The William Smith ice hockey team begins its quest for its first New England Hockey Conference championship Saturday, Feb. 22. The Herons, who are the No. 5 seed, will take on the No. 4 seed UMass Boston. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the Edward T. Barry Ice Rink in Boston.
 
The Herons and the Beacons squared off last weekend to conclude the regular season in Boston. UMass Boston won the series 1-0-1, posting a 2-0 shutout on Friday night. The teams skated to a 1-1 tie the next day.
 
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ABOUT THE HERONS (10-13-2)

• The Herons earned the fifth seed finishing conference play with a 10-7-1 record.
• The NEHC Goaltender of the Year, Senior Erin Murray, has played the majority of minutes in goal for the Herons. She has a 1.36 GAA, a .947 save percentage, and seven shutouts.
• Senior Kayla Ketchabaw, who was named to the All-NEHC third team, leads the Herons with 10 assists and 15 points.
• Graduate student Mackenzie O'Neil has six goals.

 
ABOUT THE BEACONS (10-13-2)

• The Beacons earned the fourth seed, posting a 9-7-2 mark in conference play.
• Gianna Skrelja leads UMass Boston with six assists and 11 points.
• Cassidy Morrison has six goals.
• Veronika Hadamovsky has the edge in minutes played. She is 5-6-2 with a 2.21 GAA and a .924 save percentage.  She made 30 saves on Saturday.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• This Saturday will be the 16th meeting between the Herons and the Beacons.

UMass Boston has a slight 8-5-2 edge in the series, including a 5-2-1 record in Boston.