CCC CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 1 Endicott & No. 5 UNE Clash In Title Game

CCC CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

BEVERLY, Mass. – The first-seeded Endicott men's ice hockey team will host No. 5 seed University of New England (UNE) this Saturday in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament championship at 7:30 PM at Raymond J. Bourque Arena. Ticket prices for Saturday's game are as follows: Endicott students are free, $3.00 for students/senior citizens and $5.00 for adults (children under 12 are not charged admission). Fans should also be reminded that backpacks will not be allowed in the arena, and admission to the game will be stopped once the arena reaches capacity. Purses are permitted into Raymond J. Bourque Arena for Saturday.

The No. 7/9 nationally ranked Gulls earned the first seed in the CCC Tournament after winning the inaugural CCC men's ice hockey regular season championship with a 14-3-1 conference record. Endicott then went on to win both its CCC Tournament quarterfinals and semifinals matchups versus Western New England University (BOX SCORE | RECAP) and Johnson & Wales University (BOX SCORE | RECAP), respectively.

Meanwhile, UNE claimed the fifth-seed in the tournament with a 9-7-2 league record. The Nor'easters advanced to this weekend's CCC championship with a 4-2 win over Curry in the quarterfinals (BOX SCORE | RECAP), and an "upset" victory – if only going by seeding – over No. 2 seed Nichols by a 6-3 score in the semifinals (BOX SCORE | RECAP).

THE MATCHUP/SERIES HISTORY: UNE holds a 1-0-1 advantage in the all-time series over Endicott (both meetings have occurred this season). In their last matchup on January 21, the Nor'easters defeated Endicott by a 4-3 score in overtime as Ryan Bloom (Northville, Mich.) netted the game-winning goal with 3.3-seconds remaining in the extra session. The only other meeting between the two squads resulted in a 3-3 overtime draw in Biddeford, Maine on November 3, 2016.

SCOUTING ENDICOTT: The Gulls enter Saturday's matchup on a 10-game winning streak, and have outscored opponents 62-17 during that stretch. Endicott also is 13-2-0 at home this season with its only other loss at Raymond J. Bourque Arena coming at the hands of Salve Regina on November 10, 2016.

Endicott's offense features five student-athletes ranked inside the top-35 in scoring including Tommy Besinger (Milton, Mass.), Ross Olsson (Billerica, Mass.), Cam Bleck (Lake Forest, Ill.), Logan Day (Seminole, Fla.), and Jason Kalinowski (Stamford, Conn.). The quintet ranks No. 5 (17g-29a-46p, 1.70 p/gm), No. 9 (17g-18a-35p, 1.59 p/gm), No. 22 (19g-17a-36p, 1.38 p/gm), No. 28 (15g-21a-36p, 1.33 p/gm), and No. 34 (11g-22a-33p, 1.27 p/gm), in respective order.

As a team, the Gulls are No. 1 in scoring offense in Division III at 5.00 g/gm, No. 5 in scoring defense (1.85 g/gm), No. 1 in scoring margin (3.15), No. 2 on the power play (43/144, 29.9%), No. 7 on the penalty kill (138/158, 87.3%), and No. 2 on combined special teams (181/302, 59.9%).

SCOUTING UNE: The Nor'easters feature three of the top-6 point-getters in all of NCAA Division III. Brady Fleurent (Biddeford, Maine) leads the country in points per game at 2.04 (18g-35a-53p), while Trevor Fleurent (Biddeford, Maine) ranks second (20g-24a-44p) and Ryan Bloom (Northville, Mich.) is positioned sixth (19g-23a-42p).

As a team, UNE ranks No. 3 in the country in scoring offense (4.81 g/gm), No. 47 in scoring defense (3.19 g/gm), No. 11 in scoring margin (1.62), No. 1 on the power play (53/161, 32.9%), No. 44 on the penalty kill (106/131, 80.9%), and No. 10 in combined special teams (159/292, 54.5%). The Nor'easters are also 6-8-1 on the road this season.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

The winner of Saturday's Championship game will be named the CCC Men's Ice Hockey Tournament Champion. The CCC Tournament Champion will receive the conference's automatic qualifier into the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championship. 

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