ORONO, Maine – The #17 University of Maine men's ice hockey team will head to UMass Lowell for a pair of games with the River Hawks on Friday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 24.

Friday's puck drop is set for 7:15 p.m. while Saturday's is slated for 6:05 p.m., with Friday's contest airing live on NESN. Both Hockey East tilts will stream on ESPN+, with an international stream available via Hockey East/Stretch Internet. The games can also be listened to via 92.9 FM, 100.5 FM or online at GoBlackBears.com/MIHRadio.

Game 24 | #17 Maine at UMass Lowell
Friday, Jan. 23, 2026 | 7:15 P.M. | NESN / ESPN+
Tsongas Center | Lowell, Mass.
 
Game 25 | #17 Maine at UMass Lowell
Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026 | 6:05 P.M. | ESPN+
Tsongas Center | Lowell, Mass.

WHAT'S ON TAP
• The University of Maine men's ice hockey team will return to action this weekend with a two-game series at UMass Lowell.
• The Black Bears are coming off of a bye week, having last played at Providence on Jan. 9 and 10 ... Maine fell in both games, dropping 6-1 and 3-0 contests.
• UMass Lowell split a home-and-home series with #20 Boston University ... the River Hawks earned a 4-3 road win on Friday before falling at home, 3-0, on Saturday.
• This weekend's series marks the end of a six-game road trip for Maine, the longest for the Black Bears since an eight-game road stretch during the 2017-18 season (excluding the 2020-21 COVID season).

A WIN ON FRIDAY WOULD. . .
• Move the Black Bears to 13-9-2 overall on the year and 7-7-0 in Hockey East games.
• Give Maine an overall record of 89-47-6 in the all-time series with UMass Lowell.

SERIES HISTORY vs UMASS LOWELL
• Maine holds an all-time record of 88-47-6 against UMass Lowell ... the Black Bears are 35-17-6 against the River Hawks on the road.
• The River Hawks and Black Bears met in a neutral site game in Portland, Maine on Dec. 10, with Maine earning a 5-4 overtime win off the stick of Owen Fowler.
• The teams met three times during the 2024-25 season with Maine going 3-0-0 ... they played a two-game series at Lowell in January with Maine picking up 2-1 and 3-1 wins ... the Black Bears then claimed a 7-1 victory in the Hockey East Tournament quarterfinal round in Orono.
• Fourteen total Black Bears have at least one career point against the River Hawks ... Josh Nadeau (2-6-8) is Maine's active scoring leader against UMass Lowell while Thomas Freel (1-6-7) and Brandon Holt (2-5-7) have seven points each.
• The first-ever meeting in the series came on Jan. 14, 1978, with Maine dropping that road tilt, 5-1.

IT'S WORTH NOTING
• Frank Djurasevic's 44 blocked shots in his first 22 games played this season are the most by a Black Bear in their first 22 games of the season since Mark Hamilton's 45 in 2017-18.
• Justin Poirier is fifth in the country and first among all rookies with 28 points.
• Brandon Holt is third in active career scoring by a Hockey East defender, totaling 66 points on 17 goals and 48 assists.
• Maine is first in Hockey East in shots per game (67.17) and goals scored per game (3.52) ... Maine is ninth in the nation in goals per game.
• Maine's 324 blocked shots in 23 games are the most by the Black Bears in the first 23 games of a season since 2016-17 (356).
• Since Maine was ranked in both national polls on Oct. 30, 2023, the Black Bears have been ranked in 64 consecutive polls for the longest stretch for the program since an 84-week stretch from Dec. 3, 2001 to Jan. 3, 2005.
• Josh Nadeau's eight game-winning goals in his first 95 career games mark the most by a Black Bear in their first 95 career games since at least the 2005-06 season.
• Since the start of the 2023-24 season, Maine has outshot the opponent in 76 of 97 contests.

UP NEXT
• Maine will return home next weekend to host Providence for a single game on Saturday, Jan. 31.
• Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. with a free pregame fan festival slated for 4-6:30 p.m. outside of Alfond Arena.