SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – With the NEHC postseason on the horizon, the Skidmore College hockey team heads east for a pair of games to wrap up the regular season this weekend. The Thoroughbreds will start the weekend with a matchup at Daniel Webster on Friday at approximately 7:35 p.m. Skidmore will then finish the regular season at the University of Southern Maine on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Skidmore (8-11-4, 7-6-3 NEHC) currently sits in fifth place in the league standings with 17 points, just a point behind fourth-place Castleton. They sit a point ahead of UMass Boston and six points clear of Southern Maine. The Thoroughbreds can finish no higher than fourth place.
The first-place team receives a bye into the NEHC Semifinals, and the second, third, and fourth-place teams will host the quarterfinals on Feb. 18.
Skidmore comes into the final stretch after a pair of ties against league rival Castleton last weekend. On Friday, the Thoroughbreds and Spartans traded goals in a 2-2 tie in Saratoga Springs.
Anthony Bird tallied his third shorthanded tally of the season, and
Mickey Foley tallied a second-period goal.
Max Hegge and
Sam Loizeaux provided the assists. On Saturday, there were five third-period goals between the two teams, with Castleton getting a late goal to lead to a 3-3 tie. Foley,
Matt Wolf, and
Adam Moodie provided the goals, while
Quincy Gregg tallied three assists.
Gregg was named to the NEHC honor roll for his efforts against Castleton. His play has also improved in the last four contests. The freshman defender has tallied two goals and three assists for five points, nearly doubling his production from his previous 19 games. He sits fifth among all Thoroughbreds in scoring this season, with 12 points on two goals and 10 assists.
Bird leads the Thoroughbreds in scoring, with 19 points on 12 goals and seven assists.
Corey Morgan is right behind Bird with 16 points, on five goals and 11 assists.
Marc Cibelli is third with 15 points on three goals and a team-leading 12 assists.
Daniel Webster comes into the matchup with a 1-21-1 record. Last weekend, the Eagles dropped a pair of games against New England College and Saint Anslem.
The Eagles are led by Ryan Murray, who has 15 points on eight goals and seven assists. Tanner Todd is second with eight points, scoring seven goals. Anthony D'Urso and Morgan Hudson has played most of the time in goal for Daniel Webster. D'Urso has the edge with a 4.37 goals against average and a .917 save percentage in 11 starts. In nine starts, Hudson has a 6.45 goals against average and an .884 save percentage.
Skidmore was dominant on the power play the last time the two teams met. The Thoroughbreds tallied a season-high five power-play goals in a 6-1 victory in Saratoga Springs.
Southern Maine enters the final weekend of play with a 9-12-2 record overall and a 5-10-1 mark in league play. They are locked into the seventh seed of the upcoming NEHC Tournament, and will play either Babson or New England College, who are tied for second place in the league standings.
Southern Maine will host Castleton on Friday before the Thoroughbreds come to town on Saturday. Last weekend, the Huskies split on the road, defeating Saint Anselm 4-3 on Friday, before falling to New England College 6-2 on Saturday.
Brett Norman leads Southern Maine with 24 points on seven goals and a team-high 17 assists. Cole Klippenstein and Cody Braga lead the Huskies with eight goals apiece. Kyle Shapiro is Southern Maine's starter in goal, with a 2.54 goals against average and a .928 save percentage. He has a 6-7-1 record in 15 starts.
Skidmore will be looking for revenge in the season finale. The last time the teams played was on Jan. 6 in Saratoga Springs, with the Huskies defeating the Thoroughbreds 5-3.
