ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University men's ice hockey team will head to Stevenson University for a first round United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) playoff contest tomorrow afternoon. It will be the second consecutive season the Knights have matched up against the Mustangs in the opening round of the playoffs.
 
The Knights enter the playoffs as the sixth seed in the UCHC tournament. The team finished with a record of 1-5-2, dropping its final four games of the regular season. Neumann faces a second ranked Stevenson program who finished the year with a record of 7-1-1. The Mustangs are unbeaten in their last eight games after dropping their season opening contest at Chatham.
 
If the Knights have any chance at an upset bid, they will need to continue to receive excellent goaltending from Kyle Pantalone, who has started five of the teams' eight games in goal. The junior net-minder has registered a 1-2-2 record with a 2.34 goals against average and a 0.934 save percentage. His goals against average places him third amongst conference goaltenders, while his 0.934 save percentage puts him second in the conference.
 
Offensively, it has been a committee-like approach to scoring this year for Neumann. Danny Cangelosi and Austin Boyle are tied for the team lead in goals with three, while Tommy Dougherty is tops on the team in assists with five. Clay Boyd, Zach Boyle, Ty Kulas and Brady Mistler all also have three points apiece.
 
To make it to the UCHC semifinals this season, Neumann will have to break a long streak of losing to the Mustangs. The Knights have fallen to Stevenson in each of the last five times the two teams have met over the past two seasons, including two defeats earlier this month.

Puck-drop for Wednesday's contest in Maryland is scheduled for 4:30 PM.