John Carricato and the Endicott College men’s ice hockey team were picked to capture the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) this winter. (Photo Credit: David Le ’10)
By NoontimeSports.com (@NoontimeSports)
One year after securing the first-ever Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) title, the Endicott College men’s ice hockey team was picked to capture their second consecutive conference crown this winter, according to this afternoon’s release.
The Gulls collected nine first-place votes for 99 points, while Salve Regina (78 points) earned one first-place vote – the Seahawks checked-in third on the preseason poll. University of New England tallied 85 points for a second-place projection, while Nichols College (74 points) and Curry College (55 points) rounded out the top five.
Wentworth Institute of Technology and Johnson & Wales were tied for sixth in the poll, while Western New England, Suffolk University and Becker College checked-in eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively.
In addition to winning 24 games one year ago, the Gulls concluded their 2016-17 campaign in the top 10 in multiple statistical categories, including first in scoring offense (4.83 goals per game) and scoring margin (2.87).
Additionally, Endicott was one of the top power play teams in the country. They were third on the power play (28.1 percent, 43/153) and 12th in penalty kill (86.5 percent, 147/170).
Endicott begins its season next Friday, October 27th when they host Plymouth State at 7 p.m. Following their season-opener against the Panthers, Endicott will visit Wentworth on Thursday, November 2nd for a 7 p.m. face-off before entertaining the Leopards on Saturday, November 4th at 2 p.m.
Saturday’s are ALWAYS a busy day, especially in the D3 New England and Northeast college football world, so let’s get you caught-up on some of the games you’ll be talking about, both the rest of this weekend and this upcoming week.
PROGRAM NOTE: We will update some of the late games later this weekend, so make sure to circle back for both game summaries and scores!
Dean 25, Becker 10: Matt Bethel rushed for a game-high 119 yards on 17 carries and one score, while Justice Taylor tallied five solo stops, including three tackles for a loss as the Bulldogs claimed their first win of the season.
MIT 38, Catholic 21: John Robertson rushed for a career-best 185 yards and three scores as the Engineers overcame a seven-point (21-14) deficit at the break en route to defeat the Cardinals in their initial NEWMAC game of the season.
Merchant Marine 56, Maine Maritime 31: Brice Moore rushed for a game-high 137 yards and four scores, while Joseph Bellomo added two touchdowns on the ground as the Mariners earned its first-ever NEWMAC win in Castine, Maine. Maine Maritime’s Corey Creeger recorded 232 yards of total offense, while recording four scores, including three on the ground.
Fitchburg State 31, Bridgewater State 29: Nelson Valerio tossed three touchdowns, Jevon Brown-Simpson rushed for 70 yards and Jovon White recorded a team-high 12 total tackles, including six solo stops as the Falcons picked-up its initial MASCAC win of the season. Bridgewater State’s Jack Lavanchy led all receivers with 166 yards on 10 receptions and two scores.
Buffalo State 33, RPI 21: AntoineHolloman‘sgo-ahead touchdown with 31 seconds remaining in the third quarter provided Buffalo State with the lead, which they would not relinquish as the Bengals picked-up their third win of the season. Holloman concluded the game with 24 yards on 11 carries, while quarterback Kyle Hoppy completed 22 of 34 passes for 263 yards and one touchdown. Hoppy also rushed for 46 yards on 13 carries.
Western New England 21, Husson 14: WNE’s Josh Henry hauled in the go-ahead touchdown – a 28-yard reception – with 52 seconds remaining as the Golden Bears squeaked past the Eagles in Springfield. John Smith (Husson) led all rushers with 128 yards on 32 carries.
Hobart 34, Endicott 17: Shane Sweeney completed 22 of 32 passes for 321 yards and tossed four touchdowns, including a 41-yard strike to Ray Conley with 2:22 remaining in the fourth quarter to send the Statesmen past the Gulls for their third win of the season. Will Genaway led Endicott’s receiving core with five catches for 74 yards and one touchdown.
