While Endicott (24-4-2) earned the March headlines, winning the league and coming within a double-overtime goal of the Frozen Four in just its second year as a varsity program, the Commonwealth Coast Conference produced a pretty good horse race all winter.
Five teams finished at least three games above .500 in conference play, and it’s from that group that preseason favorite Endicott should face its toughest challenge for a repeat.
Nichols (15-7-5) got a superb freshman season from J.B. Baker (16-24-40), who tied for 11th in Division 3 in scoring. It was when he and linemates Matthew Menta (7-13-20) and Sean Swensen (Salem, N.H.) got held in check that the team struggled.
"We’re definitely not asking J.B. to recreate what he did last year," said second-year coach Parker Burgess. "We’d like to take some of the pressure off him, develop some secondary scoring."
Menta is back, and so is most of the defense in front of senior goalie Colin Brennan (2.31 GAA, .923 save percentage).
Will it be enough to scare Endicott, which returns all five of its players chosen for All-Conference teams, including Goalie of the Year Kevin Aldridge and standout juniors Logan Day, Tommy Besinger, Ross Olsson (Billerica, Mass.) and Cam Bleck?
"(Endicott) was a goal away from going to the Frozen Four," noted Burgess. "They’re going to be good, for sure. They’ve got everyone back and probably added some real good players."
University of New England (15-10-2) has settled nicely into its new conference and its new home arena to establish itself as a contender. The Nor’easters, who reached the league tournament final, boast Joe Concannon Award winner Brady Fleurent (Biddeford, Maine), who led all of Division 3 in scoring as a sophomore (18-35-53).
With Baker, Ryan Bloom (20-23-43) was one of last year’s biggest impact freshmen, and junior Dylan Bengston (10-20-30) has two strong years under his belt.
Curry (14-10-2) is mixing in 11 new players after graduating a senior core but has a chance to be very good defensively. Veteran blueliners Mack Heisinger and Jarret Kup bring offense to that mix, while Alec Mono is coming off a strong freshman year and senior Phil Kiss is also reliable.
"I think we’re going to be pretty good on defense," said coach T.J. Manastersky. I really like our top four."
Offensively, the Colonels will try to fill out lines around their returning first- and second-line centers, Adam Valadao (11-12-23) and Lionel Mauron (8-17-25). Spencer Cookson (Sheffield, Mass.) will get the first look in goal.
"It’s a new energy," said Manastersky, "a new feeling in the room and on the ice."
At Salve Regina (14-8-4), new coach Zech Klann replaces Andy Boschetto (Watertown, Mass.), who built the Seahawks into an annual contender — winning the league in 2015-16 — before taking a job on the staff at Division 1 Niagara. Junior defenseman Nick Cyr and junior goalie Blake Wojtala are players to watch on a team that graduated only six seniors.
Among last year’s second-division teams, Western New England (8-16-2) seems bestpoised for a climb in the standings. Even with a sophomore core last year, the Bears were good defensively, allowing just 2.39 goals a game.
Johnson & Wales (11-12-4) relied heavily on its senior class for production and will need to develop some scoring in James Lacour’s second season behind the bench.
Three stars
â–¸ J.B. Baker, soph., F, Nichols | Only one freshman in the country (Ryan Bloom of UNE) produced more points last season than Baker, whose haul included three shorthanded goals.
â–¸ Logan Day, jr., D, Endicott | Floridian by way of Kents Hill School gave league champs an offensive presence on the blue line.
â–¸ Brady Fleurent (Biddeford, Maine), jr., F, University of New England | Earned the Joe Concannon Award as top American-born Division 2/3 player in New England after posting most points in nation.
Salem State could be poised for three-peat
In each of the past two seasons, Plymouth State won enough games to finish first in the conference and earn home ice throughout the MASCAC tournament.
In each of the past two years, second-place Salem State played its way into the final and snatched the grand prize away in Plymouth’s home rink.
Will that outcome change this winter? Or can another team loosen the stranglehold those two programs have had on the league for years?
"Plymouth was probably the best team we played and Salem was very, very good," said UMass-Dartmouth coach Erik Noack. "I think the gap’s closing a little but I think those are the two teams to shoot for."
Start with Plymouth (19-6-2), which returns talent at every position and will mix another strong recruiting class into the mix. Ryan Stevens is coming off a 20-goal, 40-point season and is one of five returning forwards who produced double-digit points, a group that also includes Chris Zuccaro of Hudson, N.H. (9-13-22).
Nine defensemen played at least 10 games last winter, so sorting out the blue line in front of returning goalies Evan Morelli (2.19 GAA, .920 save percentage) of Reading, Mass., and Thierry Messervier (2.24, .911) will be a priority.
As impressive as Salem State (15-10-3) was in skating to the MASCAC title, it opened even more eyes by giving eventual national champion Norwich all it could handle in the NCAA first round, dropping a 3-1 dogfight.
The Vikings got production up and down their lineup last year and return six of their top eight scorers, a group led by defenseman Callum Hofford, who will look to build on a superb freshman season that saw him score nine goals and 21 points.
