DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's hockey team closes out the regular season with a pair of critical home games this weekend when it hosts No. 14 Marian University (Wis.) on Friday and Lawrence University (Wis.) on Saturday.
Where:
Mars Lakeview Arena – Duluth, Minn.
When:
Friday vs. Marian – 7 p.m.
Saturday vs. Lawrence – 7 p.m.
Live Video vs. Marian: http://csssaints.com/watch/?Live=66
Live Video vs. Lawrence: http://csssaints.com/watch/?Live=67
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/css/mhockey/
Social Media:
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/CSSMHockey
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/csssaints
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/csssaints
St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 14-8-1, 8-7-1 NCHA
Northern Collegiate Hockey Association: Standings | Stats
What You Need to Know about the Saints:
-The Saints enter the weekend having already clinched a NCHA Harris Cup playoff spot and are third in the North Division standings.
-Friday's opponent, Marian, is three points ahead of the Saints for the No. 2 seed.
-Saturday's opponent, Lawrence, is a point back of CSS for the No. 3 seed.
-The top two seeds in each division host the quarterfinal round of the Harris Cup playoffs.
-CSS is coming off a 3-2 overtime victory at Finlandia University (Mich.) on Saturday.
-
Nate Pionk (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown HS (Minot-NAHL)) put home the game winner with only 14 seconds remaining in overtime.
-It marked the fifth time this season, the Saints have won when trailing after two periods and the second time against Finlandia.
-CSS is 8-1 at Mars Lakeview and have won at least eight home games in each of the last three seasons.
-The Saints can reach 10 home wins this weekend and the last time that happened was the 1985-86 season.
-The program record is 13 home wins set during the 1975-76 season.
-CSS has five seniors they will recognize this weekend in
Kale Derkson (Regina, Saskatchewan/Sheldon Williams Collegiate/Athol Murray College of Notre Dame (Notre Dame-SJHL)),
Mark Whiteley (Surrey, British Columbia/Holy Cross HS (Marian University)),
Sam Williams (Winnipeg, Manitoba/River East Collegiate (Melville-SJHL)),
Ryan Cooper (New Westminster, British Columbia/New Westminster Secondary (Dauphin-MJHL)) and
Andrew Clark (Brandon, Manitoba/Crocus Plains Regional School (Waywayseecappo-MJHL)).
-Whiteley ranks fourth among NCHA defensemen with 17 points.
-Whiteley has 60 points in 101 games in his career.
-Derkson is a three-year captain with 104 games played as a Saint.
-Williams, Cooper and Clark have combined to play in 231 games over the last four seasons.
-Sophomore
Kyle Star (Langley, British, Columbia/Brookswood (Trail Smoke-BCHL)) leads the team with 16 assists and 21 points.
-The Saints are 14-3 when they score a power-play goal.
-CSS has allowed at least one power-play goal in each of the last four games.
-The Saints lead the NCHA in penalty minutes and rank fourth nationally at 19.0 per game.
-St. Scholastica is 11-1-1 when it records the first goal.
-CSS is 11-3 when leading or tied after one period of action.
What You Need to Know about Marian:
-The Sabres are 16-6-1 overall and 10-6-0 in the NCHA.
-The Sabres can clinch the No. 2 seed with a win or tie on Friday.
-Marian is ranked No. 14 in this week's USCHO.com poll and No. 15 in the D3hockey.com poll.
-Marian is coming off a pivotal home-and-home sweep over Lawrence last weekend.
-It enters the weekend on a five-game winning streak, with each victory being by at least two goals.
-Marian has been better on the road this season with an 8-2 record.
-Seniors Hunter Stewart (32) and Derek Thorogood (31) rank second and third respectively in the NCHA in points.
-Thorogood has the second-most goals in the league at 15, while Stewart is tied for the league-lead with 21 assists.
-Stewart is also tied for the NCHA lead with 13 power-play points.
-Sophomore goaltender Hunter Vorva is third in the conference with a 2.00 goals-against-average.
-Vorva has three shutouts on the year.
-The Sabres have out-scored teams 26-14 in the first period and 32-14 in the third period.
-Marian is 13-0-1 when it scores the first goal.
Series Record: CSS leads 10-8
(Last Meeting: 6-2 Marian – 1/27/2018)
Series History: The Sabres have won three straight against the Saints and six of the last seven … CSS is 6-2 against Marian at Mars Lakeview, but are 2-2 in the last four meetings in Duluth.
What You Need to Know about Lawrence:
-The Vikings enter the weekend with a 10-12-1 overall record and 8-8-0 in NCHA play.
-Lawrence faces Northland on Friday before playing the Saints on Saturday.
-The Vikings can clinch the final postseason spot with a win or tie on Friday.
-Lawrence is 1-5 in its last six Saturday games.
-Senior forward Lane King leads the NCHA with 33 points.
-King is also tied for the league lead with 13 power-play points.
-Junior Josh Koepplinger leads the conference with a 16 goals.
-Sophomore goaltender Evan Cline has a 3.30 goals-against-average and a .905 save percentage.
Series Record: CSS leads 15-3-1
(Last Meeting: 4-3 LU – 1/26/2018)
Series History: The Saints had a seven-game win streak against the Vikings come to an end with a 4-3 loss a couple of weeks ago in Appleton … St. Scholastica is 8-0-1 all-time against Lawrence at Mars Lakeview Arena.
Looking Ahead: The Saints will play in the quarterfinals of the NCHA Harris Cup playoffs next Friday and Saturday at a location and an opponent to be determined. The quarterfinal round is a best-of-two with mini-game, if necessary, format.
