WORCESTER, Mass.— The Worcester State University men's ice hockey team has been picked to finish fifth in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) preseason poll, as announced by the conference Tuesday (Oct. 24) afternoon.
The Lancers finished last year's campaign with a 9-14-3 overall record and a 6-10-2 MASCAC record under the direction of head coach Shayne Toporowski. Kyle Griffin (Marlboro, Mass.) returns for the team after leading the team in goals with nine during the 2016-17 season. Also returning at the forward position are Mitchell Purdie (Peterborough, Ont.) and Andrew Etheridge (Burrillville, R.I.). At the defensive end, Alex Pommerville (Macedon, N.Y.) and Cody Slocum (Temecula, Calif.) are back. The Lancers welcome back two goalies, Josh Reinstein (Woodland Hills, Calif.) and Cory Lignelli (Glastonbury, Conn.) who played in 15 and 11 games, respectively, last season. Notable newcomers include Matthew Manning (Novi, Mich.) and Trey Palczynski (Coral Spring, Fla.) at the forward and defense positions, respectively.
Reigning tournament champions Salem State Vikings were the early favorite to claim the 2017-18 MASCAC men's ice hockey championship, as the Vikings earned five of the seven first place votes for 35 points. They finished last season 12-4-2 on the way to their second straight MASCAC Tournament title. All-Conference honoree Callum Hofford returns for the team after finishing last season with 21 points on nine goals and 12 assists. He was also tied for third on power play goals with six and second in scoring for defenseman.
Earning the final two first place votes for 32 points is Plymouth State. The Panthers claimed the 2016-17 MASCAC Regular Season Championship with a 16-1-1 mark in league action. Ryan Stevens collected 20 goals and 19 assists for 39 points to earn a spot on the All-Conference team. His 20 goals led the conference in goal scoring last season and was fifth in assist scoring.
Sitting next in third with 24 points is UMass Dartmouth. Fitchburg State claimed the fourth spot with 22 points, while Worcester State was slotted at fifth with 16 points. Rounding out the 2017-18 preseason poll are Westfield State and Framingham State in sixth and seventh, respectively.
All seven MASCAC teams start their season this weekend, October 27-28, with non-conference play.
2017-18 MASCAC Men's Ice Hockey Pre-Season Coaches Poll
(First Place Votes In Parentheses)
|
1. |
Salem State |
(5) |
35 points |
|
2. |
Plymouth State |
(2) |
32 points |
|
3. |
UMass Dartmouth |
|
24 points |
|
4. |
Fitchburg State |
|
22 points |
|
5. |
Worcester State |
|
16 points |
|
6. |
Westfield State |
|
12 points |
|
7. |
Framingham State |
|
6 points |
Portions of this Release Courtesy of Emily Loux |MASCAC Director of Media Relations