APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University men's and women's hockey teams are both set to compete in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs this weekend, but the Vikings face a tough task.
    The Lawrence men are the eighth seed in the Harris Cup playoffs and will take on top speed Aurora University. The Lawrence women are also seeded eighth and face No. 1 seed St. Norbert College.
    
MEN'S HOCKEY
Harris Cup  
Lawrence (7-15-2) vs. No. 2 Aurora (21-3-1)
When and Where: Friday, February 21, 6 p.m., and Saturday, February 22, 2 p.m., Fox Valley Ice Arena, Geneva, Illinois
Webcast: https://athletics.aurora.edu/sports/2014/12/4/GameViewer.aspx
Live Stats: https://athletics.aurora.edu/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary
Series Record: Lawrence is 7-10-1 against Aurora in a series that dates back to the 2015-16 season. Aurora has won the last six games in the rivalry.
Coach: Rylee Orr (Utah State 2017) is in his first season at Lawrence. 
Fast Facts: Lawrence was in fifth place in the league standings heading into the final weekend of the regular season, but MSOE, Marian and Concordia Wisconsin all jumped ahead of the Vikings. ... This marks the second consecutive season Lawrence has earned a playoff berth, and it's the fifth time in the last six seasons. ... Senior forward Jack Michels has a team-best 17 points on two goals and a team-best 15 assists. Michels ranks 10th in the league at 0.68 assists per game. ... Sophomore forward Carter Cloutier has a team-best nine goals to go with seven assists for 16 points. Cloutier has been especially good over the last month with 11 points over his past nine games. ... Sophomore goaltender Nolan Mahaffey, who was named one of the league's 3 Stars of the Week earlier in February, has been rock solid in net. Mahaffey has compiled a 2.70 goals against average and .916 save percentage. Those numbers currently put Mahaffey fourth on Lawrence's season list. ... Lawrence's offense ranks ninth in the NCHA at 2.13 goals per game, but the Vikings are sixth in the league at 3.29 goals allowed per game. ... The Vikings rank ninth in the conference on the power play at 14.3 percent, but Lawrence's power play has been much better recently. Of Lawrence's 12 power-play goals on the season, 10 have been scored in the last eight games. ... Lawrence is sixth in the league on the penalty kill at 78.4 percent, and the Vikings rank first in blocked shots at 10.67 per game. ... Aurora is in the best season in school history and won the league's regular-season title to pick up the top seed for the playoffs. ... The Spartans rank second in the latest USCHO.com poll. ... Hassan Akl leads Aurora with 48 points on the strength of 35 assists and 13 goals, and Landry Schmuck has a team-best 27 goals to go with 11 assists for 38 points. ... Jacob Mucitelli has been in net for more than 1,000 minutes this season and has compiled a 2.54 GAA and .911 save percentage.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY 
Slaats Cup
Lawrence (6-15-4) at No. 10 St. Norbert (20-4-1)
When and Where: Friday, February 21, 7 p.m., and Saturday, February 22, 3 p.m., Cornerstone Community Center, De Pere, Wisconsin
Webcast: https://vikings.lawrence.edu/sports/womens-ice-hockey/schedule
Live Stats: https://athletics.snc.edu/sidearmstats/whockey/summary
Series Record: Lawrence is 0-9-0 against St. Norbert in a series that started in the 2021-22 season.
Coach: Greg Moore (Saint Mary's 2010) is in his first season at Lawrence. 
Fast Facts: Lawrence gets a rematch with league champion St. Norbert after dropping a pair of 6-2 decisions to the Green Knights to finish the regular season. ... Goals have been tough to come by for the Vikings, and Sofia Alvarez leads the team with four. Alvarez, Aislinn O'Hagan and Sena Hasegawa are all tied for the team lead with seven points. ... Hasegawa has a team-best five assists. ... Lawrence has been stronger defensively this season with the Vikings getting some excellent goaltending. ... Sophomore Sarah Dobrzynski leads the team with a 2.86 GAA and .924 save percentage. Dobrzynski is on track to break both of her school season records of a 3.62 GAA and .909 save percentage set a season ago. ... Lawrence ranks eighth in the NCHA at 1.36 goals per game and 10th with 3.68 goals allowed per contest. ... The Vikings are 10th in the conference on the power play at 4.8 percent and sixth on the penalty kill at 82.1 percent. ... St. Norbert just won its first NCHA regular-season title after going 16-1-1 in the conference and earning the top seed in the playoffs. ... Kelsey Ross leads the Green Knights with 19 assists and 26 points to go with seven goals. ... Courtnie Hogan is tops on the squad with 16 goals and has nine assists for 25 points. ... Both Natalie Hogan (11) and Lexi Bonfe (10) are in double digits in goals. ... Ashley Ommen and Keira Markell have split time in net for the Green Knights. Ommen has a 1.17 GAA and .929 save percentage, and Markell has a 1.63 GAA and .928 save percentage.