SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.—The Skidmore College ice hockey team continues drive for an ECAC East playoff berth this weekend, traveling to take on Saint Michael's on Friday before playing at #1 Norwich on Saturday.
Skidmore (4-14-3, 3-10-1 ECAC East) vs. Saint Michael's (7-12-2, 4-9-1 ECAC East) Game Details: Friday, Feb. 6 – 7 p.m. | Colchester, VT
Game Coverage: Live Stats VideoSCOUTING THE THOROUGHBREDS (4-13-3, 3-10-1 ECAC East): Skidmore suffered losses against two top-10 opponents last weekend, falling 3-1 to #9/10 UMass Boston and 4-2 against #7 Babson…
Anthony Bird '17 tallied a goal in both games…Freshman forward
Sam Hudziak scored his first collegiate goal against the Beavers…Sophomore goalie
Jack McDonald stopped 37 shots against UMass Boston.
STATISTICS: Bird has scored in three straight games and is currently riding a four-game point streak…Freshman blueliner
Connor Pelkey is currently ranked sixth among ECAC East rookies with 10 points (6G, 4A)…McDonald has posted a .908 save percentage against conference opponents this season… Skidmore averages a league-high 15 penalty minutes per game…The Thoroughbreds average 2.14 goals per game against ECAC East opponents…Skidmore is 2-5-1 on the road.
SCOUTING THE PURPLE KNIGHTS (7-12-2, 4-9-1 ECAC East): Saint Michael's scored five power-play goals en route to a 9-2 win over Franklin Pierce on Tuesday after dropping back-to-back ECAC East games last weekend…Senior forward AJ Pieprzak had a goal and four assists against the Ravens…Senior forward Jeremy Wong had two goals and two assists and senior defenseman Mark Higgins had three assists…Saint Michael's is 2-11 in its last 13 games and winless in its last seven ECAC East games.
STATISTICS: Pieprzak is third in the league with 17 assists and four power play goals and ranks fourth with 27 points and nine power play points (4G, 5A)…Higgins is tied for seventh in defenseman scoring with 10 points (2G, 8A)...Senior goalie Dave Donzanti has appeared in 18 of 21 games, posting a .881 save percentage and a 3.53 goals against average…Saint Michael's is 7-3-2 when scoring first, but 0-9 when its opponents score first…The Purple Knights are 4-1 when the game is tied after the first period and 0-8 when trailing after one…Saint Michael's is 4-6 at home.
LAST MEETING: Dec. 6, 2014 at Skidmore
Skidmore 4, Saint Michael's 5
Saint Michael's holds off Thoroughbreds, 5-4
vs. #1 Norwich (18-2-1, 14-0 ECAC East) Game Details: Saturday, Feb. 7 - 4 p.m. | Northfield, Vt.
Game Coverage: Live Stats Video Audio SCOUTING THE CADETS (18-2-1, 14-0 ECAC East): Norwich topped two ECAC opponents last weekend, beating New England College and Saint Anselm…Sophomore forward William Pelletier had two goals and an assist in the Cadets 6-2 win over the Pilgrims…Junior forward Dean Niezgoda added a goal and two assists…Sophomore forward Austin Surowiec tallied twice in the team's 4-0 win against Saint Anselm…Freshman goalie Braeden Ostepchuk made 11 saves, recording his third shutout of the season.
STATISTICS: Pelletier leads the nation in points per game (1.93) and ranks fifth with 29 points…He is third in the ECAC East with 12 goals and 17 assists…Niezgoda is fifth in the conference with 11 goals and seventh with 23 points…Senior Alec Thieda is second among the league's defenseman with 15 points (2G, 13A)…Ostepchuk (1.31 GAA) and sophomore Ty Reichenbach (1.42 GAA) rank 1-2 in the country in goals against average…Reichenbach is tied for 11th in Division III with a .933 save percentage, while Ostepchuk is 19th with a .926 save percentage…Norwich is 10-0 at home…The Cadets have scored first in 17 of 21 games, going 16-0-1 in those contests…Norwich has won 16 games by three or more goals…The Cadets have outscored conference opponents 70-16.
LAST MEETING: Dec. 5, 2014 at Skidmore
Skidmore 0, Norwich 4
Skidmore takes on #2 Norwich
