WILKES-BARRE – The stage is set for the inaugural Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Women's Ice Hockey Championship this Saturday, as the No. 1 seed Wilkes University women's ice hockey team hosts No. 2 seed Arcadia University at the Toyota SportsPlex.
 
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The Colonels (21-4-1) enter this game having only lost once since the turn of the new year, going on a 15-game unbeaten streak including a 5-2 win over No. 4 Alvernia in the MAC Semifinals. The team also broke into the USCHO.com Division III women's ice hockey poll for the first time in program history this week at No. 15.

Haylee Bouchard (Sioux Lookout, ON) leads the offense for the second consecutive season, lighting the lamp 18 times and assisting a further 11 goals for a team-high 29 points. Her production earned her All-MAC First Team honors this season, one of five Colonels to earn All-Conference recognition this campaign.

She is joined up front by first-year forward Nina Hudakova (Košice, Slovakia) and Jordan Ferry (Bohemia, NY), who also reached double-digit scoring with 13 and 11 respectively. The Wilkes offense tops the MAC with 101 goals scored and an average of 9.19 points per game.

That offensive production doesn't come without assists, and the MAC Rookie of the Year Renee Ng (Hong Kong, China/Mount Academy) has brought that to the Colonel attack, sitting second in the conference with a team-high 17. She also scored eight times with three on the power play, tied with Bouchard and Hudakova for the most in man-up opportunities.

The Colonels also lead the MAC in faceoff winning percentage at 58.4%, led by Iida Laitinen (Jyväskylä, Finland) who won 60.7% of her attempts in the circle, the third best percentage in the conference. Gianna Pacilio (Franklinville, NJ) and Jordan Ferry (Bohemia, NY) find themselves in the top ten in the MAC along with Laitinen, winning 60.2% and 58.2% respectively.

In defense, All-MAC Second Team selection Tilly Wierdsma (New Hartford, CT/) sits fifth in the conference with 46 blocked shots as a part of a defense that helped allow just 33 goals on the year, tied for the second least in the MAC. All-MAC Honorable Mention Audrey Milne (London, ON) holds down the net for Wilkes, allowing 1.31 goals per game with a save percentage of 93%.

Arcadia (20-3-3) enter this game on an unbeaten streak of their own, remaining undefeated in their last 12 contests, most recently having defeated No. 3 seed Lebanon Valley College 3-1 in the MAC Semifinals.

All-MAC First Team honoree Karahkwenhawe White leads the team with 18 goals and 15 assists for a total of 33 points, tied with Bouchard for the second-most goals in the conference. She is joined in attack by Phoebe Roberts and Haylee Kos, who reached double-digit scoring as well with 15 and 10 goals respectively.

The Knights also boast the best power play in the conference, with a conference-best percentage of 28.6% (24 for 84).

In defense, goaltender Hannah Bergeron has been one of the MAC's best, leading the conference with a goals allowed average of 1.19 and eight shutouts. Her save percentage of 94.6% puts her second among all goalkeepers in the conference.

Wilkes and Arcadia met three times in the regular season, with the Colonels taking two wins and a tie with a shootout victory. Both regular season wins came on the road, only winning by a one goal margin in each game. In their one matchup at the SportsPlex, the game ended in a tie, with Danielle Longuemare (Pembroke, MA/Portsmouth Abbey School) scoring the shootout goal that sent the Colonels into first place in the conference.

These teams also met in the UCHC Quarterfinals last season, with Wilkes winning that matchup on the road 1-0.

In the past two seasons, the Colonels are 3-0 on the road against Arcadia but are 1-1-1 at home against the Knights.

Puck drop against the Knights is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. The winner of this game will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, beginning on Saturday, March 15.