ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University men's ice hockey team will host Utica College in an ECAC West semifinal matchup tonight at Iceworks. Faceoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm.
Neumann swept the season series this season with Utica, winning all three games played against the Pioneers by a combined score of 13-6. The first contest took place back on November 19th, 2010 as the Knights were able to squeak out a 5-4 road victory at Utica. Leading the Knights in that contest were Steve and David Gervais, who accounted for three of the Knights five goals. Ryan Dreger netted the game winner for Neumann, for his first career goal, while Michael Rey added 2 assists.
The Knights and Pioneers would meet up again later in the season, with Neumann again coming out on top. On back to back nights just two weeks ago, the Knights skated away with two convincing wins. On February 11th, Neumann skated to a 5-1 win. Again, Steve Gervais led the way for the Knights, recording a goal and two assists for three points. Rey also added two goals for the Knights, while Jordan Zalba added 2 assists. The following night, Neumann prevailed 3-1. Dreger, Scott Farrell, and Bill Foster scored for the Knights, who also received stellar goaltending from Ross MacKinnon (25 saves).
For the season, the Knights have been paced by freshman forward Rey, who was named the ECAC West Rookie of the Year. The young player has made an immediate impact for the team, compiling 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points, tying him for fourth in the league in scoring (first among freshmen). Alongside Rey, sophomore Steve Gervais has added 19 points for the Knights, while junior Brett Tamane and sophomore Zalba have each added 16 points. Defensively the Knights boast a core of defensemen that have been steady all season. Junior William Lacasse (first team all-conference) leads Neumann's defense corps with 20 points, while sophomore Farrell has notched 15 points. The defense is also boosted by senior leaders Jeff Rodell and Sean Bianchini. Goalie MacKinnon has also been solid in net, posting an 8-5-3 record with a 2.56 GAA and a 0.916 Save Percentage.
Despite Neumann's three wins over Utica, the Pioneers are no pushover. Utica comes into the game ranked ninth in the most recent USCHO.com national poll. The Pioneers are led by junior captain Tim Coffmann, who leads the conference in scoring with 34 points. Utica also boasts the number one statistical goalie in the conference in Evan Smith. The freshman has compiled a 9-3-1 record on the season along with a 1.99 GAA and a 0.921 save percentage to lead the conference.
The winner of this semifinal game will take on the winner of the other ECAC West semifinal matchup between Elmira and Hobart. The ECAC West Championship game will be next played next weekend at the highest remaining seed.
