The William Smith College ice hockey team will wrap up the 2021-22 regular season this weekend, Feb. 11-12 when it welcomes New England College and eighth-ranked Norwich to The Cooler for a pair of New England Hockey Conference contests. The Herons welcome the Pilgrims on Friday night at 7 p.m. and then will take on the Cadets at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
 
All spectators are asked to monitor their health and stay home if experiencing any COVID symptoms. Spectators are required to wear a properly fitting mask while inside The Cooler. Fans who cannot make the trip to Geneva can follow all the action with Live Stats and HWS All-Access video.
 
Before the game against Norwich, William Smith will honor the six members of the Class of 2022. The game is the final regular season home game for Amanda Aalto, Emma Duffey, Taylor Ettore, Anna Krajewski, Emily Martino and Marykate Martino. The Class of 2022 has posted a record of 43-31-3 during their time on campus. Fifth-year seniors, the Martino sisters have compiled a four-year record of 59-37-6. Their 59 wins match the program record for graduating seniors.
 
William Smith brings a 7-14-1 overall record into this weekend's games. The Herons are 5-9-1 in NEHC play and are seventh in the standings with 18 points. William Smith can finish either sixth or seventh in the conference standings depending on the results of this weekend's games. If the Herons hold at seventh, they will host a first round game in the NEHC tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Should the Herons jump Johnson & Wales for the sixth spot, they will advance to the quarterfinal round, Feb. 19, at the No. 3 seed.
 
William Smith enters the week ranked 13th in the nation in penalty kill percentage (.926), 14th in shutouts (3) and 24th in scoring defense (2.14)
 
Mia LaPlante leads the team with 11 points on seven goals and four assists. She has a point in three of the Herons' last four games. Julianna Gong (4g, 6a) and Emily Martino (2g, 8a) are right behind her with 10 points each. Eight of Gong's 10 points have come in the last four games. In goal, Amanda Aalto has the edge in minutes played. She is 3-6-1 with a 2.19 goals against average and a .922 save percentage.
 
New England College is 3-17-1 overall with a 0-14-0 mark in the NEHC. The Pilgrims are locked into the 10 seed in the conference tournament and will take on the No. 7 seed in a first round game on Feb. 16. Emily Lenzen leads the Pilgrim's with 13 points on nine goals and four assists. Kaylee Cross (2g, 5a) and Cassie Kelly (6g, 1a) have seven points each. Sean D'urso and Hannah Podvey have split time in goal this season. D'urso is 2-7-0 with a 3.18 GAA and a .929 save percentage. Podvey is 1-6-1 with a 5.62 GAA and an .863 save percentage.
 
Friday's game will be the second meeting between William Smith and NEC. The Herons won 3-1 back in 2014 during their inaugural season. The game in Henniker this season was postponed due to health and safety protocols.
 
The Cadets bring an 18-5-0 overall record and a 15-1-0 mark in conference play into the weekend. Norwich is tied with Elmira on top of the league standings with 43 points, but Elmira has a game in hand. The Cadets and Soaring Eagles will square off on Friday night in a game that could go a long way in deciding the regular season title. Mikah Baptiste (14g, 18a) leads the team and the NEHC with 32 points. In total, Norwich has five players with 20-plus points on the season. Alexa Berg has played a majority of the minutes in goal. She is 10-5-0 with a .943 save percentage and a 1.41 GAA. She is 13th in the nation in GAA and 16th in save percentage.
 
Saturday's game will be the second between William Smith and Norwich and the first at The Cooler. The Cadets edged the Herons 3-2 in overtime at Kreitzberg Arena in January.