Saturday, March 12, 2016

NCAA 1st Round Preview: Salem State at Williams 3/12/2016

Salem State Vikings (22-5-0; 16-2-0 MASCAC) at Williams College Ephs (18-5-2; 14-2-2 NESCAC)   7 PM Video
Ranks are nationally for D-III
Offense - 4.33 G/GM (4th)
Defense - 1.96 G/GM (8th) 
Power Play - 23.93 % (8th)
Penalty Kill - 81.8% (40th)
Penalty Minutes - 10.81/GM (47th)



Offense - 2.76 G/GM (46th)
Defense - 1.68 G/GM (2nd)
Power Play - 20.78 % (20th)
Penalty Kill - 88.3% (7th)
Penalty Minutes - 8.00/Gm (72nd)



How they got here
Salem State won their second Massachussets State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) in three years to earn an automatic bid to the 11 team NCAA tournament. In contrast, Williams earned their first ever trip to the tournament in the most nerve wracking way possible. After clinching the Ephs first ever NESCAC regular season crown, Williams was upset by eight seed Tufts in the NESCAC Quarterfinals, meaning Bill Kangas squad had to wait until the selection show this past Monday to find out they got one of the three at-large or Pool C bids.

Tournament History
Since the NCAA started awarding a D-III tournament champion in 1984, the Vikings have been the to NCAA tournament seven previous times, six times as an ECAC East member, and once as a MASCAC member in 2014. In that trip, Salem State was blownout 8-2 by D-III powerhouse Norwich, who will be missing the tournament this season for the first time since 2009. All seven of the Vikings appearances have come under the stewardship of Bill O'Neil, who has been at the helm of the Viking ship since 1981. O'Neill played hockey at Boston University in the 1970s with recently retired Bowdoin coach and fellow member of the 500 win club Terry Meagher. O'Neill has lead Salem State to two Phrozen Phours (1992 and 1994) but never a title game.

As has been mentioned, this is Williams, and coach Bill Kangas, first trip to the NCAA tournament. Kangas has coached the Ephs since 1989 after four years of assistant coaching at his alma mater, the University of Vermont, home of the best barn in college hockey.

How They Match Up
Though this is the first rodeo for the Ephs, they are going up against a team from a conference that does not have much experience with the NCAA Tournament or any level of success in the tournament for that matter. The MASCAC has yet to win a tournament game since earning an automatic bid for the conference in 2012. So while Salem State's record and stats are impressive, they must be taken with a grain of salt.

That being said, the Vikes are riding a 13 game and feature a goalie that is not just number one in the program, but also in all MASCAC netminding categories. Marcus Zelzer, a Utica transfer, was not only first team All-MASCAC in goal but he also won Player of the Year in the conference. He was joined on the First Team by teammates Gabe Cromp on the blueline and Cam Moniz up front.

The Ephs are no stragers to All-Conference teams and Players of the Year. Zander Massuci took home Player of the Year honors, while freshman goaltender Mike Pinios and junior forward Tyler Young were named to the Second Team. As with all playoff hockey, how Pinios deals with the pressures of an NCAA tournament game will go a long way in determining if the Ephs will leave the weekend with a 1.000 winning percentage in NCAA tournament games.

As far as the historical matchup, Salem State leads the all-time series 20-14-1, but Williams has won teh last seven, including the last contest in 2008 at Salem State. The last meeting in Williamstown occured in 2007 with the excellently named Brandon Jackmuff netting the game winner for the Ephs in a 4-2 victory.

One thing to consider is the time between games. Salem played just last weekend in their conference tournament, while Williams will have had two weeks between games. Kangas should have his boys ready, but with the long delay, rust showing is always a possibility.

What's Next
The winner of this game takes on the winner of  Salve Regina at Geneseo. If the Seahawks could somehow upset the Knights, the winner in Williamstown would get a home game in the Quarterfinals with a trip to Lake Placid on the line. In the more likely event that Geneseo wins, the winner in Williamstown will be packing for upstate New York next weekend.

Players to Watch (other than the goalies)
Cam Moniz - The senior from Seekonk, MA has been a surprise boost to the Vikings offense this season. Limited to just three goals in 24 games over the past two seasons, Moniz has broken out for 29 points (19-10-29) so far this season, including the OT winner in the MASCAC semis.

Zander Massuci - Kangas said it himself about the Far Hills, NJ senior blueliner in the latest USCHO NESCAC piece, " You look at almost every category and Zander leads us...Blocked shots, ice time, his offensive numbers are among the leaders and he is just a great leader for us."


Previews
Salem State Athletics 
Williams Athletics 
Berkshire Eagle 

Pre-game Tweets



Williams was a foreigner to the NCAA tournament before this season, but there's always a first time. Foreigner "Feels Like The First Time"

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