In a battle featuring the UCHC champions from Geneseo hosting the MAC winners from Stevenson, the game showcases teams built for playoff hockey led by coaches who have winning reputations when it comes to the post-season in Geneseo’s Chris Schultz and Stevenson’s Dominick Dawes. Both teams secured their conference titles by defeating the no. 1 seed in their respective tournament as the road team and now look to parlay their strong play last week into winning hockey on the national stage.
“One game at a time,” noted Schultz. “Every team right now is feeling good about themselves. Every team has pretty good momentum heading into the tournament. We have to stick to our process and play to our strengths.”
The Knights strengths include a 12-1-1 record in the comfortable confines of the Ira S Wilson Rink and an experienced group of players including senior goaltender Adam Harris (19GP – 2.50 goals-against average – .916 save percentage), and senior forward Zach Purcell (16G – 11A – 27 Pts) along with sophomore forward Filip Wiberg (15G – 15A – 30 Pts) and sophomore defensive stalwart, Sean Melso (8G – 16A – 24 Pts.) The Knights have depth upfront and on the blue line and play a pressure game that challenges any team for the full 200-feet of the rink.
For Stevenson, their current five-game win streak has been led by a strong offensive attack featuring senior forward Liam McKinney (15G – 12A – 27 Pts) and junior forward Blake Benson (17G – 8A – 25 Pts). Add in the clutch performances of Even Beers (4G – 14A – 18 Pts) and Dylan Florit (4G – 14A – 18 Pts) and Stevenson has the tools to physically challenge the Knights on their home ice. Junior goaltender Ford DeLoss (24 GP – 2.24 goals-against average – .917 save percentage – 4 shutouts) has been stellar in goal for the Mustangs, especially in the MAC tournament where he surrendered just two goals in wins against Neumann and Wilkes.
“Our guys are excited,” said head coach Dominick Dawes. “They earned the right to be here. Playing in upstate New York is nothing new for us. We need to focus on our game and the things that have helped build the program up to this point.”
The Knights and Mustangs face-off on Saturday night at 7 PM with the winner advancing to a quarterfinal date against the winner from the Aurora v. Wisconsin Eau Claire first round game.
