Worcester State Picked to Finish Sixth in MASCAC Preseason Poll

WESTFIELD, Mass.— The Worcester State University men's ice hockey team has been picked to finish sixth in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) preseason poll, as announced by the conference Wednesday (Oct. 26) afternoon.

The Lancers finished last year's campaign with a 6-18-1 overall record and a 3-14-1 MASCAC record under the direction of head coach Shayne Toporowski. Marcus Mazur (Beverly Hill, Mich.) returns for the team after leading them in total points with 14 on eight goals and six assists. Also returning is Andrew Etheridge (Burrillville, R.I.) who was second on the team in points with four goals and nine assists. Other top returners include Alex DeWitz (Oronoco, Minn.), Mike Moran (Milford, Mass.), and Mitchell Purdie (Cavan, Ont.) for the offense. On the defensive end, Worcester State returns Alex Pommerville (Macedon, N.Y.), Jim LeNoir (Exton, Pa.), and Cody Slocum (Temecula, Calif.). They also return Tyler Fallica (Coram, N.Y.) and Cory Lignelli (Glastonbury, Conn.) at the goaltender position.

For the second straight season, the Plymouth State Panthers were the early favorite to win the 2016-17 MASCAC men's hockey championship as selected by the seven coaches from around the conference.

The Panthers earned four of the seven first place votes for a total of 34 points. During the 2015-16 season, the team finished 15-2-1 in the conference with a runner-up finish in both the regular season and tournament play. Back on the ice for Plymouth State is reigning MASCAC Rookie of the Year Matt Volonnino who tallied 10 goals and nine assists for 19 points during his first year with the squad.

Reigning MASCAC regular season and tournament champions Salem State land in second with 30 points and the final three first place votes. The Vikings finished last season with a 16-2 record in league play. The 2015-16 MASCAC Player of the Year Marcus Zelzer is back in goal for the Vikings.

Sitting in third with 25 points is Fitchburg State. The Falcons had a 7-9-2 record last season. In his first year with the team, Nick DiNicola led the Falcons with 24 points on seven goals and 17 assists while goalie Charles Jakobsson was second in save percentage (.922) and third in goals against average (2.73).

Westfield State is in fourth with 21 points. The Owls concluded the 2015-16 regular season with seven MASCAC wins. Colby Daniels is back on the ice for Westfield State after finishing tied for 14th in the MASCAC with 22 points on four goals and 18 assists last season.

Next in fifth place is UMass Dartmouth with 19 points. The Corsairs concluded last season with six victories in league play. Mike Kelly led the team last year in points with 28 points on 10 goals and 18 assists to help UMass Dartmouth earn a spot in the MASCAC tournament

Closing out the 2016-17 preseason poll are Worcester State and Framingham State in sixth and seventh, respectively. The Lancers claimed nine points in the poll for the sixth spot, while the Rams earned six points in the poll for the seventh spot.

Four teams, Fitchburg State, Plymouth State, Westfield State and Worcester State, all hit the ice for their first games of the season this Friday. Follow along with all the games at mascac.com.

2016-17 MASCAC Men's Ice Hockey Preseason Coaches Poll

(First Place Votes In Parentheses)

1. Plymouth State (4) 34 points

2. Salem State (3) 33 points

3. Fitchburg State 25 points

4. Westfield State 21 points

5. UMass Dartmouth 19 points

6. Worcester State 9 points

7. Framingham State 6 points

Portions of this Release Courtesy of Emily Loux |MASCAC Director of Media Relations