The William Smith College ice hockey team will make its first ever postseason appearance on Saturday when it takes on Stevenson in the semifinals of the inaugural United Collegiate Hockey Conference Tournament. The Herons and Mustangs will face off at 7 p.m. in Elmira's Murray Athletic Center.
 
William Smith finished the regular season with a 16-5-4 record and an 11-2-3 record in the UCHC. The Herons were second in the conference standings and earned a bye to the semifinals. Top-seeded Elmira earned the right to host this weekend's semifinals and championship thanks to a 15-0-1 record in conference play. The Soaring Eagles will take on Utica in the first semifinal at 3 p.m. The winners of the semifinal games will meet in the championship game on Sunday at 3 p.m.
 
Tickets will be on sale at the Murray Athletic Center – Center Dome Lobby beginning at 1:30 p.m. on both days of competition. Tickets will cost $5 for adults, $3 for students with a college ID, and children 12 and under will be admitted for free. Tickets purchased on Saturday will be good for both semifinal games. The Colleges will be organizing a Fan Van for HWS students interested in attending Saturday's semifinal. The van will depart from Campus Safety at 5:30 p.m. Click here to reserve your seat.
 
The Herons enter the postseason following a record setting regular season. William Smith's 16 wins are a nine-win improvement over last season and are more wins than it had in its last two seasons combined. The Herons' offense erupted for a program record 103 goals, 168 assists and 271 points. William Smith is one of just eight teams in Division III to have scored 100 goals this season. The Herons are eighth in the nation in scoring offense (4.12 gpg) and 10th in scoring defense (1.44 gpg).
 
Individually, the Herons are led offensively by the trio of senior Krista Federow, junior Stephanie Hampton and sophomore Gina Scibetta. Federow, a second team All-UCHC selection, has a team-high 32 points on 12 goals and 20 assists. Scibetta, who had a breakout season for William Smith, is second on the team with 11 goals, 13 assists and 24 points. Hampton is third with nine goals, 12 assists and 21 points. Senior Rebecca Begley, the Herons' lone first team All-UCHC selection, has 19 points this season.  Senior Maggie Salmon has played the majority of minutes in goal for William Smith. She is 13-4-4 on the season with a 1.50 goals against average and a .951 save percentage.
 
The Mustangs are the tournament's No. 3 seed and have a 14-7-5 overall record. Stevenson enters the weekend riding a 15-game unbeaten streak. The Mustang defeated Manhattanville 4-3 last weekend to advance to the semifinals. Stevenson is led by All-UCHC second teamer Chelsea Blackburn's 38 points (19g, 19a). Monica Pozuc is second on the team with 13 goals, 14 assists and 27 points. Caitie Darosa and Annie Smyth-Hammond have split time in goal for the Mustangs this year. Darosa has seen a majority of the minutes recently, posting a 2.55 goals against average and .914 save percentage. She is 7-5-2 this season. Smyth-Hammond is 5-2-3 with a 2.91 goals against average and a .899 save percentage.
 
Saturday's game will be the third meeting between William Smith and Stevenson this season. The Herons defeated Stevenson 7-1 on Nov. 10 while the teams skated to a 2-2 tie the next day. Federow compiled a team-high five points on two goals and three assists on the weekend. Begley also tallied a pair of goals. Salmon played both games and made 67 saves on 70 shots, finishing the weekend with a .957 save percentage and a 1.44 goals against average.
 
Fans unable to make it to the game can follow the action online with Live Stats and Video through Elmira's video Portal.