ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine men's ice hockey team opens 2023 by hosting the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves. Game time for Friday is scheduled for 7:05 pm, while Saturday is set for 5:05 pm.

GAME INFORMATION
Game #18: University of Maine Black Bears vs University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves
DATE: Friday, January 6, 2023
TIME: 7:05 p.m. ET
SITE: Alfond Arena -- Orono, Maine
2022-23 RECORDS: Maine 6-9-2 (2-5-1 HE), UAA 4-12-0

Game #19: University of Maine Black Bears vs University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves
DATE: Saturday, January 7, 2023
TIME: 5:05 p.m. ET
SITE: Alfond Arena -- Orono, Maine

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About the Black Bears

• The Black Bears enter the 2022-23 season with 16 new faces on the roster after seeing 13 players graduate, transfer, or leave to pursue professional hockey.

• 12 letterwinners from the 2021-22 season return for this chapter of Maine hockey, which include the four newly minted captains. Jakub Sirota will sport the 'C', while Lynden Breen, Ben Poisson, and David Breazeale have each earned an 'A' on their sweater.

• 11 incoming freshmen and five transfers make up the players who were added by the coaching staff, whom are in their second full season behind the bench.

• Junior alternate captain Lynden Breen leads the Black Bears in points (13) and goals (seven). Senior alternate captain forward Ben Poisson holds the team lead in assists (nine). Freshman defender Brandon Holt leads all newcomers in points (3 G, 4 A).

• Nine different Black Bears have scored two or more goals over the first 14 games (Breen, Holt, Villeneuve-Houle, Hanson, Henbrant, Trudeau, Poisson, Sirota, and Renwick), while 15 different players have dished out three or more assists.

About the Seawolves

• Alaska Anchorage has not played a complete season since the 2019-20 campaign.

• Friday, September 23, 2022 marked the first collegiate hockey game that UAA had played since March 7th, 2020, a span of 930 days.

• During the two and a half year break, the University of Alaska Anchorage named a new athletic director, Ryan Smartwood, and head men's ice hockey coach, Matt Shasby.

The Series with Alaska Anchorage

• Maine and Alaska Anchorage have squared off 11 times prior to Friday's tilt, with Maine holding a slight edge of 5-4-2 in the all-time series.

• The squads first squared off in 1990 when Alaska Anchorage took both games of the weekend series.

• Maine went 2-0 during the 2019-20 season against the Seawolves in the Alfond. Jakub Sirota is the only current player to record a point in the previous series.

• It is approximately 4,450 miles between Anchorage, Alaska, and Orono, Maine. It would take 78 hours to drive that distance. A series of flights between the two locations would take just under 10 hours.

-UMaine-