Buffalo State will make its first ECAC West playoff appearance in six years under first-year head coach Candice Moxley when it travels as the No. 6 seed to face No. 3 Oswego this Saturday for a 3 p.m. quarterfinal contest.
The scoring tandem of Kara Goodwin (Avon Lake, OH/Avon Lake) and Nikki Kirchberger (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca) has paced the undersized Bengals’ squad that has activated just 10 skaters in each game down the stretch. Goodwin leads the team with 15 goals and 21 points in 25 games, with 16 points coming in the final 10 games of the regular season. Kirchberger is second on the team in scoring with 10 goals and 18 points, and has also increased her clip of late. The sophomore has points in each of her last eight games and has 12 points in the final 10 games.
Senior Jordan Lee (Colorado Springs, CO/Widefield) has been strong between the pipes for the Bengals, posting a .906 save percentage, with a 3.76 goals against average. She has not allowed more than two goals in any of the final four games.
The Bengals have steadily improved as the season has progressed. Through the first 15 games, Buffalo State scored just 12 goals and allowed 74. In the final 10 games of the regular season, the Bengals scored 22 goals and conceded just 28.
Buffalo State has previously qualified for the playoff three times, most recently in 2007-08, with each prior appearance ending in the first round at the hands of Elmira.
The Bengals dropped a pair of 3-0 decisions at home against Oswego in mid-January.
If Buffalo State wins, it will advance to the semifinals at No. 1 Plattsburgh next Saturday.
