ASTON, Pa. - The Neumann University men's ice hockey team has advanced to the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) playoffs and will travel to No. 9 Wilkes University on Wednesday, February 23rd for a 7:00 pm matchup.
 
The seventh seeded Knights finished the season with a record of 8-15-1 overall and 5-12-1 in conference play. The second seeded Colonels from Wilkes come into the quarterfinals with a record of 18-5 and a 15-3 mark in the UCHC.
 
Neumann will be hoping to buck the trend of its two previous meetings with the Colonels this season. The Knights fell by a score of 9-5 in Aston on November 5th, but will look to build on the fact that they actually carried a 5-4 lead into the third period on that day. The second matchup of the two teams was not as close, as Neumann dropped a 7-2 result in Wilkes Barre on January 21st.
 
The Knights have been led offensively this season by freshman Nick Martino, who tops the team in goals (15), assists (20) and points (35). Senior Barry Kneedler (11 g, 15 a) has also been leaned upon for his attacking prowess, while Luke Croucher (12 g, 8 a) has been the team's hottest forward with goals in five of the team's last seven games, including a four point night this past Saturday in a loss at Nazareth.
 
On the back end, Neumann has received excellent two-way play from senior Richie Brusco (3 g, 20 a). The defensemen set the all-time record for games played in program history, playing in his 109th career game in Sunday's loss at Utica. Nate Dunning has also been a force for the Knights with 6 goals and 8 assists on the season.
 
In goal, Neumann has received excellent performances from both Kyle Pantalone and Cal Ambrose. Pantalone has started 14 games, going 5-9 with a 4.63 goals against average and 0.874 save percentage, while Ambrose has contributed a record of 3-5-1 in his nine starts with a 3.95 goals against average and an .880 save percentage.
 
The winner of Wednesday's matchup will advance to the UCHC semifinal round on Saturday, February 26th. The UCHC Championship game will be played the following Saturday, March 5th.