Hartwick 24, St. John Fisher 21: Brian McGovern’s 21-yard field goal with three seconds remaining helped the Hawks secure their initial Empire 8 victory of the season. Billy Pine tossed three touchdowns in the win, while completing 26 of 41 passes for 375 yards. James Chambers (St. John Fisher) led all rushers with 173 yards on 18 carries and two scores.
Wesleyan 24, Tufts 17 (OT): Mark Piccirillo tossed three touchdowns, including the game-winning score in overtime – a 14-yard strike to Mike Breuler – which helped the Cardinals defeat the Jumbos in Middletown, Connecticut. Ryan McDonald (Tufts) amassed 277 yards of total offense, including 155 yards through the air.
Western Connecticut’s Quinn Fleeting tossed five touchdowns in a come-from-behind win for the Colonials last Saturday over Hartwick. (PHOTO CREDIT: Western Connecticut State University Athletics)
By NoontimeSports.com (@NoontimeSports)
With the first week of New England D3 Football season in the books, it is time to unveil our first Noontime Sports Honor Roll of the season.
PROGRAM NOTE: Coaches, SID’s and fans are encouraged to submit student-athletes for our weekly honor roll throughout by emailing us at NoontimeSports@gmail.com or sending us a tweet to @NoontimeSports.
Offense:
Jevon Brown-Simpson (Fitchburg State): Brown-Simpson concluded his team’s opening contest against Curry College with 75 yards on 21 carries and two scores.
Jesse Brown (Fitchburg State): Brown led all receivers with 145 yards and nine catches, while recording one touchdown in a three-point setback to Curry College.
Adam Wojenski (Framingham State): Wojenski completed 8 of 15 passes for 177 yards and two scores as the Rams commenced its season with an opening day win over Endicott College.
Quron Wright (Framingham State): Wright paced the Rams’ rushing attack against Endicott College with 169 yards on 22 carries and one touchdown. Wright’s longest run of the day was a 55-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
John Smith (Husson): Smith recorded two of his team’s three touchdowns as Husson opened its season with a 20-7 win over Union College. Smith rushed for two scores on 30 carries for 142 yards.
Zack Edwards (Plymouth State): Edward completed 15 of 23 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns as the Panthers commenced its season with a 31-7 victory over Castleton University.
James Dawson (Salve Regina): Dawson ripped off 116 yards and one score on 32 touches in his team’s season-opening win over Worcester State.
Jordan Wilcox (Springfield): Against Western New England, Wilcox rumbled for a game and team-high 148 yards on 30 carries.
Jake Eglintine (Springfield): Eglintine rushed for 121 yards on 19 carries and three scores. His final touchdown in the third quarter helped the Pride secure the lead for good against Western New England.
Austin Calamita (Western Connecticut): Calamita hauled in 10 catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns to help the Colonials rally past Hartwick for a dramatic 48-47 win.
Kyle McKinnon (Western Connecticut): McKinnon rushed for a pair of scores, including the game-winning touchdown with 1:46 remaining in the fourth quarter, which helped the Colonials complete their comeback against Hartwick. McKinnon concluded the game with 116 yards on 23 carries.
Quinn Fleeting (Western Connecticut): Fleeting completed 32 of 49 passes for 375 yards and five touchdowns as the Colonials rallied to beat Hartwick, 48-47.
Anthony Service (Western New England): Against Springfield College, Service tossed a trio of touchdowns, while concluding the contest with 235 passing yards. Service also rushed for 49 yards on 10 carries.
Noah Brum (Worcester State): Against Salve Regina, Brum completed 30 of 47 passes for 373 yards and four touchdowns. He also accounted for four interceptions in his team’s 35-28 setback.
Jacob Maher (Worcester State): Maher paced all receivers with 136 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a 35-28 setback to Salve Regina.
Dan Orlando (Worcester State): Orlando hauled in a game-high 10 catches for 118 yards and one score in a 35-28 setback to Salve Regina.
Sean McAllen (WPI): McAllen enjoyed an impressive debut, rushing for 246 yards on 15 carries and four scores.
Defense:
Michael Hall (Anna Maria): Hall paced the AMCATs defense in their season-opener against WPI by leading the unit with 10 solo stops, including a trio of tackles for a loss.