Dan Holland (Woburn, Mass.) dished out a team-high 15 assists and goalie Jason Pucciarelli, pressed into service when standout Marcus Zelzer went down with an early season injury, is back after posting a 2.63 GAA and .917 save percentage in 27 games.
After that, UMass-Dartmouth and Fitchburg State are the two teams to keep an eye on.
UMD (17-9) returns a senior standout at every position in forward Casey Shea of Woburn, Mass. (2-27-39), defenseman Jerry Laakso (5-21-26) and goalie Drew Michals of Newton, Mass. (3.35 GAA, .917 save percentage).
Noack, beginning his second year as coach, said he thinks the team will have to be better defensively to offset some of the production lost to graduation, including forwards Matt Baldino and Mike Kelly, who began pro careers after the season.
"We’re excited about what we have here, but we also know we have to make up for what we graduated," said Noack.
Fitchburg (11-15-1) boasts the league’s Rookie of the Year in forward Tyler Warila (Shirley, Mass.), who burst onto the scene and led the team with 20 assists and 30 points.
The Falcons graduated only four regulars and boast a solid crop of juniors, including Nick DiNicola of Wolcott, Conn. (6-15-21), Mike Fretz (9-8-17) and defenseman Rick Kramer (Barnstead, N.H.). They’ll need to cut down on their 3.5 goals allowed per game to make longtime coach Dean Fuller’s 35th season a winning one.
Worcester State (9-14-3) had some big wins last year, but none bigger than the news that they’d move into a new facility, the Worcester Ice Center, for practices and games this season. The Lancers return most of their squad and will need to inflate a skinny 2.7 goals per game.
Westfield State (11-15) also returns most of its team but replacing the heavy production of Jackson Leef, the MASCAC’s Player of the Year, will be a challenge.
Three stars
▸ Callum Hofford, soph., D, Salem State | Made a successful jump from the GMHL and was a key player during Vikings’ run to a second straight NCAA tournament.
â–¸ Ryan Stevens, sr., F, Plymouth State | One of just 17 players in Division 3 to reach 40 points last year after transferring from Division 1 Arizona State.
â–¸ Tyler Warila (Shirley, Mass.), soph., F, Fitchburg State | Garnered Rookie of the Year honors after a season that saw him score 10 goals and set up 20 others.
Champ Norwich, newcomer Hobart ready to tangle
A loaded league that already boasts reigning Division 3 champion Norwich and some other heavyweights will be even stronger this winter with the addition of Hobart (N.Y.).
The Statesmen (20-5-4) reached their third consecutive NCAA tournament last season, falling to Endicott in the quarterfinals, and finished the year with a No. 10 national ranking.
That means the NEHC has four teams — Norwich, Babson, Hobart and UMass-Boston — that have won at least 70 percent of their games over the past five seasons. No other Division 3 league has more than two.
"The addition of Hobart makes our league incredibly strong," said Babson coach Jamie Rice (Newton, Mass.)
The move also should cap two years of transition. Last year, the newly named NEHC chose not to renew the contracts it had with St. Anselm and St. Michael’s, which compete in Division 2 athletics in other sports. The University of New England moved to the Commonwealth Coast Conference last season.
Amid all the changes, there is Norwich (27-1-3), coming off the program’s fourth national championship under the leadership of coach Mike McShane (Wakefield, Mass.).
Despite graduating five of their top six scorers, including leading scorer Will Pelletier, the Cadets will mix in another strong recruiting class, one that features defenseman and Air Force transfer Matt Burchill (Marshfield, Mass.).
Kevin Salvucci (Plymouth, Mass.) enjoyed a superb junior season with a team-high 21 goals and 39 points, and four returning defensemen in front of standout goalie Braeden Ostepchuk, who won all 16 games he played last year platooning with Ty Reichenbach, feels like a recipe for more success.
"Until they decide they don’t want to be good in hockey, I don’t see any dropoff," said Rice. "(McShane) gets everything out of every single team he’s ever had."
On paper, Babson (15-9-3) looks deep and experienced on defense with nine candidates, including big Jake Donahue (Groveland, Mass.) and junior Matt Michalke, who missed last season due to injury. How it shakes out in front of goalies Bryan Botcher (2.02 GAA, .931 save percentage) and Matt Pompa (1.73, .943) remains to be seen.
Up front, six players who produced at least 10 points are back, including seniors Rob Devaney (Reading, Mass.), Charlie Ackerman, Matt McMorrow and Ryan Gouveia (Dartmouth, Mass.).
"People come up to you and say, ‘Hey, it’s great. You have a lot of seniors,’" said Rice. "It is great but the reality is that not all of them are going to have their senior years go the way they want them to."
Thirteen players produced double-digit points last year for explosive Hobart, which ranked 11th nationally with 3.97 goals a game. Many are back, including defenseman Tanner Shaw, who led the team with 19 assists, and forward Ben Greiner, who made an immediate impact after transferring from Bowling Green.
Watch out, NEHC.
"I believe this is the right move for Hobart College hockey," said 18th-year coach Mark Taylor, a former UMass-Lowell assistant.
