WILKES-BARRE – For the second consecutive season the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Women's Ice Hockey Championship Tournament runs through the Toyota SportsPlex, and it kicks off this Saturday as the top-seeded Wilkes women's ice hockey team hosts the No. 4-seed Alvernia University at 3:30 p.m.

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Tickets - $11 Adults | $6 Seniors (65+) and Youth (7-17) | Free for MAC Students with an ID, children under 6 with an adult

Wilkes enters the game off the back of a historic regular season, finishing 22-1-1 overall and 20-1 in MAC play. They also sit 15^th in the latest USCHO.com Division III Poll.

As a unit, Wilkes holds the second-best scoring offense in the nation averaging 4.96 goals per game and leads the MAC in assists per game (7.58) and points per game (12.54). The Colonel offense is led by record-breaking forwards Nina Hudakova (Košice, Slovakia/Hoosac Prep School) and Haylee Bouchard (Sioux Lookout, ON/), who have set new standards in program history.

Hudakova broke the single-season goalscoring record against Alvernia in the final home game of the regular season and currently sits at 21 goals, tied for the third-most in all of Division III. Her fellow linesman Bouchard shattered the single-season assists record with a current total of 33, the second-most in the nation. Bouchard also ranks second in the nation in points per game, averaging 2.04 over 24 contests.
Wilkes has also seen significant offensive contributions from Jordan Ferry (Bohemia, NY) (25 points), Renee Ng (Hong Kong, China/Mount Academy) (24 points), Gianna Pacilio (Franklinville, NJ/) (20 points), and Megan Bell (Waterloo, ON/St. David Catholic) (19 points) this campaign.

In defense, Wilkes has been led by junior Tilly Wierdsma (New Hartford, CT) and sophomore Hannah Franz (North Bay, ON/), who have combined for 48 blocked shots this season. The duo has also contributed on the offensive end, sitting third and fourth in the conference in plus/minus at +38 and +31 respectively. Between the pipes, Audrey Milne (London, ON) has been her dominant self this season, leading the conference in goals against average (1.30), save percentage (.942), and shutouts (6).

Alvernia earned the fourth seed in the playoffs with an overall record of 12-11 and an 11-10 mark in MAC play.

The team ranks fourth in the MAC in scoring offense (2.74 avg/g) and points (6.13 avg/g), led by two young attackers. First-year Alexis Oliveira leads the team with 12 goals on the year, while sophomore Emma Hart tallied a team-high 19 points. Hart shares the team-high in assists with senior forward Kathryn Palmer, both tallying 10 helpers in the regular season. Senior defender Laila Tosi leads the team with 17 blocked shots, helping goaltender Stephanie Skorupa to her 1.99 GAA, the third best mark in the MAC.

Wilkes swept the regular season series, winning by an aggregate score of 20-3.

The winner of this game will play the winner of the semifinal between the No. 2-seed Arcadia University and No. 3 Lebanon Valley College next Saturday, with the game hosted at the highest remaining seed.