Michael Bianco (Becker): Against MIT, Bianco recorded 22 total tackles, including 11 solo stops, along with a trio of tackles for a loss. Bianco also registered one sack for a three-yard loss.
Charles McCarthy (Bridgewater State): McCarthy paced the Bears’ defense with 13 total tackles, including five solo stops against Buffalo State.
Bubba Collins (Castleton): Collins concluded his team’s initial game of the season with eight total tackles, including four stops. Two of those eight total tackles were tackles for a loss.
Ryan Robertson (Coast Guard Academy): Robertson paced the Bears’ defense in a season-opening win over Alfred State by tallying 11 total tackles. He also recorded six solo stops, one pass break-up, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Joe Surace (Curry College): Against Fitchburg State, Surace recorded eight total tackles, including six solo stops, along with a pair of sacks.
William Rivera (Endicott College): Rivera paced the Gulls’ defense in solo stops (five) and total tackles (15) against Framingham State.
Nathan Fleming (Framingham State): Fleming paced the Rams’ defense with seven solo stops and 10 total tackles. Two of those tops were tackles for a loss. Fleming also forced a fumble in his team’s first win of the season against Endicott College.
Jean Gabriel (Husson): Gabriel paced the Eagles’ defense with six solo stops, while assisting on three tackles. Two of his nine total tackles were for a loss for five yards – he also forced a fumble and recorded one pass break-up in a 20-7 win over Union.
Andrew DeNucci (MIT): Against Becker last Friday, DeNucci recorded nine solo stops, including a trio of tackles for a loss and one sack.
Dwayne Hunter-Parker (Mount Ida): In his team’s hard-fought 12-10 win over UMass Dartmouth, Hunter-Parker registered a team-high seven solo stops, including one tackle for a loss and one pass break-up.
Brett McEvoy (Nichols): In his team’s initial game of the season, McEvoy turned in an impressive performance, accounting for 15 total tackles, including 10 assists, while recording one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Brandon O’Neill (Salve Regina): Against Worcester State, O’Neill registered six total tackles, including a quartet of four solo stops as the Seahawks commenced its season with a 35-28 victory over Worcester State. In addition to recording one-and-a-half tackles for a loss, O’Neill also registered one interception, too.
Nick Giorgio (Springfield): Against a potent Western New England offense, Giorgio recorded six total tackles, including four solo stops and sack and a half. He also recorded one tackle for a loss of three yards.
Mike Chirco (Western New England): Chirco was one of two Golden Bears to finish Saturday’s tilt against the Pride with seven solo stops. Chirco recorded a team-high 14 total tackles.
Zach Howard (Westfield State): Howard concluded last Friday’s contest against Nichols College with four solo stops and eight total tackles. He also registered two-and-a-half tackles for a loss of eight yards and one sack.
Theo Bryant (Worcester State): Bryant recorded nine total tackles, including six solo stops, along with one tackle for a loss and one interception in a 35-28 setback to Salve Regina.
Dereck Pacheco (WPI): Against Anna Maria, Pacheco recorded six solo stops, including a quartet of tackles for a loss. He also registered a pair of sacks, too.
Connor Russ (UMass Dartmouth): Against Mount Ida, Russ paced the Corsairs’ defense with nine solo stops and 13 total tackles. Three of his tackles were for a loss – he also registered one sack, too.
Special Teams:
Cole Austin (Coast Guard Academy): Austin recorded 10 points in the Bears’ season-opening win over Alfred State. He booted a pair of field goals, while connecting on four extra-points.
Jeff Madden (Plymouth State): Madded connected on all five of his kicks, including a 21-yard field goal to conclude his team’s initial game with seven points.
Danny McDermott (Salve Regina): McDermott booted the ball three times for a total of 84 yards. All three punts landed inside the Worcester State 20.
Pat Tuohy (Worcester State): Tuohy punted the ball five times for a total of 172 yards in his team’s 35-28 setback to Salve Regina. His longest boot was a 56 yard punt. He also recorded one punt that landed inside the Salve Regina 20.
