UMaine capsules

Men’s hockey

MAINE vs. PROVIDENCE

Time, site: Friday, Saturday, 7 p.m., Schneider Arena, Providence, R.I.

Records: Maine 4-3 (1-2 Hockey East); Providence 2-5-1 (0-4-1 HE)

Series, last meeting: Maine leads 56-36-4, Maine 4-0 on 1/19/08

Key players: Maine – RW Gustav Nyquist (2 goals, 5 assists), C Chris Hahn (4 & 1), C Tanner House (2 & 2), D Josh Van Dyk (0 & 4), LW Brian Flynn (2 & 1), D Simon Danis-Pepin (0 & 3), G Scott Darling (3-1, 1.01 GAA, .957 save pct.); Providence – RW Matt Bergland (2 & 8), C John Cavanagh (3 & 3), LW Ian O’Connor (2 & 3), RW Pierce Norton (3 & 1), D Matt Taormina (1 & 3), D Nick Mazzolini (1 & 2), G Justin Gates (1-3-1, 3.95, .843)

Outlook: The teams have split their last 10 meetings, each winning three times on the road. Each team’s leading scorer is a freshman as are the starting goalies. Darling hasn’t allowed more than two goals in any of his four starts. Maine has scored at least one power-play goal in its last four games (6-for-20) and has killed off 34 of the last 35 power plays. PC is quick and offensive-minded. The Friars are aggressive on fhe forecheck, and the defensemen love to get involved. Their defensemen also like to join the rush. The Bears will have to have their heads on a swivel and play thorough team defense. Taormina and Mazzolini are two of the league’s top offensive defensemen with 27 and 17 points, respectively, last year. Mazzolini is questionable due to injury.

Women’s hockey

MAINE vs. NEW HAMPSHIRE, BOSTON COLLEGE

Time, site: UNH, Friday, 7 p.m.; BC, Sunday, 2 p.m.; Alfond Arena, Orono

Records: Maine 2-8 (0-4 Hockey East); UNH 6-1-3 (1-1-3 HE); BC 6-1-2 (3-0-1)

Series, last meeting: UNH leads 25-1-3, UNH 6-0 on 2/3/08; BC-Maine 12-12-4, BC 2-1 on 2/17/08

Key players: Maine – C Vanessa Vani (2 goals, 7 assists), RW Jenna Ouellette (3 & 5), C Jennie Gallo (5 & 2), D Lexie Hoffmeyer (3 & 4), RW Myriam Croussette (1 & 4), D Melissa Gagnon (1 & 3), G Genevieve Turgeon (1-8, 4.58 goals-against average, .887 save percentage); UNH – RW Sam Faber (7 & 7), C Kelly Paton (6 & 8), C Jenn Wakefield (8 & 4), LW Angela Taylor (1 & 9), C Courtney Birchard (2 & 6), D Kacey Bellany (1 & 5), G Kayley Herman (6-1-3, 1.97, .907); BC – C Kelli Stack (8 & 10), LW Allie Thunstrom (5 & 8), RW Danielle Welch (4 & 7), RW Meghan Fardelmann (3 & 3), C Mary Restuccia (2 & 3), D Maggie Taverna (1 & 3), G Molly Schaus (6-0-2, 1.30, .949)

Outlook: The Bears will be heavy underdogs this weekend. Junior defenseman Elyce Thomas is sidelined by an injury, so the Bears are using three freshmen on the blue line along with junior Hoffmeyer. The Black Bear forwards are going to have to play very well defensively to help the blue-line corps. They will also need to capitalize on their chances. Turgeon is going to have to be immense between the pipes. Fifth-ranked UNH outscored Maine 20-1 in three wins last season and generated at least 45 shots on goal in each game. Sixth-ranked BC won two of three from the Bears last year, but all three were one-goal games.

Men’s basketball

100 Club Classic

MAINE vs. NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Time, site: Friday, 4 p.m.; Kennesaw, Ga.

Records: Maine 0-0; Northern Illinois 0-0

Series, last meeting: NIU leads 4-0, NIU 57-54 on 1/1/96

Key players (2007-08 stats): Maine – 6-6 G Mark Socoby (14.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.2 apg), 6-5 G Junior Bernal (10.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.0 apg), 6-3 G Kaimondre Owes (12.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.4 apg), 6-7 F Sean McNally (5.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg), 6-7 F Troy Barnies (3.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg), 5-9 G Andrew Rogers (freshman), 6-3 G Gerald McLemore (freshman); Northern Illinois – 6-2 G Darion Anderson (12.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.6 apg), 5-10 G Michael Patton (6.8 ppg), 6-7 F Sean Smith (6.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg), 6-2 G Jeremy Landers (3.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg), 6-5 F Najul Ervin (2.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg)

Outlook: Northern Illinois is even younger and more inexperienced than the Black Bears were last year. The Huskies return just five players – two of them starters – from last year’s team, which went 6-22. The key returnee is leading scorer and passer Anderson. The guard-oriented Huskies will likely accommodate Maine’s desire to play an uptempo transition game with only one returning frontcourt player (Ervin). Huskies junior Xavier Silas, son of NBA star Paul Silas, is sitting out the season after transferring from Colorado. The Bears will play either Kennesaw State or Western Illinois at 4 or 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.