BUFFALO, NY—Buffalo State is preparing to make its second ECAC West playoff appearance in as many seasons as it will travel as the No. 5 seed to face fourth-seeded Utica on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Bengals finished the regular season 10-12-3 overall and set a school record for conference wins, going 8-9-1. Utica finished just one point ahead of the Bengals in the standings with 18, going 7-7-4 in conference play, and is 10-10-5 overall.
Buffalo State has been led offensively by senior forward Kara Goodwin (Avon Lake, OH/Avon Lake) who has netted 20 goals and tallied 26 points. Five freshmen have also significantly contributed to the dramatic offensive improvement this season, led by Erin Gehen (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West) who has tallied 21 points with seven goals and 14 assists.
Christine Harris (Mountain Top, PA/Wyoming Seminary) has 18 points (7 goals, 11 assists), Bri Carroll (Peoria, AZ/AZ Virtual Academy) has 15 points (6 goals, 9 assists), Brooke Krantz (Penticton, BC/Penticton) also has 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists), and Caitie Horvatits (Elma, NY/Iroquois) has 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists).
In addition to scoring nearly twice as many goals as a season ago, Buffalo State has also improved its goals against average by more than a goal-per-game. Freshman goalie Justine Silva (El Monte, CA/Arroyo) is a big part of that turnaround as she has appeared in 23 games with a 2.71 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.
Buffalo State and Utica should know each other well, having just played two games in Buffalo last weekend. The Bengals outshot the Pioneers in each game, but were unable to produce a win. After a 3-3 tie on Friday, Utica posted a 3-2 overtime win, scoring the game winner on the power play with the goalie pulled for an extra attacker (Utica needed a win to secure the home playoff game).
Ticket prices are $5 for adults and $3 for students/children. Children ages two and under are FREE.
The winner will advance to the semifinals on Saturday, March 7 at Elmira to face either No. 1 Elmira or No. 2 Plattsburgh, depending on the results of the No. 3 Oswego/No. 6 Cortland quarterfinal.
