CCC RELEASE

BIDDEFORD, Maine – Just 15 days away from puck drop on the 2022-23 opener, Suffolk men's hockey has been pegged fifth in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Preseason Poll, in a vote by the league's eight head coaches, the conference office announced Thursday morning.  

Suffolk picked up 28 points to finish ahead of Wentworth (24), Nichols (21) and Western New England (9).  

The fifth-place predication is the highest preseason projection for the Rams in their CCC tenure. It surpasses the previous mark of sixth, which Suffolk received in the inaugural CCC preseason poll in 2016-17.  

Endicott, who  was ranked 14th in the preseason DCU/USCHO Coaches Poll, is the favorite to win the 2022-23 CCC Championship as the Gulls earned 59 points thanks to three first-place votes.  

The defending CCC regular-season and tournament champion the University of New England slid into the second spot in this year's poll, falling behind top-ranked Endicott by just two points at 57. UNE had the most first place picks with four and is skating into the as the No. 9 team in the preseason DCU/USCHO Coaches Poll after it advanced to the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Quarterfinals in 2021-22. 

Preceding the Rams in the poll, is Salve Regina and Curry. The Seahawks had 47 points and the final first place vote for the third place and the Colonels grabbed fourth with 43 points.   

Suffolk will usher in a new era this season as Shawn McEachern has taken over the program as its first-ever full-time head coach. The former NHLer grabs the reigns of a team that went 8-13-4 overall and 7-10-4 versus conference competition a year ago. The blue-and-gold did make the CCC Quarterfinals, however, and looks to upstage that performance this season. 

To do so, Suffolk will call on upperclassmen goaltender Cal Wilcox (3.40 GAA, .909 save percentage and forwards Griffin Clark (5g, 3a), Alex Kolowrat (5g, 6a), Nick Lachaine (6g, 8a), Devin Lowe (7g, 13a) and Max Rand (3g, 4a) to lead the way.  

The Rams are set to pull the curtain back on its campaign with a CCC home-and-home series against Salve Regina November 4-5. Suffolk will host the Seahawks Friday at 6:00 p.m. at Louis E. Porrazzo Memorial Rink before hitting the road for a 7 p.m. rematch puck drop with SRU Saturday.