BEVERLY, Mass. – Five days away from puck drop on the 2024-25 opener, Suffolk men's hockey has been selected fifth in the Conference of New England (CNE) Preseason Poll, in a vote by the league's eight head coaches, the conference office announced Tuesday afternoon.
Suffolk secured 30 points to finish ahead of Nichols (25), Johnson & Wales (16) and Western New England (10).
The fifth-place prediction is the highest preseason projection for the Rams since 2022-23 when they were picked fifth as well.
Endicott, who is ranked 14th in the latest DCU/USCHO Coaches Poll, is the favorite once again to win the conference championship as the Gulls collected all, but two first place votes to sit atop the eight-team field with 61 points.
Curry, who is eighth in the most recent DCU/USCHO Coaches Poll, and the University of New England split the remaining two first place picks to take second and third with 54 points and 53 points, respectively. Wentworth rounded out the top four with 37 points.
Suffolk is prepped for its third season under Shawn McEachern's guidance. He brought in a dozen newcomers over the offseason to add depth to his 23 returners, who include Nick Liotino (4g, 7a), Joe O'Brien (2g, 8a) and Ryan Webb (8g, 2a), all who hit the double-digit point mark a year ago, as well as goaltenders CJ Hapward (2.67 GAA, .923 save percentage), Kannon Flageolle (3.99 GAA, .897 save percentage) and Chris Jackson (4.78 GAA, .847 save percentage).
The Rams drop the puck on the 2024-25 season this Saturday, Nov. 2 at Salem State at 6:00 p.m.
| 2024-25 CNE MEN'S HOCKEY COACHES' POLL | |||
| Team 1. Endicott 2. Curry 3. University of New England 4. Wentworth 5. Suffolk 6. Nichols 7. Johnson & Wales 8. Western New England |
Points (FPV) 61 (6) 54 (1) 53 (1) 37 30 25 16 10 |
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