For Immediate Release
Contact Dave Geringer, Sports Information Director, (508) 990-9651  [log in to unmask]
Friday, March 7, 2008					

HOCKEY SET TO HOST NICHOLS IN ECAC NORTHEAST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA-The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's hockey team will try to earn their third consecutive Eastern College Athletic Conference Northeast championship when they host the conference championship game Saturday. The Corsairs will host Nichols at 4:30 p.m. at the Stephan Hetland Memorial Ice Arena.

UMass Dartmouth is the second-seeded team and enters Saturday’s game with an overall record of 17-8-1, while Nichols, the third seed, is 20-6-1. The Corsairs won the final game of the regular season against the Bison at Pomfret Rink, 3-2 on February 23rd, and earned the higher seed and home ice for this game as a result.

“For our team to battle our way back into the championship game for the fourth consecutive season after having lost seven quality players from last year’s championship team is a tremendous accomplishment,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach John Rolli. “We were concerned in January when we had some tough losses, but we stayed on course, and we are clearly playing our best hockey of the season. Twelve of our players played in last year’s championship game, which will give us a great deal of confidence.”

The Bison are playing in the ECAC Northeast championship game for the first time, and their loss to UMass Dartmouth February 23rd is their only blemish in the last eight games. “Nichols is the only team in the ECAC Northeast to have won as many as 20 games,” said Rolli. “Earlier this year, they won at Colby, and Colby is the top seed in the NESCAC playoffs. They have played very well against all of the top teams in our league, and it took an outstanding effort to beat them two weeks ago.”

The winner of the game will earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships.


UMASS DARTMOUTH HOCKEY