CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- University of New Hampshire, Boston University, University of Maine and University at Albany - all nationally-ranked teams - will compete for the 2011 America East Field Hockey Championship this week in Durham, N.H. The tournament semifinals will be on Friday, November 4, while the champion will be crowned after the final on Sunday, November 6.
The tournament, which features the same lineup of teams for the third straight year, should again be a highly competitive one. Five of the six regular-season games among the field of four teams came down to just a one-goal differential, and overtime decided two of the games. The winner of the tournament will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament's field of 16 teams.
UNH and Boston U. share the regular-season crown with each compiling 4-1 conference records. The Wildcats (15-4) earned the top seed and the right to host the tournament for the second consecutive year based on the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Terriers. UNH earned a hard-fought 4-3 double-overtime win against Boston U. earlier this season which spanned four days due to postponement for inclement weather.
New Hampshire will face the fourth-seeded Great Danes in Friday's first semifinal at 1 p.m. at Memorial Field, and is in search of its second America East Championship Title and first since 1998.
Albany (13-6), the defending conference champion and an NCAA Tournament participant last season, finished 3-2 in America East play which included a 3-2 win over New Hampshire to finish the regular season on Saturday. The Great Danes have handed the Wildcats their last three losses to America East opponents, going back to the 2009 America East Championship semifinals 3-0, as well as the 2010 title game 3-2 in overtime. Albany is the winner of two of the last three conference trophies.
Boston U. (10-8) enters the tournament as the two seed and is looking for the program's ninth America East crown. The Terriers have won four of the last six tournament titles with the last coming in 2009. Boston U. closed out the regular season on Sunday on the road with a 3-2 overtime victory over Fairfield.
Maine (16-3) also finished 3-2 in conference games and earned the tiebreaker over Albany for the third seed due to the Black Bears' 4-3 overtime win over the Great Danes earlier in the season. The Black Bears' prolific offense completed the America East schedule with a 4-0 win over Vermont on Saturday. The program will try to win its first America East Championship this week.
The Terriers and Black Bears square off in the second semifinal in Durham on Friday, a 4 p.m. start time. Boston U. edged Maine, 2-1, in Orono during the teams' regular-season meeting on October 9.
Admission to the 2011 America East Field Hockey Championship is free. Visit Championship Central for directions to Memorial Field, live coverage links and results.
2011 America East Field Hockey Championship
All games at University of New Hampshire's Memorial Field, Durham, N.H.
Friday, November 4
#4 Albany at #1 New Hampshire, 1 p.m.
#3 Maine vs. #2 Boston U., 4 p.m.
Sunday, November 6
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.