BOSTON, Mass. – For the first time since 2010-11 season, women's ice hockey will host a conference tournament game, as the third-seeded Beacons will take on the sixth-seeded Valiants of Manhattanville College Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. in a quarterfinal round game in the Beacons Ice Arena.
GAME INFORMATION
Live Stats – http://portal.stretchinternet.com/umb/stats.htm?eventId=272339&streamType=stats
Video – http://portal.stretchinternet.com/umb/stats.htm?eventId=272339&streamType=video
TICKET INFORMATION
$5 – General Admission
$3 – Students with valid college ID
ALL-TIME SERIES: For the sixth straight year the Beacons and Valiants will face-off in the conference tournament. Now under a new flag of the New England Hockey Conference, the Beacons will look to continue their postseason success against their longtime rivals. All-time Saturday's contest marks the 33rd meeting between the two squads, dating back to their first meeting in 2004. Manhattanville leads the series 26-5-1 all-time.
Since their first postseason meeting in 2011, Manhattanville has recorded three victories, while UMass Boston has taken the last two meetings, one of which by the way of a shutout. Last season, UMass held on to earn a 3-2 win in New York to advance to their second straight conference semi-final. Saturday's match-up will be the first time the two teams will face each in the Beacons Ice Arena, with every game prior either being played at a neutral site, or at the Playland Ice Casino.
SEASON SERIES: Going into Saturday's contest, each team has recorded a victory over the other during the 2015-16 season. In their first meeting, it was the Valiants who skated away with the win, as Sarah Sinning and Kat Reilly scored back-to-back goals in a two-minute span late in the third period to defeat UMB, 3-2.
In their final regular season meeting, the Beacons put together their most dominant showing ever against the Valiants, as they shut them out 5-0 in Boston. Alexa Cappione (Massena, N.Y.) and Alexandra Karlis (Denver, Colo.) each knocked in goal in the first, while Kayla Smith (Woburn, Mass.) made it a 3-0 game in the second. Kristen Embrey (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Jenny Currie (Chelmsford, Mass.) secured the victory in the third. Between the pipes Rachel Myette grabbed her eighth win of the year, after tallying 23 saves on 23 shots. The Beacons controlled the contest from start to finish, as they outshot the Valiants 48-23, and were 27-for-46 on the face-offs.
SCOUTING THE VALIANTS: Despite being led by Kyra Herbert a majority of the Valiants production has come from freshman Jordan Roetzer, who leads the team in points with 14, scoring eight goals and tallying six assists. Reilly sits third on the team in scoring, netting seven goals and recording six assists. Karly Kapur has been an offensive catalyst, leading the team in assists with eleven. Just like the offense, the Valiants have looked to freshman Rose Pijaca to carry most of the load between the pipes, compiling a .923 save percentage and allowing 2.66 goals per game on the year. Her counterpart in goal, Olivia Drew has made 307 saves in 14 games in goal this year, picking up a team-high five wins.
SCOUTING THE BEACONS: Despite carrying less than 18 players for the entire season interim head coach Lindsay Berman has successfully began a new chapter of Beacons hockey. Led by Currie and Karlis, the senior duo each boast 19 points respectively going into this year's tournament. Embrey is also having a huge offensive year, as she has combined for 18 points on six goals and 12 assists. Karlis leads the team in helpers with 14, while Currie has netted 13 goals.
Behind the blue line Cappione, Kat Armstrong (Boulder, Colo.), Arielle Gallucci (Warren, N.J.), and Katie Jeter (Winthrop, Mass.) have carried the load for all of 2016. Cappione leads the defense with her five goals, while Armstrong currently sits with 10 assists. Jeter and Gallucci have also made huge contributions in their first season a college players.
Myette will be the go-to netminder for the Beacons this postseason. With her 424 saves and 1.78 goals against average, the sophomore transfer has emerged as one of the top goalies in the NEHC. With a 10-7-0 record, Myette is just one of two goaltenders in program history to record 10 or more wins in a single season. She also sits in the top-3 in the NEHC in goals against average and save percentage.
STAT TO KNOW: This year's four All-Conference selections in Myette, Cappione, Currie, and Gallucci rank as the second most since the program's inaugural season in 2003-04.
