Matchup	Merrimack (11-18-3, 6-14-2 WHEA) // Connecticut (11-12-9, 5-11-6 WHEA
Date/Time	Fri: Feb. 16, 2018 (7pm) // Sat: Feb. 17, 2018 (2pm)
Venue	Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum // Storrs, Conn.
Multimedia	Fri: Live Stats // Watch ($) // Twitter // Instagram Sat: Live Stats // Watch ($)

STORRS, Conn. – With a tight playoff race entering the final weekend of the regular season, the Merrimack College women's ice hockey team and UConn face off in a two game series. It's simple, if the Warriors get three or more points, they are in the postseason; if they get two or less, the Huskies are in. The first game is on Friday night at 7 p.m.

Hockey East Playoff Picture
The top eight teams qualify for the Hockey East Tournament; seeds 1-4 host 5-8 in quarterfinal best-of-three series; bracket is then re-seeded, winning teams advance to Championship Weekend at Northeastern University. Below are the conference standings with conference records (As of Feb. 15, 2018).

1. Boston College (17-2-3, 37 points)
2. Providence (11-7-3, 27 points)
3. Maine (11-7-4, 26 points)
4. New Hampshire (9-8-5, 23 points)
5. Northeastern (10-10-2, 22 points)
6. Vermont (7-12-4, 18 points)
7. Boston University (6-11-5, 17 points)
7. UConn (5-11-6, 16 points)
9. Merrimack (6-14-2, 14 points)

Last Time Out:

• The Warriors suffered a 4-3 loss to Northeastern on Saturday night from Lawler Rink. The Navy and Gold jumped out to a 3-0 lead with goals from Jessica Bonfe, Mikyla Grant-Mentis, and Paige Sorensen in the first 30 minutes of action. That forced Northeastern to switch goalies in the first period after an early 2-0 deficit.
• However, Northeastern scored four-straight goals to take the lead. Samantha Ridgewell made 29 saves. Sorensen and Grant-Mentis also added assists in the game, along with Dominique Kremer, Madison Morey, Katelyn Rae, and Paige Voight.

Earlier This Season vs. UConn

• The Warriors defeated the Huskies, 2-1, in the first game of the series back on Jan. 5 from Lawler Rink.
• Rae scored twice in the game. Bonfe, Grant-Mentis, Morey, and Felila Manu contributed the assists. Ridgewell made 32 saves in the game, including 16 in the final period.

The Warriors:

• Rae leads the team in all offensive categories with 29 points, 20 goals, and nine assists. Grant-Mentis is second on the team in scoring with 21 points (13g, 8a).
• Bonfe has scored six goals on the year as the third-leading goal scorer on the team.
• The Warriors have a 6-7-1 record on the road this season, the most wins away from Lawler in program history.
• Ridgewell has an 8-11-1 record on the year, with a pair of shutouts. She boats a .925 save percentage.

The Huskies

• Connecticut has gone 4-1-1 over the last six games, entering the final weekend with an 11-12-9 overall record and 5-11-6 in Hockey East action. Last time out, the Huskies went 0-1-1 against Vermont, losing 1-0, before skating to a scoreless tie.
• The Huskies have an 8-2-7 home record. Natalie Snodgrass leads the team in points (30) and goals (17). Leah Lum is second on the team in scoring with 25 points, while leading the team with 17 assists. Briana Colangelo has 24 points (11g, 13a). Annie Belanger has played 23 games in net, with a 1.92 goals against average and a .934 save percentage. She has posted an 8-9-6 record.
• The Huskies have the fourth-best scoring defense in conference play, allowing just 2.41 goals per game.

Up Next
The Hockey East Tournament begins next week on February 23-25. If the Warriors advance, the location and opponent will be determined following this weekend.