WILKES-BARRE – The fifth-seeded Wilkes University women's ice hockey team bring a 13-game unbeaten streak into a United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) Tournament Semifinal on Saturday, February 24 at top-seeded Nazareth University at Tim Horton's Iceplex. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
 
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Wilkes made more program history on Wednesday night by winning its first postseason game in the UCHC Tournament Quarterfinals. The Colonels went on the road to No. 4 seed Arcadia University and won 1-0 on the strength of a 36-save shutout by Audrey Milne (London, ON) and a goal by Haylee Bouchard (Sioux Lookout, ON). Wilkes improved to 18-6-2 overall and improved its current unbeaten streak to 13 games at 12-0-1.
 
The team has outscored their opponents 92-43 this season and are 26.8 percent on the power play (19-for-71) while killing off penalties at a 92.0 percent clip (79-for-87). Wilkes had the better of the faceoff battle on the season winning at a 55.4 percent rate.
 
Bouchard, a first-year forward, leads Wilkes and the UCHC with 37 points and 1.42 points-per-game. She is second in the league with 18 goals and third with 19 assists. Fellow first-year forwards Jordan Ferry (Bohemia, NY) and Amanda Spreadbury (Suwanee, GA) for tied for eighth in the UCHC with 12 goals. Ferry is second on the team with 23 points as she has added 11 assists and Spreadbury is third on the team with 20 points as she has eight assists. Senior forward Rachel Morey (Buffalo, WY/) is tied for second on the team with 11 assists and has 14 points along with first-year defender Tilly Wierdsma (New Hartford, CT).
 
Graduate student Abigail Barcless (Hamilton, NJ/) has been a strong presence on the ice during her 19 games as she leads the team with a plus-19 player rating. Wierdsma is second with a plus-18 mark and Ferry is third at plus-15. Wierdsma led the team with 26 blocked shots. Ferry leads the league with 280 faceoff wins.
 
Bouchard and Spreadbury lead the Colonels with four power play goals and Bouchard leads the team with three of its eight shorthanded goals. First year forward Milica Velcek (Novi Sad, Serbia) and Bouchard lead the team and are tied for third in the conference with four game-winning goals.
 
Milne, a first-year goaltedner, started 20 of the 26 games and has a 14-4-2 record. Milne is ranked third in the UCHC with a .950 save percentage and fourth with a 1.32 goals-against-average while making 491 total saves and earning five shutouts.
 
Wilkes lost both games of the season series with Nazareth back on January 5-6 at Tim Horton's Iceplex. The Golden Flyers were ranked No. 13 nationally at the time of the 3-0 and 6-0 wins. The Colonels have been on their unbeaten streak ever since.
 
Nazareth is 20-5-1 overall and went 19-0-1 in the UCHC to earn the top seed in the UCHC Tournament. The Golden Flyers are currently the first team receiving votes in the USCHO.com national poll just outside the Top 15 ranked teams. They defeated No. 8 seed King's College 5-0 on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.
 
The Golden Flyers outscored their opponents by a 93-24 margin this season and converted on the power play at a 27.8 percent clip (22-for-79). Nazareth killed off penalties at an 88.3 percent rate (53-for-60) and have won faceoffs at an impressive 63.9 percent of the time.
 
Ella Cedrone leads the team with 26 points and 17 assists while Meredith Boettcher is second on the team with 25 points and leads the way with 13 goals. Makenna Wiljanen leads the team at a plus-23 while Boettcher, Julia Holmes, and Allie Zack are all plus-21.
 
Ingrid Holstad is tied for the league lead with six power play goals. Nazareth did not score shorthanded this season. Holstad and Boettcher lead the team with four game-winning goals.
 
Sydney Swanson led Nazareth with 22 blocked shots and Alexis Kindred led the team with 238 faceoff wins.
 
McKinley Hoff went 17-3-1 in 21 starts as the team's top goaltender. She is fourth in the UCHC with a .944 save percentage and is second with a 1.00 goals-against-average. She has made 353 total saves.
 
The winner will move onto a UCHC Championship on Saturday, March 2. In the other UCHC Semifinal it will be No. 2 Utica University hosting No. 3 Manhattanville College at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday.