Coming off a record-setting regular season, the Merrimack College women’s ice hockey program will make the trip down to Providence as the fifth seed in the Hockey East Tournament, taking on the fourth-seeded Friars in the Hockey East quarterfinal series March 1-3.
The three-game set will see a 6 p.m. puck drop Friday and Saturday, and if needed, a 3 p.m. start time Sunday afternoon, with all three games to be played inside Schneider Arena in Providence.
Merrimack enters the 2018-19 postseason after missing the Hockey East Tournament in 2017-18, and will hold its highest playoff rank in program history; its only other playoff berth came two years ago as the eighth seed.
Five Things to Know:
- In the three meetings this season, the Friars are 2-0-1; Merrimack’s only win against Providence came last February on the road.
- Senior Samantha Ridgewell and Providence’s Madison Myers have logged more minutes in net than any other goaltender in the conference; both have played over 1,800 minutes. Ridgewell is first in the conference and eighth in the country in save percentage with a .936.
- Two of the top ten scorers in Hockey East hail from Merrimack; senior Katelyn Rae (24-15-39) and junior Mikyla Grant-Mentis (12-22-34); Rae sits atop the conference in goals scored (24).
- Merrimack ranks second in the conference in power play percentage (20.0%) and third in penalty kill (89.8%).
- Providence in 5-1-1 since its last meeting against the Warriors on February 1, with wins against #3 Northeastern and #8 Boston University.
