SETTING THE SCENE: The American International College Yellow Jackets ends its five-game road trip with a long ride up to Orono, Maine for a weekend series at Alfond Arena against the Black Bears of UMaine.

ABOUT AIC: The Yellow Jackets (3-10-0, 3-6-0 AHA) are trying to right themselves from a seven-game skid. Junior Alexander MacMillan scored twice and tallied an assist last weekend to become AIC's top-point scorer with 14. His eight goals is three higher than the next Yellow Jacket, senior Jon Puskar. Puskar has recorded five goals and eight assists for 13 points. Freshman David Norris scored his second of the season, but has been hesistant to pull the trigger, assisting on 10 goals instead.

Freshman goalie Hunter Leisner, who had been splitting time with classmate Ty Reichenbach, has played the last eight periods for AIC. Leisner (1-3-0) posts a 4.08 goals-against-average and an .889 save percentage. Reichenbach (2-4-0) allows 4.70 goals-per-game and an .880 save percentage. Leisner has allowed 23 goals and made 185 saves, Reichenbach 25 and 184.

LAST TIME OUT: American International dropped a weekend series at AHA foe Rochester Institute of Technology, 3-2, 5-2. AIC rallied from two goals down to tie up the Tigers in the third period, but it was short lived as RIT would score the eventual game-winner four minutes later. Senior captain Blake Peake found MacMillan at the 15:34 of the
second, capitalizing on a power play. Puskar scored an unnassisted
equalizer at 7:32 of the third. RIT only outshot AIC 35-32 with Leisner making 32 saves.

The Yellow Jackets struck first Saturday when MacMillan connected with Norris early in the opening period. RIT would net two to start the second, but MacMillan would tally his second of the weekend to send a tie game into the second intermission.

RIT made quick work of Leisner in the third, scoring three times in the first seven minutes to stun AIC. Leinser made 34 saves.

ABOUT UMAINE: The Black Bears (7-6-1, 4-2-1) have had success in the tough Hockey East to start the season, defeating top-10 Boston College and UMass Lowell, as well as perennial power Boston University. Vermont and Massachusetts are the only teams to beat them in conference. The team averages 3.07 goals-per-game, the 20th highest total in Divsion I, while only allowing 2.36 gpg, the14th lowest allowed in the country. Maine currently has the 9th best strength of schedule behind recently ranked Minnesota-Duluth and in front of No. 12 Miami.

Devin Shore leads the Black Bears with 13 points (six goals, seven assists). Shore notched three points in a 5-1 win over B.C., scoring twice and assisting another. Ben Hutton had a team-high seven goals and 12 total points. Hutton too lit the lamp twice against the Eagles and has recorded another two-point game this season.

Senior Goalkeeper Martin Ouellette has the 18th best goals-against-average in the country (2.14) and 14th in save percentage (.928) while starting in all 14 games. Ouellette has recorded two shutouts.

About the Series: This weekend will be the second and third meeting all-time between the two programs. Maine won the lone contest, in the 1978-79 season.

BUSY BEES: The Yellow Jackets are wrapping up a very dense schedule that brought eight games in 18 days. AIC take a few weeks off for finals and the holidays before returning home for a weekend series against Air Force.

Next up: AIC returns to action Friday, December 6 at RIT. Puck drops at 7:05 p.m. The two return to the ice Saturday for another 7:05 p.m. start.