BOSTON, Mass.—For the third time in four years, #9/10 UMass Boston men's hockey and the University of New England (UNE) are set to square off in the playoffs. The top-seeded Beacons will host the fourth-seeded Nor'Easters in the New England Hockey Conference Semifinals on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Beacons Ice Arena.
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Tickets will be sold at the door and are five dollars for general admission and three dollars for students with an ID.
ALL-TIME SERIES: UMass Boston has dominated the all-time series to this point, as they hold an 18-0-1 all-time lead over the Nor'Easters. The Beacons have won 14 in a row in the series, dating back to the 2011-12 season, including ECAC East Quarterfinals win in 2013 and 2014. Saturday's game will mark the final meeting between these two teams as conference foes, as UNE is set to join the brand-new Commonwealth Coast Conference for 2016-17.
SEASON SERIES: The Beacons swept the season-series with a pair of five-goals wins, as they defeated the Nor'Easters 8-3 in Biddeford in November and then earned a 5-0 shutout win in Boston on January 30.
In the first contest, UMass Boston held a 3-2 lead after one and 5-3 advantage after two, before scoring the final three goals of the contest to earn an 8-3 win. Junior Zach Lindsay (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) led the Beacons with a pair of goals and senior Matt Lemire (Townsend, Mass.) tacked on a goal and three assists. Senior goalie Billy Faust (Alta Loma, Calif.) made 33 saves on 36 shots, while Mason Riley and Joe Noonan combined for 35 saves on 43 shots.
The second matchup was even closer through the first 30 minutes, as NEHC All-Rookie team selection Connor Maloney held the Beacons off the board for the opening 28:22. Senior Mike Miller (Wrentham, Mass.) opened the floodgates at 8:22 and the Beacons quickly followed with two more goals over the following 10:31. Faust stopped 27 shots in his second collegiate shutout and David MacGregor (Asuza, Calif.) paced the Beacons with a goal and an assist. Maloney finished the game with a career-high 49 saves.
Lemire led the Beacons offense with a team-high five points (one goal and four assists), while MacGregor, Drew Gannon (Plano, Texas), Garrison Sanipass (Northbrook, Ill.) and Frankie DeAugustine (Pittsburgh, Pa.) all scored a pair of goals against UNE. Faust stopped 60 of 63 shots for a .952 save percentage and 1.50 goals against average in two wins.
SCOUTING THE NOR'EASTERS: The University of New England is enjoying their best season in the seven-year history of the program. Already this year, the Nor'Easters have set program-records for wins (14), earned their first-ever home playoff game and playoff win and first-ever trip to the conference semifinals. Last weekend, UNE downed New England College 4-1 in the four-five matchup, thanks to 38 saves from Maloney and a two-goal first period.
The Nor'Easters have relied on their offense to carry the load for much of this season, as they rank second in the NEHC and ninth in the nation with their 3.85 goals per game. Eight different players have recorded at least five goals and the team sports four players with 24 or more points. Brady and Trevor Fleurent are tied for the team lead with 12 goals and rank first and second with 28 and 27 points, while freshman Dylan Bengston paces the team with his 17 assists.
This year's team has been bolstered by a dynamic freshman class, as B. Fleurent, Bengston and Armand Uomoleale all rank in the top-five on the team in points and freshman defenseman Tucker Ross joined Maloney on the NEHC All-Rookie Team.
Defensively, the team has allowed 3.19 goals per game, thanks to strong play from Maloney and senior Mason Riley. The team's goalies have combined for a .901 save percentage and one shutout. First-year head coach Kevin Swallow has relied upon the same seven defenseman all year, with five of the seven playing in 20 or more games. The one area the team has struggled in this season has been the penalty kill, as they rank ninth in the NEHC and 63rd of 76 teams with their 76.8 percent (76-of-99) conversion rate.
SCOUTING THE BEACONS: After falling in the ECAC East Semifinals in each of the past three seasons against Babson College, UMass Boston is looking to reach the conference championship game for the first time since 2009. New England Hockey Conference Coach of the Year Peter Belisle has stressed balance all season long, as the Beacons rank in the top-15 in Division III in: scoring offense (4.31-5th), scoring defense (2.15-14th), penalty minutes per game (8.7-9th), power-play rate (25.0-7th) and penalty-kill rate (89.3-t-5th).
UMass Boston has dominated special teams play against UNE this year, as they've gone 3-for-7 on the power-play, while holding the Nor'Easters to an 0-for-6 mark.
In last week's win over eighth-seeded University of Southern Maine, Faust tied the program-record for career shutouts (three) and shutouts in a season (two) with 20 saves. He ranks in the top-25 in the nation in goals against average (2.12), save percentage (.926) and winning percentage (.711). Lemire, another one of the Beacons' nine seniors, ranks third in the nation with his 42 points and tied for second with 28 assists. Finally, DeAugustine is just three points shy of 100 for his career, after scoring two goals in the NEHC Quarterfinal win over USM.
STAT TO KNOW: UMass Boston is 19-0-2 this season when scoring at least three goals. On the flip side, the Nor'Easters are 5-8-1 when giving up three or more goals and just 1-8-1 when giving up four or more goals.
