SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Skidmore College ice hockey team will take on some fresh faces this weekend, hitting the road for its first New England Hockey Conference visit to Johnson & Wales and Suffolk as the league schedule hits the halfway point. The Thoroughbreds will begin the trip against Johnson & Wales on Friday at 7 p.m. and will finish the weekend against Suffolk on Saturday, also at 7 p.m.
 
Skidmore (4-5-1, 2-3-1 NEHC) comes into this weekend after a pair of losses last weekend to Babson and then- No. 9/9 UMass Boston. The Thoroughbreds stand in sixth in the league standings with six points, one point behind Norwich and two behind fourth-place New England College. Over the weekend, junior forward Tim Allen tallied three goals, adding an assist to land on NEHC Honor Roll. He's currently third on the team in scoring with eight points via three goals and five assists.
 
Sophomore forward Matt Muzyka has been on a scoring tear this season, having tallied at least a point in the last six games. He's found his way into the scoresheet in nine of Skidmore's 10 games this season and leads the team in scoring with 13 points via a team-leading seven goals, adding six assists. Fellow sophomore forward Brandon Borges has settled into his role as facilitator, leading the team with eight assists. He's second on the team with 11 points. Junior forward Owen Campbell (two goals, five assists for seven points) and senior defenseman Corey Morgan (two goals, four assists for six points) rounds out the top-five.
 
In net, junior Brandon Kasel sports a 2.75 goals against average in nine starts to go along with his .908 save percentage. Sophomore goalie Brian Kowalski has had two appearances and one start, and he has a 3.45 goals against average and an .889 save percentage in 104 minutes.
 
"Coming off a disappointing road weekend, we are excited to get back to into it against two good opponents in Johnson & Wales and Suffolk," said head coach Rob Hutchison. "We need to execute better and focus on the controllables right now in order to continue moving our ship forward."
 
Johnson & Wales comes into Friday's match-up with a 3-5-2 overall record, sitting in a tie for seventh in the league standings with a 1-4-1 record and three points. Last weekend, Johnson & Wales earned its first-ever NEHC victory, defeating Castleton by a 3-2 score on the road.
 
The Wildcats are led by forward Connor Bechel, who has nine points, via five goals and four assists. Forwards Matt Bernot, Jake Glod, and Conor Cassidy each have five points, with Cassidy sharing the assist lead (four) with Bechel. Mike Rockwell leads the Wildcats in net with a 3.48 goals against average and an .898 save percentage in seven starts. Tyler Ellor has been solid his is four appearances, with a 1.81 goals against average and a .953 save percentage.
 
The Thoroughbreds and Wildcats have met only once – in the consolation game of the Skidmore College Thanksgiving Invitational, back on Nov. 30, 2014. Skidmore's Marc Cibelli '17 scored the game-tying goal with 4:53 left in regulation, leading to a 2-2 tie.
 
Suffolk (3-6-0, 1-5-0 NEHC) sit in 10^th place in the league standings after six league contests. Last weekend, the Rams earned its first-ever NEHC victory in a stunner, topping then- No. 13 Norwich 1-0 on the road. Suffolk will host No. 14 Hobart on Friday before Skidmore comes to town.
 
Jack Kelly leads the Rams in scoring with seven points, via four goals and three assists. Mikhail Bryan leads the team in assists with four, to go along with his two goals. Michael Levine has played a majority of the minutes in net, as the senior holds a 2.56 goals against average to go along with a .922 save percentage and a 3-5 record. Will Ribas has two appearances and one start, and he holds a 3.35 goals against average with an .886 save percentage, going 0-1.
 
Like Johnson & Wales, Skidmore has met Suffolk only once prior, in 2008 at the Skidmore Thanksgiving Invitational semifinal. The Thoroughbreds scored late in the second period for a 2-1 lead. That score held as Skidmore skated to an eventual championship win.