The Black Bears are hoping this weekend's series at UMass-Lowell sets the tone for their entry into the Hockey East playoffs, which begin next Friday (March 13).

"These games don't mean a lot standings-wise, but they mean a lot in getting ready for the playoffs," Maine forward Tanner House said. "Getting back to playing like it's playoff hockey, and maybe getting on a roll going into the playoffs."

But freshman forward Brian Flynn has a certain sentiment about the situation Maine is in right now - eighth place. The Black Bears are among the top eight but can't go any higher, as Massachusetts has locked up the seventh seed by virtue of winning the season series against Maine.

"We're definitely not happy we came in eighth, but one of the goals is to make the playoffs," Flynn said. "Once the playoffs start, it's a new season. You kind of regroup and take it from there."

House described the second half of the season as "frustrating" - of Maine's 10 losses by one goal, seven have come after Christmas.

"We have lost a lot of one-goal games over that time period (since Christmas) and a few games in overtime," Flynn said. "I think we're a lot better than our record shows but, still, we just have a lot of trouble getting wins and we really need to get one or two this weekend."

Wins, Flynn said, are crucial in setting the tone for the team going into the playoffs. Those have been hard to come by in the past three weekends, as Maine enters its final regular-season series winless in its past six games (0-5-1).

"There's only so much that playing well and not getting wins can do for you," he said. "I think we just need to find a way to get a win this weekend, no matter how we play. If we play well, if we play OK ... we've just gotta find a way to get a win."

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Game times for the quarterfinals, according to Hockey East, are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. One quarterfinal game, however, will be played at 7:30 p.m. - NESN's Friday night Hockey East broadcast. That game will be determined Sunday night, after all the playoff pairings are set.

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