Wednesday, February 25
Orono, ME
5:00 PM
University of Maine
vs
Merrimack College
Preview: #7 seed Maine will host #10 seed Merrimack in Opening Round of Hockey East Playoffs, Feb 25
2/23/2026 3:57:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey
ORONO, Maine - The #7 seed University of Maine women's ice hockey team will host the #10 seed Merrimack College, Wednesday, Feb 25 at Alfond Arena for the Opening Round of Hockey East Playoffs. Puck drop is set for 5:00 PM.
Game 35: Hockey East Opening Round
#7 Maine vs #10 Merrimack
Wednesday, Feb 25 | 5:00 PM | Alfond Arena | ESPN+
Black Bears' Last Time Out:
- Maine most recently shut out Merrimack in the regular-season finale on Thursday, 2-0.
- Kiia Lahtinen made 29 saves in the road win, as Haley Ryan and Sade Sandilands scored the goals for Maine.
- Paige Fong, Danielle Brunette and Isabelle Michaud each tallied one assist.
More on Maine:
- Rookie Isabelle Michaud leads the team with 17 points (9-8-17) followed by Stephanie Jacob (10-5-15) who leads the team in goals (10) and game-winning goals (3) this season.
- Rookie defender Paige Fong leads the team in assists with 11.
- Kiia Lahtinen has played in 31 games this season and holds a .923 save percentage. Thursday's win accounted for her fifth career shutout and third this season.
Previous Games with Merrimack:
- Maine is 2-1-0 this season against Merrimack, with the most recent win (2-0) being Thursday, Feb 19.
- The last time Maine faced Merrimack in the playoffs was in 2024. Maine fell in OT to Merrimack at Alfond Arena.
Scouting the Warriors:
- Merrimack ended the regular season in 10th place in the standings with a 7-23-4 record. (4-18-12 HE)
- After Maine beat Merrimack on Thursday, 2-0, Merrimack then faced the nationally ranked UConn Huskies on Saturday, falling 5-3.
- Forward Mady Cipolla scored twice in Saturday's loss to UConn.
- Overall, Emma Pfeffer (10-11-21), Avery Anderson (6-10-16), McKenzie Cerrato (6-7-13), Olivia Grabianowski (4-9-13) and Hailey Eikos (2-10-12) lead the Warriors on the scoresheet.
- Adreanna Doucette (.928 sv %) and Lauren Lyons (.896 sv %) have been splitting time in net for the Warriors. Doucette has played in all three matchups against Maine.
Get Tickets at GoBlackBears.com/tickets or by phone at 207.581.BEAR. Tickets are on sale now!
Playoff Picture:
- Hockey East Playoffs are single-elimination format. In the event that Maine wins, the team will travel to #2 seed UConn for a Quarterfinal game on Saturday, Feb 28.
-UMaine-
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