For the MASCAC and the ECAC Northeast, it’s time to take a break. Somewhat of a break. The 15 teams in both leagues will play this week, both before and after Thanksgiving, but this week’s slate is made up entirely of nonconference games and tournament games. Didn’t I write about tournaments just a couple weeks ago?
Anyhow.
Both the ECAC Northeast and the MASCAC will get a day off to recover from any lingering effects of tryptophan — sometimes it’s just too easy to take advantage of that leftover turkey and trimmings, isn’t it? – then hit the road.
The MASCAC teams will face primarily regional opponents on Tuesday; for example, Westfield State hosts Amherst,as the two schools are separated by less than 30 miles. Likewise, Framingham State hosts Massachusetts-Boston, with about a 26-mile drive between the two schools. (If anything, it might mean the better for local players to get home quicker after Wednesday’s classes.)
The post-Thanksgiving weekend will bring a couple of intriguing matchups.
Salve Regina faces No. 10 Bowdoin at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Bowdoin/Colby Faceoff Classic tournament at Colby College’s Alfond Arena in Waterville, Maine. During the Thanksgiving break, Salem State might want to look over some notes from Tuesday’s Amherst-Westfield State game; the Vikings face Amherst at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Cape Cod Lighthouse College Hockey Invitational tournament in Hyannis, Mass.
The Salem State-Amherst matchup will be unique: Salem State coach Bill O’Neill and Amherst coach Jack Arena have combined for more than 800 wins, and have combined for nearly 60 years of head coaching experience.
Leaders
It’s early in the season, so take the numbers for what they’re worth, but both the MASCAC and the ECAC Northeast have a handful of national statistic leaders, through Sunday’s games:
Johnson and Wales’ Danny Kaufmann leads the nation with four power-play goals in five games, one of four players nationally with four power-play goals.
Plymouth State goalie Jack Astedt is third in the nation with a 1.4996 goals-against average.
Framingham State, so far, is the nation’s most penalized team – averaging 38 minutes in penalties a game.
