M. Club Hockey wins league title

Though hockey may not be a varsity sport, the Penn men's ice hockey club is skating straight toward national recognition.

After earning their first-ever Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association regular season championship, the Quakers are headed to the MACHA playoffs in search of their first postseason championship.

The top-ranked Red and Blue will face the winner of a No. 4 Millersville-No. 5 Princeton game Saturday night at the Ice Works in Aston, Pa.

En route to their first-place finish, Penn compiled a 12-1-1 MACHA record and and 18-12-1 record, overall.

Rider handed the Quakers their lone MACHA loss, 5-1, on Dec. 1 at Lawenrceville Prep. Rider has defeated the Quakers in the MACHA semifinals in the last two seasons.

The Broncs are currently ranked No. 3 and will face No. 2 Montclair State -- last year's MACHA champions -- in the semifinals.

The Red and Blue are confident that the playoff results will be different this season. They head into the match with a seven-game winning streak and a high level of confidence.

"We've been playing the best hockey that we have played all year," Red and Blue senior captain Whit Matthews said. "I don't think there is any doubt that we can win."

In their final game of the season, the Quakers obliterated Seton Hall, 12-3.

The Pirates scored early in the first period to take a 1-0 lead, but then Penn took control of the game.

Penn junior Mike Sand scored 10 minutes into the first period, followed by two more goals from junior Todd Leri. Leri scored twice on one shift in a span of 20 seconds. Jeff Goldberg scored a fourth goal with 20 seconds left in the period to make it 4-1.

The Quakers kept up their intense momentum throughout the rest of the game.

"It was huge," Matthews said. "We were steamrolling them."

Under the tutelage of head coach Dean Winter and assistant coaches Robert McCarthy and Marc Baron, the Quakers have relied on Matthews' strong leadership and the flexibility of the players throughout the season.

Penn assistant captain senior Frank Bastone moved from the front line to the defense earlier this season and has proved to be invaluable in that position.

"Frank's move to defense has been huge," Matthews said.

Penn's second line has also stepped up to help the team compile its impressive record. The line, consisting of Sand, freshman Micah Cohen, and junior Dan Remick, has been a consistent area of strength for the Penn squad.

"They have provided a lot of offensive power that we have needed all year," Matthews said.

The Quakers hope to use this firepower and momentum to propel them to a MACHA playoff championship.

"To win a championship would be huge," Matthews said. "It will give us a lot of recognition on a national level."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.