WESTFIELD, Mass – The Westfield State University men's ice hockey team prepares this week for a conference matchup against the Worcester State Lancers on Thursday February 6, at Amelia Park ice arena at 7:30 PM.

Westfield State currently sits at second place in the Massachusetts State Athletics Conference with a conference record of 7-3-2, and 16 points to their credit. The Owls look to bounce back from a tough loss at the hands of UMass Dartmouth this past weekend.

This will be the second meeting of the season between Westfield State and Worcester State, the first being decided as the Owls lost to Worcester, 4-2, back on November 5.

The Owls prepare to avenge the loss as they bring their outstanding offensive weapons in seniors Francois-Xavier Girard and Daniel Backstrom, along with sophomore forward Justin Alves to provide ammunition. Girard leads the Owls into Thursday's bout netting 10 goals accompanied by 10 assists. Backstrom boasts 21 points with nine goals and 12 assists. Alves holds a team high 13 assists, with 20 points on the season.

A notable attribute to the Owls success lately has been their defense and goaltending. The strong two-way defenseman Josh Boulos has earned 13 points and nine assists. Senior goalie Thierry Messervier holds a season save percentage of .927, with a GAA of 2.64.  The Owls and Messervier both hope those numbers come into play this Thursday.

The Worcester State Lancers skate into Thursday sitting at sixth place in the MASCAC with a record of 3-8-1. They look to regroup in an attempt to improve their record following a seven-game losing streak. The Lancers offense is headed by junior Matthew Manning who touts seven goals and six assists. Freshman forward Kevin Drevitch looks to turn heads late in the season holding 13 points with five goals and eight assists.

Puck drop for Thursday's game is scheduled for 7:30 PM. Live stats and video will be made available on the Westfield State Athletics website.

-- written by Jacob Solomons, sports information intern