ORONO, Maine –  The #9 University of Maine men's hockey team will close out the regular season with a two-game series against #12/11 UMass this weekend at Alfond Arena.
 
The Black Bears and Minutemen will face off at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 8 and at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 9.
 
Both games will air on ESPN+ with an international stream available via Hockey East/Stretch Internet. The games can also be listened to via 92.9 FM in eastern Maine, 100.5 FM in southern Maine or online at GoBlackBears.com/MIHRadio.
 
GAME 33 | #9 Maine vs #12/11 UMass
Friday, March 8, 2024 | 8:00 P.M. 
Alfond Arena | Orono, Maine

GAME 34 | #9 Maine vs #12/11 UMass
Saturday, March 9, 2024 | 7:00 P.M.
Alfond Arena | Orono, Maine
 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• The University of Maine and UMass will meet for two games at Alfond Arena this weekend to close out the 2023-24 regular season.
• These two teams face off back on Feb. 2 at the Mullins Center, with Maine earning a 1-0 road win ... Brandon Chabrier scored the game's lone goal while Albin Boija made 15 saves for his first career shutout.
• Entering the weekend, third-place Maine (38) and fourth-place UMass (36) sit two points apart in the Hockey East standings ... both the Black Bears and Minutemen have secured byes into the Hockey East Tournament quarterfinal round.

A WIN ON FRIDAY WOULD...
• Bump the Black Bears to 21-10-2 overall on the season and 13-9-1 in Hockey East.
• Move Maine to 60-28-10 in the all-time series with UMass, including a mark of 36-9-2 at Alfond Arena.
• Give Maine 13 Hockey East wins for the first time since 2011-12 (15-10-2).
• Clinch Maine's first home quarterfinal game since 2011-12.

ABOUT MAINE
• The Black Bears sit at 20-9-2 overall and 12-9-1 in Hockey East play after splitting a road series at Vermont this past weekend … Maine fell 2-1 on Friday before rebounding for a 3-2 win on Saturday,
• Bradly Nadeau (16-23-29) and Josh Nadeau (15-24-39) are tied for the team lead in points … seven players have at least 20 points for the Black Bears.
• In goal, Albin Boija is 7-5-1 with a 2.08 goals against average, .912 save percentage and one shutout while Victor Ostman is 13-5-1 with a 2.79 goals against average and .894 save percentage.
• The Black Bears are second in Hockey East and 10th overall in the country with an average of 33.3 shots on goal per game.
• Maine has reached 20 wins in a season for the first time since going 23-14-3 in 2011-12.
• The Black Bears have been ranked for 17 consecutive weeks for the first time since the 2010-11 season ... additionally, the program has spent 15 straight weeks in the top 10 for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

 
ABOUT UMASS
• The Minutemen bring a mark of 19-10-3 and a Hockey East record of 12-8-2 into this weekend' series.
 • UMass swept a home-and-home with UMass Lowell this past weekend, picking up a 2-1 overtime road win on Friday night and a 4-3 overtime win at home on Saturday.
• Scott Morrow leads UMass with 29 points from six goals and 23 assists … Jack Musa has 28 points on 11 goals and 17 assists while Aydar Suniev has a team-leading 12 goals.
• Michael Hrabal has played the majority of minutes between the pipes, going 15-7-1 with a .918 save percentage, 2.41 goals against average and two shutouts.
 
SERIES HISTORY vs UMASS
• Maine has an overall record of 59-28-10 in the all-time series with UMass, including a mark of 35-9-2 at Alfond Arena.
• These two teams met back on Feb. 2 at the Mullins Center ... Brandon Chabrier scored the game's lone goal while Albin Boija made 15 saves for his first career shutout.
• The teams met twice last season in Orono, with UMass sweeping Maine by 5-2 and 4-3 scores to close out the regular season.
• Lynden Breen is Maine's active scoring leader against the Minutemen, nothing eight points on three goals and five assists ... Donavan Villeneuve-Houle has two goals and three assists all-time against UMass while Ben Poisson has three points on two goals and one assist ... eight active Black Bears have at least one point against the Minutemen.
• The teams first met on Jan. 26, 1979 at Alfond Arena, with Maine winning 8-3.
• Maine head coach Ben Barr spent five years as associate head coach at UMass ... his time in Amherst include a Hockey East regular season and tournament title, three NCAA tournament appearances, back-to-back NCAA title game appearances and the 2021 National Championship.
 
HOCKEY EAST POINTS AT A PREMIUM
• Entering the weekend, third-place Maine (38) and fourth-place UMass (36) sit two points apart in the Hockey East standings.
• The Black Bears can finish no lower than sixth and no higher than third.
• Both the Black Bears and Minutemen have secured byes into the Hockey East Tournament quarterfinal round.

UP NEXT
• Maine will learn its postseason opponent for the 2024 Men's Hockey East Tournament on Saturday night.