INTERACTIVE BRACKET | PRINTABLE BRACKET
BOSTON – For the first time in Suffolk men's hockey history, the Rams have earned a place in the Commonwealth Coast Conference postseason as the blue-and-gold earned the seventh seed in the upcoming conference tournament. Suffolk will take on No. 8/9 Endicott, who is seeded second, in the quarterfinals Saturday, Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. at Raymond J. Bourque Arena.
Suffolk wrapped up its regular season, its second in the CCC, Saturday night with a come-from-behind 6-3 victory over Johnson & Wales. The Rams overcame a three-goal deficit and rattled off six unanswered strikes to take down the Wildcats and finish the season 9-12-3 overall and 6-10-2 in conference. The six wins against CCC counterparts are the most for the Rams in CCC play.
The Rams drew the inaugural CCC Men's hockey Tournament Champion, Endicott, who enters the field as the second seed after finishing with a 13-4-1 league ledger and a 17-5-3 overall record for 27 points in the standings. Over the course of the 2017-18 campaign, the Gulls received the highest national ranking among CCC teams as they peaked No. 2 in both polls Jan. 8 and Jan. 15.
The Suffolk, Endicott series is fairly new, dating back to 2015-16. After the teams tied (1-1) in the first-ever showdown, Nov. 7, 2015, the Gulls have taken down the Rams in three consecutive contests to lead the all-time series, 5-0-1. Suffolk and Endicott will battle for the first time in the postseason.
The winner of the clash will advance to the semifinals, set for Saturday, Feb. 24 at the highest remaining seed and will face the winner of third-seeded University of New England or sixth-seeded Wentworth.
On the other side of the bracket, regular season champion No. 6 Salve Regina entertains eighth seed Western New England, while the fifth seeded Bison of Nichols visits the tournament's fourth seed Curry. Both winners will skate in the semifinals Saturday, Feb. 24 as well.
From there, the two remaining victors will compete for the CCC Championship Saturday, March 3.
2017-8 CCC Men's Hockey Championship
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Feb. 17
Game 1 - #8 Western New England at #1 Salve Regina – TBA – Live Stats - Video
Game 2 - #5 Nichols at #4 Curry – 4:50 PM
Game 3 - #7 Suffolk at #2 Endicott – 3:00 PM – Live Stats - Video
Game 4 - #6 Wentworth at #3 University of New England – 7:00 PM – Live Stats – Video
Semifinals – Saturday, Feb. 24
Game 5 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 6 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
Championship – Saturday, March 3
Game 7 – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6