The University of Maine’s hockey team will enter the NCAA Allentown Regional as the nation’s third-stingiest team among 64 Division I programs, allowing just 1.89 goals per game.
That will be severely tested because the regional’s other three teams are among the 10 highest scoring teams in the country.
And all four teams come into the regional on a roll.
The top-seeded Black Bears, 24-7-6, will face fourth seed and host school Penn State, 20-13-4, in Friday night’s 8:30 game. That will follow the regional opener between second seed University of Connecticut, 22-11-4, and in-state rival and third seed Quinnipiac, 24-11-2, at 5 p.m. at the PPL Center in Allentown.
It will be UConn’s first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
Quinnipiac and Penn State come into the tournament ranked sixth and seventh in goals per game at 3.62 and 3.51, respectively, and UConn is tied for 10th at 3.35.
UMaine can also put the puck in the net, as exhibited in the Hockey East Tournament where the Black Bears scored 16 goals in three games.
UMaine is 14th with its 3.32 goals per game average.
UConn’s 5-2 loss in the Hockey East championship game to UMaine was its first in 10 games as it had gone 8-0-1 in its previous nine.
Penn State used a 12-3-3 finish to earn its NCAA berth; UMaine is 9-2-4 in its last 15 and Quinnipiac has a 7-2 mark over its last nine.
One of the reasons for Quinnipiac’s goal production is the Bobcats’ power play, which is tops in the nation at a 29.9 percent efficiency rate. UConn and Penn State also have productive power plays operating at 23.7 percent (16th) and 23.5 percent (17th), respectively.
Quinnipiac has also been stout defensively, surrendering only 2.14 goals per game which is seventh in the country. UConn is 18th (2.51) but Penn State is only 45th (3.08).
The Nittany Lions, who put their first Division I program on the ice in 2012-13, almost earned their first Frozen Four appearance in the 2022-23 season but lost to Big Ten rival Michigan in overtime in the regional final.
They are led by their first ever Hobey Baker Award finalist in sophomore right wing Aiden Fink, who has 23 goals and 29 assists and is second in the country in points per game (1.41).
He was chosen to the All-Big Ten first team and second-leading scorer Charlie Cerrato (15 & 22) was selected to the All-Rookie team. Fink is on a line with Big Ten honorable mention Reese Laubach (15 & 15) and Danny Dzhaniyev (12 & 18).
Cerrato is flanked on his line by J.J. Wiebusch (12 & 18) and Matt DiMarschio (14 & 15).
Defenseman Simon Mack (3 & 24) and UConn transfer goalie Arsenii Sergeev (17-8-4, 2.66, .915) were All-Big Ten second team picks and defenseman Cade Christenson (2 & 7) was an All-Rookie team pick.
Quinnipiac features balanced scoring with eight players notching at least 10 goals and seven scoring at least 12. Those eight players also have at least 24 points.
Boston University transfer Jeremy Wilmer, a left wing, leads the Bobcats with 39 points on 14 goals and 25 assists.
Left wings Mason Marcellus (19 & 27) and Jack Ricketts (20 & 7) were All-ECAC second team picks. Centers Travis Treloar (16 & 20) and Chris Pelosi (13 & 11) and right wings Andon Cerbone (15 & 20), Aaron Schwartz (12 & 18) and Tyler Borgula (12 & 13) are the other Bobcats with at least 10 goals and 24 points.
Davis Pennington (1 & 16) is their top-scoring defenseman and Dylan Silverstein (12-8-2, 2.22, .905) and Matej Marinov (12-3-0, 1.75, .928) have shared the goaltending.
UConn has the nation’s second-leading goal scorer in Joey Muldowney, who has 27 goals and is two behind Boston College’s Ryan Leonard. Muldowney also has 18 assists.
Muldowney has been on a high-powered line with Jake Richard on the left wing (15 & 27) and Hudson Schandor at center (10 & 30). Muldowney and Schandor were All-Hockey East second teamers and Richard was a third team choice.
Schandor, who was also chosen the league’s best defensive forward, missed the Hockey East semifinal win over BU and title game loss to UMaine due to injury.
UConn center Ryan Tattle (18 & 14) and left wings Tabor Heaslip (7 & 12) and Jake Percival (9 & 9) have provided important supplemental scoring and Trey Scott (3 & 14) is the Huskies top producer on the blue line in front of goalies Tyler Muszelik (12-6-3, 2.28, .914) and All-Hockey East Rookie teamer Callum Tung (9-3-1, 2.05, .933).