New England College (19-8) is coming off one of its finest seasons in coach Tom Carroll’s 15-year tenure. Replacing All-American goalie Brett Kilar is task No. 1, though none of last year’s top seven scorers were seniors, a good sign.
One year after reaching the Frozen Four for the first time, UMass-Boston (12-11-3) was all over the map. The Beacons still boast some of the league’s best offensive players, including senior Colin Larkin, the league’s Player of the Year who scored a team-high 20 goals, plus Ryan Cusin (16-24-40) and Nolan Redler of Winchester, Mass. (10-17-27), who made huge impacts as freshmen.
Skidmore (10-12-4) is aiming to continue its improvement under Rob Hutchison after cracking the national rankings for the first time in a decade last year, and found a backstop in Brandon Kasel, who posted a 2.44 GAA and .916 save percentage in 15 games as a freshman.
Castleton (11-10-6) should enjoy more stability after coach Bill Silengo was hired one month before practice began last year, while a large class of sophomores means Southern Maine (9-15-2) heads into the new season with experience under its belt.
Three stars
â–¸ Jake Donahue (Groveland, Mass.), jr., D, Babson | 6-foot-1, 215-pound blueliner a pillar for defensive-minded Beavers, with 72 college games under his belt.
â–¸ Colin Larkin, sr., F, UMass-Boston | Larkin eclipsed the 100-point mark during a third strong season that saw him set career highs in goals (20) and points (39)
â–¸ Kevin Salvucci (Plymouth, Mass.), sr., F, Norwich | His 21 goals were the most by any league player and gave him 41 for his career. Needs a dozen points for 100.
Whose turn to move forward?
The spotlight in the conference found some new teams last winter. Hamilton and Colby finished 1-2, the former reaching the NCAA quarterfinals before seeing its season end.
But when the Frozen Four rolled around, it was again Trinity the only league team still playing. The Bantams reached the national championship game for the second time in three years, losing to Norwich, 4-1.
So which team is poised to continue its success this winter? Start with Hamilton (20-5-4), which counts Player of the Year and standout goalie Evan Buitenhuis (1.78 GAA, .941 save percentage) among its returnees, a big reason the Continentals were the third-best defensive team in the nation. "I expect them to be very strong," said Tufts coach Pat Norton (Concord, N.H.). "They lost some great players but they have some players returning."
Two weeks after losing to Norwich, Trinity’s team was placed on probation for the 2017-18 academic year following a university investigation into behavior by some team members that was not in line with the athletic department’s Student Athlete Social Responsibility Policy.
On the ice, players like Tyler Whitney (3-25-38) and Anthony Sabitsky (18-16-34) should make the Bantams as formidable as ever, after they managed nearly four goals a game a year ago.
Interesting year shaping up at Williams (14-9-3), where longtime coach Bill Kangas (South Burlington, Vt.) is on a yearlong sabbatical and assistant coach Mike Monti is running the team, which should score plenty of goals again with players like senior David Italiano (12-19-31).
"Coach Monti is respected by our players and department, is a great communicator and truly understands the balance of academics and hockey at Williams," said Kangas in a statement. "He will continue to build on our team culture and he has a great group of returning players to work with this coming season."
Tufts (11-11-3), after posting its highest win total in five years, looks to be a team on the rise and will welcome a second straight strong recruiting class. Last year’s freshmen occupied five of the top eight scoring spots, and the Jumbos also return senior Brian Brown, their leading scorer the past three seasons.
"One, we have to find a few more players who can add to our production," said Norton, now in his third season as coach. "Two, we need to do a better job of attacking the net and getting bodies to the net. The third part is we have to find a way to play a little better on the power play."
The goaltending is in good hands with Nik Nugnes of West Barnstable, Mass. (2.06 GAA, .936 save percentage), who after splitting time with Mason Pulde (Lexington, Mass.) took over as the everyday guy when Pulde was injured in January.
Amherst (14-7-3) skated out another defense that ranked in the top 10 in Division 3 and owned the nation’s second-best penalty kill but needed a little extra scoring punch to swing some big games, including the 2-1 loss to Williams in the conference quarterfinals that ended a promising season.
Don’t look past Wesleyan (13-9-4), which graduated leading scorer James Kline but has most of the rest of its production returning, including Walker Harris, last season’s Rookie of the Year. Points even came from the blue line, where 6-foot-3, 200-pound junior Chad Malinowski (4-15-19) was a two-way factor..
Colby (13-7-4) enjoyed its best season in a decade but leaned heavily on its eight seniors, who graduated with a collective 106 goals and 302 points in 669 games played. Leading scorer Phil Klitirinos (7-18-25) and leading goal-scorer Michael Rudolf (10-4-14) are among the returnees..
Three stars
▸ Evan Buitenhuis, sr., G, Hamilton | Backstopped program’s first NCAA tourney trip with 1.78 GAA and .941 save percentage last season.
â–¸ David Italiano, sr., F, Williams | 5-foot-10 sniper scored a dozen goals last year, second on the team, and five of them were game-winners.
▸ Chad Malinowski, jr., D, Wesleyan | His 15 assists from the blue line ranked second on the team, and he’s part of a strong returning core that could help the Cardinals climb.
