CAPE COD, Mass. (Feb. 16) – Nichols College sophomore Mandy Manopla (West Palm Beach, Fla.) has been named the ECAC Women's East Hockey League Player of the Week for play ending Sunday, February 14. Manopla netted the first hat trick in Bison women's hockey history on Saturday, helping Nichols secure its first-ever playoff berth.

Manopla scored three goals on just five shots in Nichols' 8-1 win over Plymouth State Saturday, netting a pair on the power play. She leads the team with 18 points and ranks seventh in the league with 13 goals. With five of her goals coming on the power play, she ranks eighth in the conference in power play scoring.

With three home games remaining on the season, Nichols can finish as high as seventh in the standings. The Bison host Norwich Friday at 7:30 p.m. before taking on Castleton St. for the final two games of the season on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) for Senior Day and Monday (12:00 p.m.). The Spartans currently stand one point ahead of the Bison in the conference standings.