WESTFIELD, Mass. -- The Westfield State men's ice hockey team has been picked to finish third in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), after a preseason poll of the league's coaches.
The Owls finished second in the regular season last year, earning a first-round bye in the MASCAC tournament for the first time in school history and posting an 11-6-1 record in the conference. The Owls also tied the record for most wins in a season since the program was reinstated in 2008 with 14.
Plymouth State topped the preseason poll, collecting 34 points and five first-place votes, followed by UMass Dartmouth who had 29 points and the remaining two first-place votes. That landed the Owls in third, who collected 25 points in the process.
The Owls return a solid core of forwards in seniors Francois-Xavier Girard (St. Lazare, Quebec), Robert Neuwirth (Zlin, Czech Republic), and Daniel Backstrom (Helsinki, Finland) for the 2019-20 campaign. The trio combined for 25 goals and 31 assists last year, producing 56 points for the high-power Westfield State offense.
This year's sophomore class is one of the largest in recent years, with nine men returning for another year. Among those sophomores is the reigning MASCAC Rookie of the Year, Jake Ratcliffe (Auckland, New Zealand). During the freshman campaign, Ratcliffe collected 22 points on 12 goals and 10 assists which put him atop the leaderboard among rookies in the conference.
Joining the strong group of returners is Thierry Messervier (Montreal, Quebec) who was second in the league in save percentage (.920) and third in winning percentage (.620) to earn All-Conference accolades during the 2018-19 season.
Head Coach Bob Miele is back for his 11th go-around, freshly off his MASCAC Coach of the Year honors last season.
Salem State finished just behind the Owls in fourth in the poll, and then Fitchburg, with Worcester and Framingham rounding out the bottom.
Westfield State takes to the ice tonight for the season opener against Western New England.
The Owls won last year's matchup, 6-3. Both F.X. Girard and Justin Collins (Wilmington, Mass.) picked up two goals a piece to lead Westfield over the Golden Bears on the 18-19 season opener for both teams. Westfield will look to Girard, Backstrom, Neuwirth, and Ratcliffe to bolster the Owl offense tonight.
Western New England will turn to senior forwards Andrew Green and Corey Kennedy, who had 22 and 19 points las year, respectively, to lead the Golden Bear effort tonight.
The goaltending matchup will likely see Messervier in net for the Owls, and senior Kyle Carducci in net for the Golden Bears. Carducci posted a 7-5 record with a 3.52 goals-against average last year.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. at Amelia Park Ice Arena in Westfield, Mass. Tickets for the game will be sold at the door and are $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, and $1 for Westfield State Students. Children age 12 and under are FREE.