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FITCHBURG STATE FALCONS

VS.

WORCESTER STATE LANCERS

TUESDAY MARCH 1, 2011 AT 7:30 P.M.

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The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has earned the top seed in the 2011 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Men’s Ice Hockey Championships, which begin on Tuesday, March 1st with quarterfinal round action and move to semi-final round play on Thursday, March 3rd before concluding with the league championship game on Saturday, March 5th. 

UMass Dartmouth and second-seeded Salem State University earned byes into Thursday’s semi-finals and will await the winners of Tuesday’s quarterfinal round contests, which will feature third-seeded Plymouth State University hosting sixth-seeded Westfield State University in a 7:00 p.m. EST face-off and fourth-seeded Fitchburg State University hosting fifth-seeded Worcester State University in a contest that faces off at 7:30 p.m. EST.

The winner of the Fitchburg State-Worcester State quarterfinal advances to take on UMass Dartmouth in semi-final round action on Thursday evening in New Bedford, Mass. at 7:30 p.m. EST, while the Plymouth State-Westfield State winner will square off with Salem State in Thursday’s other semi-final match-up in Salem, Mass. at 7:00 p.m. EST. The two semi-final winners will meet for the 2011 MASCAC Championship on Saturday, March 5th at the site of the highest remaining seed beginning at a starting time that will be determined following Thursday’s semi-final round contests. 

UMass Dartmouth captured its first MASCAC regular season crown in just its second season of league play under Head Coach John Rolli this winter with an 18-6-1 overall mark and a 13-4-1 league slate that was good for 27 points, and the Corsairs are led by senior forward Jason Stahl (Londonderry, N.H.), who has notched 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points, as well as senior goalie Collin Tracy (Medford, Mass.), who has posted 18 victories and a 2.21 GAA . Salem State enters post-season play at 17-6-2 overall (11-5-2 in MASCAC action for 24 points) under Head Coach Bill O’Neill, and the Vikings are led in scoring by junior forward Giancarlo Capodanno (Mountainside, N.J.), who has registered 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points, and between the pipes by senior James LaCour (Silver Spring, Md.), who has a 2.56 GAA to go with 11 triumphs. 

Plymouth State posted a 15-5-5 regular season mark and a 10-5-3 MASCAC slate that was good for 23 points under Head Coach Craig Russell, and the Panthers are led in scoring by sophomore forward Kyle Greco (Hillside, Ill.), who has collected 16 goals and 13 assists for 29 points, as well as sophomore netminder Jack Astedt (Angelholm, Sweden), who has 13 victories and a league-leading 2.14 GAA. Fitchburg State notched a 15-9-1 mark in regular season action, including a 9-8-1 slate in MASCAC play good for 19 points under Head Coach Dean Fuller, and the Falcons are paced in scoring by junior forward Kris Threlkeld’s (Centerville, Ohio) 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points and between the pipes by junior Bobby Leiser (Monroe, N.Y.), who has 10 wins and a league-best .931 saves percentage.

Worcester State posted 11 victories overall and seven in league action under Head Coach John Guiney, and the Lancers are led by junior forward Nick Asterito’s (Philadelphia, Pa.) 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points as well as junior goalie Bryan Kalczynski (Tonawanda, N.Y.), who has seven wins and a 3.20 GAA. Westfield State rounds out this year’s championship field after collecting five wins overall and four in MASCAC action under Head Coach Bob Miele, as senior forward Dennis Zak (Dover, N.J.) paces the Owls and the conference in scoring with 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points while senior goalie Ray Monroe (Cromwell, Conn.) has posted a pair of triumphs to go with an .890 saves percentage this season.

Salem State captured the 2010 MASCAC tournament title with a 2-1 overtime victory over Fitchburg State in last year’s championship gamer played at the Wallace Civic Center in Fitchburg, Mass. Beginning with the 2011-12 season, the MASCAC tournament champion will be eligible to receive an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championships.