WNE, which captured the final season of the New England Football Conference (NEFC) last fall, secured five of the six first-place votes. Endicott College, which checked-in third overall in this year’s preseason poll, collected one first-place vote.
Salve Regina, which was the runner-up last season in the NEFC, was picked to finish second, while Curry College, Nichols College and Becker College rounded out the final three spots, checking-in fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. The Hawks of Becker spent the past few season competing in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC).
The Golden Bears welcome back 15 of 24 starters from last season, including all five members of the team’s o-line, along with quarterback AnthonyService. Also back this season for the Blue and Yellow is Dante Aiken (running back), Dillon Martin (o-line), Sam Edouard (d-line) and Sam Olsson (safety).
WNE begins its campaign against cross-town rival Springfield College on Saturday, September 2 before visiting Westfield State six days later on Friday, September 8. The Golden Bears will conclude its non-conference slate with a visit to RPI before hosting Husson and St. Lawrence.
We’re another week closer to kicking-off a brand new season of New England D3 Football, so that means it is time highlight a brand new group of student-athletes that we will be watching this season in the Commonwealth Coast Football (CCC).
In case you missed it, Noontime Sports began its countdown to training camp coverage last week with our ‘Players to Watch in the MASCAC in 2017.’ We’ll be highlighting a new conference every week leading-up to our preseason coverage in mid-to-late August, so make sure to stay tuned to both our blog and social channels for updates, news, links and much more!
So, without further ado, here are the student-athletes we will be eyeing this upcoming season in CCC Football – make sure to use their hashtag (#CCCFB) on social media (Twitter and Instagram)!
Regis College men’s lacrosse enters the NECC Tournament as the top seed, but also the defending tournament champions. (PHOTO CREDIT: Regis College Athletics)
By Matt Noonan (@MattNoonan11)
After finishing league play undefeated, Regis College men’s lacrosse will look to capture its second-straight New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) postseason crown this week when they open tournament play tomorrow, Wednesday, April 26th against fourth-seed Mitchell College.
Regis defeated Mitchell in its season finale last Saturday, thanks to a combined 12 points from AJ Karofsky (four goals and two assists) and Calvin Brault (four goals and two assists).
A win for the Pride would send them to Saturday’s (Apr. 29th) championship game against either Daniel Webster (second seed) or Becker College (third seed).
The Eagles and Hawks will also begin tournament play tomorrow, competing in New Hampshire with face-off set for 4:00 p.m.
Daniel Webster, which lost just one league contest this season, will face Becker for the second time in four days. The Eagles soared past the Hawks last Saturday by a score of 7-1, thanks to a pair of goals and assists from Gavin Abbott, who is current sixth in the league in goals (24). Tre Mason (Daniel Webster) leads all NECC scorers with 38 goals.
Last season, Regis captured its first-ever NECC Tournament crown, defeating Becker in the championship game by a score of 10-6. The four-goal victory capped the team’s best season in program history as Regis finished its campaign with 13 wins.
Ah, it’s the weekend! As part of our remaining regular season (and soon-to-be tournament coverage), here are the games we’ll be watching this weekend in New England D3 Men’s Lacrosse.
Remember to stay connected with us on Twitter (@NoontimeSports) for scores, updates and news from around the New England D3 lacrosse world.
Curry at Salve Regina, 12 p.m. (Apr. 22nd)
Endicott at Bowdoin, 1 p.m. (Apr. 22nd)
Mount Ida at Anna Maria, 1 p.m. (Apr. 22nd)
Johnson & Wales at St. Joseph’s (Maine), 1 p.m. (Apr. 22nd)
Clark at Babson, 1 p.m. (Apr. 22nd)
Tufts at Wesleyan, 1 p.m. (Apr. 22nd)
Amherst at Williams, 1 p.m. (Apr. 22nd)
Regis at Mitchell, 1 p.m. (Apr. 22nd)
Husson at Lyndon State, 1:30 p.m. (Apr. 22nd)
Becker at Daniel Webster, 3 p.m. (Apr. 22nd)
Plymouth State at UMass Boston, 3 p.m. (Apr. 22nd)
Maine Maritime at New England College, 4 p.m. (Apr. 22nd)
