BEVERLY, Mass. – The first-seeded Endicott women's ice hockey team will host No. 2 seed Morrisville State College on Sunday afternoon in the Colonial Hockey Conference (CHC) Tournament Championship Game at 1:30 PM at Raymond J. Bourque Arena. Admission will be free of charge for Sunday's championship match. Fans should also be reminded that backpacks will not be allowed in the arena, but purses are permitted.
The No. 8/10 nationally ranked Gulls earned the first seed in the CHC Tournament after winning the regular season championship with an 11-1-0 league mark. Endicott received an automatic bye into the semifinal round of the 2016-17 CHC Tournament for winning the league, and advanced to Sunday's championship with a 4-2 victory over No. 4 seed Stevenson in the first of two semifinals on Saturday (BOX SCORE | RECAP).
Morrisville St. also earned an automatic bye into the semifinal round of the CHC Tournament for posting an 8-4-0 record in league play this season. The Mustangs went on to defeat No. 3 seed SUNY Canton by a 4-2 score on Saturday, as well, to punch their ticket to the championship game (BOX SCORE | RECAP).
THE MATCHUP/SERIES: Endicott is 3-1-1 in the all-time series versus the Mustangs. In the last three meetings, the Gulls are 2-1-0 versus Morrisville St. and have outscored their opponent by an 8-4 margin.
SCOUTING ENDICOTT: Nationally speaking, Endicott checks in among the best in Division III in the following categories: No. 10 scoring offense (3.08 g/gm), No. 3 scoring defense (1.15 g/gm), No. 8 scoring margin (1.92), No. 1 fewest penalty minutes (5.6 pim/gm), No. 17 power play (24/125, 19.2%), No. 1 penalty kill (67/70, 95.7%), No. 44 combined special teams (91/195, 46.7%).
SCOUTING MORRISVILLE STATE: The Mustangs' national rankings include: No. 6 scoring offense (3.77 g/gm), No. 11 defense (1.42 g/gm), No. 5 scoring margin (2.35), No. 14 fewest penalty minutes (7.9 pim/gm), No. 30 power play (13/91, 14.3%), No. 9 penalty kill (85/95, 89.5%), No. 16 combined special teams (98/186, 52.7%).
WHAT'S AT STAKE
The winner of Sunday's matchup will be crowned the Colonial Hockey Conference (CHC) Tournament champions. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.