February 20, 2011

Third place Providence College will host #6 Maine in a WHEA quarterfinal game on Saturday

WAKEFIELD, Mass. - The Women's Hockey East Association announced on Sunday the pairings for the upcoming 2011 WHEA Tournament on Saturday, February 26 at campus sites for the one-game quarterfinal playoff.

No. 4 seed Connecticut will host No. 5 Northeastern on Saturday, Feb. 26 at Freitas Ice Forum in Storrs, Conn. for a 1pm puck drop, while No. 3 seed Providence College will entertain No. 6 Maine on Saturday (2pm) at Schneider Arena in Providence in the opening round of the WHEA Tournament. The Black Bears will make their first tournament appearance since 2006, after winning the head-to-head tiebreaker with UNH, both teams finished with 15 points in the standings. The advancing teams will then be reseeded for the semifinal round.

No. 1 seed Boston University Terriers and No. 2 seed Boston College have earned first-round byes and will compete the following weekend on March 5 in the WHEA semifinals, hosted by the Terriers at Walter Brown Arena in Boston. The Terriers will play the lowest remaining seed and BC will play the highest remaining seed. Boston University clinched their first regular-season title in school history on Friday night in a 2-0 shutout at Maine. The Terriers finished the WHEA regular season with a 15-3-3 record and 33 points in the WHEA standings. The games will be played at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. in Boston and the advancing teams will play in the Hockey East Championship Game on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Pack Network will stream four of the five tournament games live on the internet, excluding the Championship Game. Single-game subscriptions for the women's tournament will be available for $7.95, while the women's All-Access pass is available for $19.95. To purchase any of the live women's games visit www.hockeyeastonline.tv. The New England Sports Network (NESN) will air the WHEA Championship Game on Sunday, March 6 on tape delay at 4 p.m.

The Women's Hockey East Association is an eight-team, Division-I college hockey conference which began play in 2002- 2003, with offices based in Wakefield, Mass. The league also sponsors an 10 team men's league which began play in 1984- 1984.

2011 WHEA PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

Quarterfinals
Saturday, February 26 (at Freitas Ice Forum, Storrs, Conn.)
No. 5 Northeastern at No. 4 Connecticut (1pm)
Live on Pack Network at www.hockeyeastonline.tv

Saturday, February 26 (at Schneider Arena, Providence, R.I.)
No. 6 Maine at No. 3 Providence College (2pm)
Live on Pack Network at www.hockeyeastonline.tv

Semifinals
Saturday, March 5 (at Walter Brown Arena, Boston, Mass.)
Lowest seed vs. No. 1 Boston University (12/3pm)
Live on Pack Network at www.hockeyeastonline.tv
Highest seed vs. No. 2 Boston College (12/3pm)
Live on Pack Network at www.hockeyeastonline.tv

Championship Game
Sunday, March 6 (at Walter Brown Arena, Boston, Mass., 1pm)
Tape Delay on New England Sports Network, NESN (4pm)