ORONO - Eighth place. That's where the University of Maine men's hockey team is right now in the 10-team Hockey East standings, entering tonight's game against UMass-Lowell.

The Black Bears (10-11-3, 5-8-2 Hockey East) are on a mission of sorts - several of them said earlier this week that starting this weekend, the final 12 games of the regular season might as well be the playoffs to them, if they want to be among the top eight teams that qualify for the Hockey East tournament.

UML (11-12, 8-8), meanwhile, is in sixth place in Hockey East entering tonight's game with 16 points, ahead of Massachusetts (13 points), Maine (12), Providence (eight) and Merrimack (6).

Here's one for history - UML is winless in its past 16 games at the Alfond. And here's another one for perspective - consider that the UML hockey program was on the chopping block two years ago, before the UMass Regents voted unanimously to keep the hockey program in June of 2007.

"That was a very difficult process that the program went through," Maine Coach Tim Whitehead said earlier this week. "I spent 10 years of my life there, I met my wife there and that was difficult to see. But, unfortunately, it wasn't surprising. Every five years the UML system goes through that, in that the UMass system evaluates all its programs."

Whitehead was head coach of the River Hawks for five years before joining the Black Bears in 2001.

Tonight's lineup:

Maine
Forwards
Robby Dee-Chris Hahn-Brian Flynn
Spencer Abbott-Tanner House-Gustav Nyquist
Kevin Swallow-Keif Orsini-Lem Randall
Theo Andersson-Glenn Belmore-Jeff Marshall

Defensemen
Josh Van Dyk-Matt Duffy
Ryan Hegarty-Simon Danis-Pepin
Mike Banwell-Jeff Dimmen

Goalies
Dave Wilson
Scott Darling
Josh Seeley

UMass-Lowell
Forwards
Kory Falite-Ben Holmstrom-Patrick Cey
Mark Roebothan-Scott Campbell-Mike Potacco
Sammy D'Agonstino-Matt Ferreira-Paul Worthington
Nick Monroe-David Vallorani-Michael Budd

Defensemen
Jeremy Dehner-Nick Schaus
Barry Goers-Maury Edwards
Ryan Blair-Steve Capraro

Goalies
Carter Hutton
Nevin Hamilton

Of note: Main defenseman Will O'Neill is out for the second straight game. Nyquist leads Maine with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) but has scored one point in the last five games. Banwell scored his first two career goals Saturday and Sunday in losses to BC.

Scratches for Maine: O'Neill, Nick Payson, Kyle Solomon (undisclosed illness), Mark Nemec, David de Kastrozza, Brett Carriere.

***

Here's something from the Washington Post about Nick Sorkin, a Maryland resident and a potential future Black Bear. (Note to readers: scroll down in the Post's story to read more about Sorkin)

Sorkin, a senior at the Bullis School in Potomac, Md., plans to spend a year with the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs next season before joining Maine in the fall of 2010.

Division I coaches cannot discuss recruits until they have signed a National Letter of Intent with the program.

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