PLYMOUTH, N.H. – #15 Plymouth State University will travel to #8 University of New England for the first round of the 2022 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championship on Saturday (Mar. 12) after the NCAA revealed the 12-team tournament bracket this morning on NCAA.com.
 
The Panthers (19-5-2) are headed to the tournament for the fifth time in program history after rolling through the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Tournament with a pair of 8-4 wins last week. PSU held a 5-4 edge over Salem State University heading into the final period of the championship game on Saturday, before securing the title with three unanswered goals to become the conference's first three-peat champion. Following the win, Plymouth State made its first appearance in the national rankings as the DCU/USCHO.com poll has the Panthers ranked 15th.
 
PSU will look to pick up its first NCAA Tournament win against the Nor'easters, who enter the game with a 21-3-1 record. UNE earned its spot in the tournament by claiming the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) automatic qualifier with a 3-2 overtime win over Endicott College over the weekend.
 
The winner of Saturday's game advances to the quarterfinals the following week (Mar. 19) to face #2 Utica University.
 
UNE leads the all-time series, 2-1-1, with no game decided by more than a single goal. The two teams skated to a 3-3 tie in their most recent meeting in Jan. 2019.

Release courtesy of Plymouth State Sports Information