DUDLEY, Mass. (Feb. 25) -- The Nichols College men’s hockey team has earned the fifth seed in the ECAC Northeast Hockey League Playoffs. The Bison (13-9-3, 7-6-1) will travel to the New England Sports Center to face fourth-seeded Becker (12-11-1, 8-6-0) on Sunday, February 28th for the quarterfinals at 3:10 p.m. Fans who cannot attend the game can find updates throughout the action on Twitter by following @thunder_bison, the official Twitter feed of Nichols Athletics. Directions to the New England Sports Center can be found here.
The Bison tied Johnson & Wales for fifth place during the year and receive the number five seed based on regular season head-to-head play. The Bison defeated the Wildcats once during the regular season and then skated to a tie in their final matchup.
First year forward Zach Kohn (Hartland, Wis.) led the Bison in conference play with 20 points (8 goals, 12 assists) during the regular season. Senior forward and the Nichols career assists leader Zeke Costello (Shelby Township, Mich.) was the top playmaker in ECAC games, notching 18 points on four goals and 14 helpers in just 11 games. Junior Matt Sayer (Lowell, Mass.) added 10 goals and four assists during conference play, including a hat trick against Western New England College.
In net, sophomore Jacob Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) has started the last four games and has posted a 3-3-1 record in nine conference starts with a .876 goals against average. First year Ryan Casey (Pelham, N.H.) is 3-3-0 in five starts and seven games with a .860 goals against. Mike Davis (Newport, Mich.) earned one win in relief at WNEC with 13 saves.
The Bison are averaging 3.50 goals per conference game, while allowing opponents 3.86 goals. Nichols has continued to outshoot opponents this season, maintaining a 73-shot margin on foes. The Bison have been able to finish strong, with their only positive goal differential in conference games coming in the final period at +1 (16-15). The second period, however, leaves the Bison at -6 (19-25).
Special teams could play a major factor in Sunday’s quarterfinal matchup. Even though Nichols has put some life back in its power play as of late, in conference action this season, the extra-man numbers stand at just 13.8% (13-94). In the two regular-season meetings with the Hawks, Nichols was held 0-for-12. On the flip side, however, the Bison’s penalty kill stands at 75.0% (72-96). Nichols kept the Hawks in check for the most part in the two previous meetings, keeping them to 1-for-5 with the man advantage.
Becker comes into the postseason having won four of its last five games and is led by sophomore forward Patrick Bellew, who finished the conference season with seven goals and three assists for 13 points. First year forward Brandon Parkhouse and sophomore forward Robert Johnson join Bellew in double-figure points with 12 and 11 respectively. Sophomore Jake Rosenthal has started all but one conference game for the Hawks, and has been the goalie of record in all but one win, with a 7-6-0 record to go with the conference’s top save percentage at .927.
Becker is averaging 2.71 goals per game, and allowing opponents 2.36 in ECAC games this season. The first period seems to be where the Hawks strike first, with a +5 goal differential. Overall, Becker has outscored foes by five goals in league play this season (38-33). The Hawks’ penalty kill is tops in the conference at 91.1% (51-56), however their power play rings in at 14.5% (10-69).
The winner of Sunday’s game will advance to the semifinals to face the winner of top-seeded Wentworth (19-4-1, 11-3-0) and eighth-seeded Salve Regina (1-23-1, 0-13-1). The semifinal round is scheduled for Wednesday, March 3.
New England Sports Center: 121 Donald Lynch Blvd, Marlborough, MA 01572
Route 290 From The West:
- Take 290 East to Solomon Pond Road (Exit 25)
- At the end of the exit ramp, Turn Right, crossing over 290.
- Take the First Right (approximately 100 yards) onto Donald Lynch Blvd.
- Follow Donald Lynch Blvd. (2 miles) to N.E. Sports Center, On Your Left.