Men’s Ice Hockey to Host Nichols in CNE First Round Wednesday

SUFFOLK vs. NICHOLS
Date Time Venue Video Stats Program Series Last Meeting Last Suffolk Win Streak	Wednesday, Feb. 26 6:00 PM Porrazzo Rink East Boston, Mass. CNE Network GoSuffolkRams.com GoSuffolkRams.com 30-25-7 Feb. 21, 2025, T, 1-1 (ot, sow) Feb. 2, 2024, W, 2-0 Tied 2

BOSTON – For the first time since 2015-16, Suffolk men's ice hockey will host a postseason game as the fourth-seeded Rams are set to entertain fifth seed Nichols Wednesday, Feb. 26 in the Conference of New England (CNE) First Round. Puck drop at Louis E. Porrazzo Memorial Skating Rink is set for 6:00 p.m. 

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2025 CNE MEN'S ICE HOCKEY TOURNAMENT
First Round - Wednesday, February 26
Game 1: No. 5 Nichols at No. 4 Suffolk – 6 p.m. – Live Stats | Live Video
Game 2:  No. 6 Wentworth at No. 3 Endicott - 7 p.m. – Live Stats | Live Video  

Semifinals - Saturday, March 1
Game 3: Lowest Remaining Seed at No. 1 Curry
Game 4: Highest Remaining Seed at No. 2 UNE  

Championship - Saturday, March 8 
Game 5: Winner of Game 3 vs Winner of Game 4 – Hosted by Highest Remaining Seed 

SUFFOLK IN THE POSTSEASON

• Suffolk heads into the postseason for the first time since 2022 and 10th time dating back to the 1999-2000 season.
• The Rams enter the league's postseason season field as the fourth seed for the second time in the game-by-game record books, which go through the 1999-2000 season, and first time since 2016.
• The Rams are in the hunt for their first postseason victory since the 2008 ECAC Northeast Quarterfinals, a 3-2 overtime decision over Wentworth.
• That win over the Leopards is Suffolk's lone postseason victory dating back to 1999-2000.   
• According to the Rams record book, which have game-by-game data through the 1999-2000 season, Suffolk has never won a postseason outing in regulation. 
• The Rams will host their third postseason game in program history, first since 2016.
• Suffolk has needed overtime to decide a winner in postseason play twice; 2008 ECAC Quarterfinals and the 2016 ECAC Quarterfinals. Both of those games were against Wentworth.
• The Rams are 1-1-0 in OT outings in conference postseason action.
• Suffolk is 1-9-0 in the postseason. 
• At home, Suffolk is 0-2-0 in postseason play. 
• On the road, the Rams are 1-7-0.
• Suffolk will compete in the postseason for the first time with Shawn McEachern on the bench. 
• Suffolk has advance from a league's first round and/or quarterfinal once, in 2008. 
• The Rams have never made a conference championship contest according to the game-by-game record books, which go through the 1999-2000 season.
• The Rams will play in the 4 vs. 5 first round game for the sixth time. Suffolk is 1-4-0 in such outings, but has never won as the fourth seed. 
• Suffolk will face Nichols in a conference's postseason for the second time, first since the ECAC Northeast Semifinals in 2008. The Rams fell to the Bison in that showdown, 4-2. 
• There has been three shutouts in the postseason in Suffolk's history. The Rams are 0-3-0 when a team is kept off the scoreboard.  

SUFFOLK IN THE CNE POSTSEASON

• Suffolk made the CNE (formerly CCC) postseason field for the third time, first since 2022. 
• The Rams will host their first CNE postseason game in program history. 
• Suffolk has never advance from the CNE first round.
• Suffolk is 0-2-0 in CNE tournament play. 
• Suffolk and Nichols will tangle in the CNE postseason for the first time. 
• A CNE postseason game has never ended via cleansheet or exceeded regulation in the Rams' history.  

LAST TIME OUT
Suffolk men's hockey skated to a 1-1 Conference of New England stalemate with Nichols in its regular-season finale Friday night at Levy Rink in Burrillville, Rhode Island. The Rams garnered the extra shootout point by a 2-1 margin.  

MORE READING: Men's Hockey Ties Nichols in Regular-Season Finale, 1-1, Wins Shootout 

RAMS RUNDOWN
Suffolk wrapped up the regular season on a five-game unbeaten streak. That 4-0-1 stretch helped the Rams bring a 12-10-3 overall mark into the postseason. 

The trio of Scott McManus (6g, 8a), Josh Milso (3g, 9a) and Michael McEachern (2g, 9a) pace Suffolk's 52-goal scoring. Gavin Havens (4g, 5a) and Ryan Webb (5g, 4a) have been consistent factors into the offensive output as well.  

CJ Hapward has been the netminder for the blue-and-gold throughout the entire season. He played in and started all 25 regular season games in which he assembled a 1.98 GAA and .929 save percentage. 

BISON BREAKDOWN
Nichols wrapped up its regular season 9-12-4 after tying Suffolk last Friday night.  

Offensively the Bison have found the back of the net 66 times this season paced by the threesome of Aaron Hamel (5g, 12a), Jack Lee (6g, 11a) and Josh Dickson (8g, 9a). Nathan Carol (8g, 8a), Ryan Austin (4g, 9a), Luca Ricci (1g, 10a), CJ Zezima (6g, 5a), Dimitri Voyatzis (2g, 8a) and Joey Allegrini (3g, 7a) have hit the double digit point plateau as well. 

Defensively, Liam Choquette and Nick Anderson have split time in between the pipes. Choquette has built a 3.06 GAA and .897 save percentage in 14 games played, while Anderson holds a 2.57 GAA and .903 save percentage in 12 appearances. Anderson defended the pipes in the home-and-home series with Suffolk Nov. 15-16, while Coquette played the last outing between the Rams and Bison, a 1-1 draw. 

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Suffolk leads the series against Nichols 30-26-6. 
• Suffolk looks for its first win over Nichols since a 2-0 shutout Feb. 2, 2024.
• The Rams are 15-16-3 as the home team versus the Bison and 14-5-4 on the road. 
• The blue-and-gold and Bison have gone into overtime nine times, including the last two meetings.
• The last overtime outing between the foes was the last meeting, Feb. 21, 2025. It ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
• Suffolk is 2-1-6 in OT outings against Nichols. 
• The Rams and Bison went into a shootout twice, the last two meetings. Suffolk won both of the shootouts in the series by identical 1-0 scores.
• There have been four cleansheets in the all-time series. 
• The Rams are 2-2-0 when a team is kept off the scoreboard. 
• The last shutout in the series came in the first meeting last season, Feb. 2, 2024, a 2-0 Suffolk win. 
• Suffolk holds a 1-4-2 record versus Nichols under Shawn McEachern's guidance.

STATS SHOWDOWN

WHAT'S NEXT?
The winner of Wednesday's action will earn a berth to eh semifinals and will take on either top seed Curry or second seed University of New England Saturday, March 1.