After being virtually eliminated from Division 1-AA playoff contention last week with a loss to unranked Northeastern in Boston, the Maine football team will be looking to salvage what is left of its season in the next few weeks, starting with James Madison University Saturday at Alfond Stadium.

Meanwhile, on the ice, the Maine men’s ice hockey team will try to keep its season-opening winning streak alive, traveling to St. Lawrence University for a Friday-Saturday doubleheader while the women remain at home after two heartbreaking defeats to No. 6 Wisconsin last weekend, hosting Colgate on Saturday and Sunday.

The long road

After jumping from No. 13 to No. 5 last week, the Maine hockey team stayed put in this week’s poll, while the top teams shuffled above them. This weekend will be a test of that ranking, despite an opponent that seems to be out of the Black Bears’ league.

“St. Lawrence has a really unique building and a strong home-ice advantage,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead. “The foreign turf will be a better test than the first weekend, which was more or less neutral.”

One thing the Black Bears haven’t been lacking is offense. In four games this season (three official), Maine has scored 26 goals and allowed just four. Both Jimmy Howard and Frank Doyle have posted a shutout and allowed two goals in the other game in which they played, combining for a 1.00 goals-against-average and a .957 save percentage. Howard’s game against the U.S. Development Under-18 team doesn’t count in the statistics or in the standings, however, giving him a 1.000 save percentage in just one game played.

“St. Lawrence has a pretty good top end,” said Whitehead. “We have to make sure we stay disciplined on the ice, and not worry too much about the score early. Their power play is solid and we have a young team, so staying composed in a hostile environment will be important.”

On offense, Whitehead said that the lines from the first two weekends would stay largely intact, meaning the highly-productive combination of Todd Jackson, Greg Moore and Derek Damon will most likely start together this weekend. The line has combined for 12 points in three official games. Michel Leveille, playing on line No. 2, has five assists to tie Jackson for the team lead in points.

Defensively, Maine has one of the more aggressive penalty-killing units, and has a short-handed goal in each game to prove it, along with four on the power play. Steve Mullin, Prestin Ryan and Mike Lundin all have impressed spectators and coaches alike on the blue line, carrying a combined +21 into the weekend.

Three and out

With three losses already this season, and with three teams in the Atlantic-10 still perfect on the season, the likelihood that the football team will make an appearance in the 1-AA playoffs seems highly unlikely.

“We can’t focus on November with games still left in October,” said coach Jack Cosgrove. “We still have a shot if we take things week to week.”

Last week, running back Marcus Williams and tight end Dante Fusco each had touchdowns, but the offense sputtered late in the game. Freshman quarterback Ron Whitcomb was just 12-of-23 for 153 yards and a touchdown, and Maine gained just 275 yards on offense.

Williams, the conference’s leading rusher, gained just 82 yards on 19 carries after averaging almost 125 per game going in.

This week, on paper, the task isn’t any easier. James Madison boasts the same record as both Maine and Northeastern in the conference, with the Dukes’ two losses coming to conference unbeatens Massachusetts and Villanova. Both teams have victories over the same three schools in Richmond, William and Mary and Hofstra, and both teams have a feature running back that can do damage.

Marcus Williams for Maine and Alvin Banks for JMU both lead their teams in rushing and both average more than 100 yards per game.

Last week, Banks ran the ball a season-high 32 times, and he has four touchdowns on the year.

“They seem to have gone more to a run-based offense,” said Cosgrove. “Traditionally they have been a well-balanced team on offense, but this year they seem to lean more toward the run. They have solid tailbacks that can hammer out some yards.”

Looking for No. 1

The women’s ice hockey team suffered two season-opening defeats last weekend against No. 6 Wisconsin at home. This week, there is a chance to give the home fans the first win of the young season against Colgate.

After playing the Badgers tight on the first night, coming within a goal late in the third period, the offense mustered just one goal on Monday.

Leading the way so far this season for Maine is Meagan Aarts, who has four points in two games. Six other players have either one goal or one assist to round out the scoring.

In goal, Lara Smart returns for her senior season and has already faced 88 shots, stopping 77 of them in the two losses.