive Little East Conference titles and 26 straight games en route to the No. 2 ranking nationally. Bowdoin is the only unbeaten team left in Division III and winner of 27 straight games and four straight New England Small College Athletic Conference titles. Bowdoin handed USM its only loss early in the season. This rematch may be the biggest game any of the women on these teams play in their entire careers as the winning team advances to the elite eight. A win against the winner of Thursday’s Scranton-Wittenberg University sectional semifinal game on Friday sends either USM or Bowdoin to the final four. As if there wasn’t enough significance to this game, nine Eastern Maine high schools are represented by players on both rosters. Two – Cressler and Bowdoin’s Lauren Withey – are former high school teammates.