Postseason starts now. The NEWHA tournament will go down in four three-game series in the quarterfinals starting on Feb. 27, with single-elimination semifinals on March 4 and the championship on March 7. There is far from a clearly dominant team, making the postseason likely to hold a few upsets. Here’s what to know about each quarterfinal series.
No. 7 Post vs. No. 2 Assumption
It will be Assumption’s first time ever hosting a playoff game, and they’ve managed two wins from playing against Post in the regular season. The power play might be a determining factor, Assumption is second in the nation in power play goals, and Kayla McGaffigan leads the team with eight. McGaffigan also leads the team in goals and points, and not be outpaced, her sister Ava McGaffigan leads the team in assists. The family affair will be sure to make an impact on the ice. Senior Hannah Saunders will likely be a helping hand for Post, she currently averages a .922 save percentage.
The winner will very likely take on Franklin Pierce in the semi-finals, given Saint Michael’s lackluster record. Post has lost three of its four games against Franklin Pierce, while Assumption has split its four games against the Ravens. Again, there’s no clear runaway winner when it comes to this NEWHA postseason. Whoever has the stamina and scrappiness to make it to the end could take the championship.
No. 8 Saint Michael’s vs. No. 1 Franklin Pierce
After only taking one win this season, Saint Michael’s defeat is imminent as the program nears the end of one of the most defeating seasons in the NCAA. Franklin Pierce went undefeated against the Purple Knights, including three shutouts. Newly crowned regular season champions Franklin Pierce will instead be getting ready to face tougher competition come semifinals. Franklin Pierce goaltender Jill Hertl was just named the NEWHA Goaltender of the Week for the fifth time this season after making 50 saves against No. 3 Saint Anselm Feb. 20. Hertl has been huge for the team all season and currently holds the conference’s highest save percentage at .951.
No. 5 LIU vs. No. 4 Stonehill
Despite being a relative underdog going into this postseason, LIU has won two of the last three NEWHA championships and will be hungry for another. Stonehill will be playing the second-highest scorer in the league, though, Maddi Achtyl. The senior has already scored 18 goals and has been an unforgettable producer for the team. From LIU, redshirt sophomore goaltender Victoria Rutnik will be in the net. She’s had an incredible debut season, leading the conference in both win percentage and goals against average.
No. 6 Sacred Heart vs. No. 3 Saint Anselm
Senior Brooklyn Schneiderhan will be the key for Saint Anselm going into this postseason matchup, having split its games with reigning NEWHA Tournament Champions, Sacred Heart, so far this season. The top scorer in NEWHA, Schneiderhan has not slowed down in the last month, taking three goals and six assists just in February. The team was looking at being the No. 1 seed going into playoffs but two weekends of being swept by LIU and Assumption in early February left the team with the more undesirable No. 3. The game could nonetheless be lowscoring, goaltender Kayla Czukoski will be in the net for Saint Anselm and Jillian Petruno for Sacred Heart, two of the best goaltenders in the conference, with .934 and .945 save percentages, respectively.
