DUDLEY, Mass. (Feb. 27) – The third-seeded Nichols men's hockey team (12-12-2, 9-4-1) will be making its fourth appearance in the ECAC Northeast semifinals since the 2005-06 season and will venture to the Max Ulin Memorial Ice Skating Rink in Milton, Mass. on Wednesday night to face second-seeded Curry (13-10-2, 11-3) for a 7:35 p.m. showdown. The Bison defeated sixth-seeded Becker, 3-2, at Levy Rink in the opening round of the six-team tournament on Saturday afternoon.
 
Admission for the game will be $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. Curry is offering live stats and audio for those unable to make the drive to Milton. There is also a pay-per-view video option.
 
The Bison enter Wednesday's contest on a six-game unbeaten streak and with a number of postseason award winners and national rankings in several categories. First-year forward Louie Educate, the ECAC Northeast Rookie of the Year, All-ECAC Northeast Second Team and All-Rookie Team member, leads Division III in both goals (26) and game-winning goals (seven). His 1.54 points per game average paces all rookies and ranks seventh among all Division III peers. Educate is tied for first in goals per game and shares the second spot in goal output and game-winners across all NCAA divisions.
 
Senior goaltender Jacob Rinn recently tied Keith Fink for the most wins in a season since the 2008-09 campaign as he is currently 12-8-2 with a .912 save percentage and a 2.65 goals against average. He was selected as the ECAC Northeast's Goalie of the Year and as an All-ECAC Northeast First Team honoree.
 
Junior forward Zach Kohn became the 14th member of Nichols' men's hockey 100-point club on Saturday and the first junior to reach the milestone since Anthony Monte in 2007-08. The forward has registered at least a point in eight of the last 11 games that includes a four-game stretch in which Kohn collected nine assists.
 
Overall the Bison are 2-1 in the semifinal round with home wins over Suffolk (4-2) in 2008 and Fitchburg State in 2009. Then first-year student-athletes Zach Hendrickson and Andrew Ella each recorded a goal in the 4-2 victory over Fitchburg State while Rinn turned away 21 shots for the Bison. The only semifinal defeat came on the road at UMass-Dartmouth in 2006 by a 6-2 margin.
 
This season the teams earned a split as Curry skated past the Bison 8-3 in Milton on December 1st behind a hat-trick from All-ECAC Northeast First Team member Payden Benning. Ryan Barlock, an All-ECAC Northeast First Team defenseman, and Josh Kamrass each helped with a three assists.
 
Curry leads all-time series 40-18-2. The Colonels have won eight of the last 10 meetings. Nichols has not won a game at Curry since November 11, 2000 (7-4). 
 
The Bison prevailed on February 11th with a 3-2 decision with its first win over the Colonels since the 2008-09 season. Educate scored a pair of goals in each of the outings for Nichols while Rinn rebounded from a rough start in December to collect 29 saves and his 10th win of the season in the most recent contest.
 
Curry won the only ECAC Northeast postseason meeting between the two squads as the Colonels posted a 7-2 triumph at home on February 24, 2007 in a quarterfinal matchup.