PURCHASE, N.Y. – Another successful season has given the Manhattanville women's hockey team its fourth straight top-two seed in the ECAC East Conference Tournament since the league merged its three divisions after the 2008-09 season. For the third consecutive year the Valiants finished the season as the No. 2 seed with a 14-3-1 league record.
 
With the two seed the Valiants are scheduled to match up with the seventh-seeded New England College Pilgrims on Friday, February 22 at 1:30 p.m. from the Terry Conners Rink in Stamford, Conn. The Pilgrims finished the year with a 5-9-4 ECAC East record, the same as UMass Boston, but lost their head-to-head matchup with the Beacons to drop NEC into the seven seed.
 
This will be the second meeting between the two teams, with Manhattanville picking up the 3-0 victory over the Pilgrims back on February 2 in Henniker, N.H. In the game sophomores Alla Traun (Edina, Minn./Minnesota Thoroughbreds (JWHL)) and Michelle Meggiolaro and senior Katie Little (Victoria, British Columbia/Team British Columbia) picked up goals. In goal, sophomore Kirsten Shaughnessy (Le Center, Minn./LeSueur-Henderson St. Peter) picked up the shutout victory making 22 saves.
 
The Valiants and Pilgrims have a history of meeting one another in the postseason, with Manhattanville 5-1 in playoff games against New England College. The Valiants defeated the Pilgrims in the ECAC East Tournament in four consecutive seasons from 2005-08, including a pair of championship-game wins in 2006 and 2008, and more recently defeated their conference foes in a semifinal matchup last year by a 5-0 score. Overall Manhattanville is 18-3-2 against New England College in head-to-head matchups.
 
In the playoffs, Manhattanville has a rich history in the ECAC East Tournament, winning eight of 11 ECAC East Championships since joining prior to the 2001-02 season, going 20-3 in playoff games over that time span. The Valiants have made the NCAA Tournament eight times in program history by winning the conference's automatic qualifying bid, last doing so with a 4-2 win over top-ranked Norwich in 2011.
 
Leading the offense for Manhattanville has been Little, who for the fourth straight season has led the team in points with 24 on 11 goals and 13 assists. She along with linemates and classmates Jessica Kehoe (Kemptville, Ontario/Nepean Wildcats (PWHL)) and Alyssa Taylor (Craik, Saskatchewan/Sait Polytechnic (ACAC)) have combined for 48 points this year as part of one of the Valiants' top offensive units.
 
Another offensive line for the Valiants features senior captain Lynsey Schill (Waterloo, Ontario/Kitchener Rangers (PWHL)) (5g, 7a, 12p) alondside classmate Sonia Occhionero (Montreal, Quebec/Kent School (Conn.)) (10g, 4a, 14p), while sophomore Aubrey Bachand (Harwichport, Mass./Vermont Academy) (1g, 4a, 5p) joined the line in attempts to lengthen the Valiant offensive unit.
 
The third line has improved since the shakeup as well, as Traun and Meggiolaro have both benefited since the addition of senior assistant captain Mary Rose Morrison (Ridgefield, Conn./Connecticut Stars (MFYHL)) to the left wing of a line that has produced 16 goals and 30 helpers on the season.
 
The offense as a whole ranks 19th amongst Division III's 50 teams, as the Valiants average 2.72 goals per game, while the defense and goalkeeping units have held opponents to 47 goals in 25 games (1.88 goals per game).
 
Leading the way defensively is senior Erin Sidjak (Delta, British Columbia/Pacific Steelers (JWHL)), who has a career-best 11 assists and 13 points on the season. Sophomores Trenah Stauffer (Salmon, Idaho/Colorado Select (JWHL)) and Rachael Morrison (Ridgefield, Conn./Sound Shore Warriors (MAWHL)) have also been involved offensively with a combined six goals and 10 assists to this point in the season.
 
In goal, Shaugnessy got the win earlier this season but junior starter Mary Evans (Ferndale, Mich./Honeybaked (TOEHL)) will look to lead the way between the pipes for Manhattanville in the playoff run. Evans on the season has gone 11-6-1, but holds an 11-1-1 mark against ECAC East opponents. On the year, Evans has a 1.94 goals against average, good enough for 23rd nationally. Her save percentage is just as good as she has stopped 92.4% of shots sent her way.
 
Meanwhile for the Pilgrims it will be Lauren Hopps in goal as she finished the season with a 7-8-5 record with a 2.11 goals against average and a 91.8 save percentage. Hopps has seen time against the Valiants in each of the past two seasons, coming on in relief in last year's ECAC East semifinal game while getting the start and also making 29 saves on 32 shots in the teams' last meeting on February 2 of this year.
 
Only one player has reached double-figures in terms of goals for the Pilgrims in 2012-13, as sophomore Madyson Moore netted 13 during her second season to go along with nine assists for a team-leading 22 points. Next on the unit has been freshman Morgan Braniff with five goals and 10 helpers, while sophomore Aubrey Fischer has five goals and eight assists to help lead a very young Pilgrim squad.
 
Senior defenders Chelsea Boroski, Alyssa Hoot, and Sam Hippern lead the defensive unit that has yielded 75 goals in 25 games this season. 
 
All other ECAC East Conference Tournament quarterfinal games will be taking place this Saturday. In other action, top-seeded Norwich will host No. 8 Plymouth State at 3:00 p.m., No. 3 Salve Regina welcomes No. 6 Southern Maine at 7:00 p.m., while No. 4 Castleton plays host to No. 5 UMass Boston also at 7:00 p.m.
 
The puck drops in Stamford at 1:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon against New England College, with the live video broadcast available on GoValiants.TV and live stats available here. For fans attending the game, tickets are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for non-Manhattanville students (with valid ID). All Manhattanville students that bring their student ID will get in free courtesy of the Manhattanville Athletic Department.

The winner of Friday's game will advance to the conference semifinals on March 2 before the championship game takes place on March 3. Those games will all be held at the home rink of the highest remaining seed after this weekend.