Not one but two CCC teams reached the Frozen Four hosted by Endicott last spring. The Gulls certainly have a strong desire to repeat as conference champions and take another shot at a national title while the University of New England continues to get closer and closer to the big prize at the end of the season.
Curry was also a national tournament participant and Salve Regina would like nothing more than to take the conference title in their final season competing before departing to the NEHC next year. Nichols, Suffolk, Wentworth and Western new England all have aspirations of knocking off the top contenders so the action should be very competitive from top to bottom.
The Favorites
Endicott returns last year’s conference Player-of-the-Year in Andrew Kurapov and coach RJ Tolan has built a great culture and recruiting network for a strong supporting cast. The goaltending tandem of Atticus Kelly and Ryan Wilson proved to be a dynamic duo for the Gulls who also have depth and balance up front and on the blueline. The Gulls will be very strong again this season and will need to extend their balanced scoring from Jackson Sterrett, Primo Self, Connor Beatty and Cass Bowes to produce desired wins now.
UNE has lost some key players to graduation that produced a lot of offense but as they demonstrated in their first round upset win at Utica in the NCAA tournament, balance and depth can make a difference. The Nor’easters bring back Billy Girard IV in goal who gives them a chance to win every night. Ryan Kuzmich leads a young forward group and the Nor’easter will be looking to fill-in on the blueline for the graduated Alex Sheehy and Collin Heinold. Kevin Swallow teams always seem to rise to the occasion at the right time and should be there at the end when the games matter most.
The Dark Horses
Salve Regina appeared to have found a missing piece when Plattsburgh transfer Anthony Del Tufo came to the Seahawks last year for the second semester. Up front, Johnny Mulera is a talented scorer and playmaker that makes others around him better. If Salve Regina can pick up some early wins against the top contenders their confidence my help them contend right through the end of the year.
Curry had a very competitive season and handed Endicott their only regular season loss. Timmy Kent returns to spearhead the offense while Roland Polasek will look to replace Goaltender of the Year, Reid Cooper for the Colonels. Peter Roundy has a deep roster with a lot of skill upfront so if the defense takes some time to gel, the offense should carry some team wins.
Players to watch:
Curry: Roland Polasek – goaltender; Timmy Kent – forward
Endicott: Andrew Kurapov – forward; Jackson Sterrett – forward
Nichols: Nathan Carl – forward; Luke Harvie – forward
Salve Regina: Johnny Mulera – forward; Anthony Del Tufo – goaltender
Suffolk: Devin Lowe – forward; Olle Akermark – defense
University of New England: Billy Girard IV – goaltender; Ryan Kuzmich- forward
Wentworth: Connor Carbo – goaltender; Charlie Reid – forward
Western New England: Sam Mitchell – forward; Shane Miller – defense
USCHO Predicted finish
- Endicott
- UNE
- Curry
- Salve Regina
- Western New England
- Suffolk
- Nichols
- Wentworth
Endicott travels to Norwich for their opening game while UNE will have a return engagement at Plymouth State to start the season. Curry hosts UMass-Boston while Salve Regina travels to western New York to play in the Buffalo State Tournament.
