WHAT: Commonwealth Coast Conference Men's Ice Hockey Championship
WHEN: Saturday, March 4, 2017 ~ 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Raymond J. Bourque Arena ~ Beverly, Mass.
WHO: #1 Endicott College Gulls vs. #5 University of New England Nor'easters

Game Program (courtesy Endicott College)
CCC Preview

How to Follow the Game:

Endicott will provide live stats and video for fans unable to attend. Each of those can be accessed by clicking on the links below.

LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO

Ticket Information:

Ticket prices for Saturday's game are as follows: $3.00 for students/senior citizens and $5.00 for adults (children under 12 are not charged admission). Fans should also be reminded that backpacks will not be allowed in the arena, and admission to the game will be stopped once the arena reaches capacity. Purses are permitted into Raymond J. Bourque Arena for Saturday.

Meet the Teams:

UNE (15-9-2) is making its first appearance in a title game. The Nor'easters' 15 victories represent a school single-season record. UNE posted a 9-7-2 Commonwealth Coast Conference mark during the regular season and is the tournament's No. 5 seed. The Nor'easters punched their ticket into the championship game with road wins over No. 4 Curry College (4-2) and No. 2 Nichols College. They feature the nation's top power play (32.9 percent) and third-highest scoring offense (4.81 goals/game).

Endicott (22-3-2) is the top seed and regular-season champion after posting a 14-3-1 league mark. In just its second year as a varsity program, the Gulls are currently ranked 7th and 9th in two national polls. They feature the nation's top scoring offense (5.00 goals/game) and are first in scoring margin (3.15). In the midst of a 10-game winning streak, Endicott advanced to the title game with home wins over Western New England University (8-3) and Johnson & Wales University (4-2).

UNE holds a 1-0-1 edge in the all-time series, with its win coming Jan. 21 when Ryan Bloom scored with 3.3 seconds remaining in overtime.

Meet the Head Coaches:

Now in his second season at UNE and fifth overall as a collegiate head coach, Kevin Swallow owns a career mark of (84-39-12/.667 winning percentage). He came to UNE from Nichols, where he was a two-time ECAC Northeast Coach of the Year. 

RJ Tolan was voted CCC Coach of the Year by his peers. The lone coach the Gulls' program has had, Tolan previously was at the head of the bench at Wentworth Institute of Technology (2006-2014). His career mark stands at 166-86-20.

Meet the Nor'easters:

UNE placed three players on the all-conference team in first-team selections Trevor Fleurent and Brady Fleurent, along with second-team pick Ryan Bloom. Brady (18-35-53) leads the nation in points per game (2.04) and assists per game (1.35), while Trevor (20-24-44) is second in points per game (1.83). Bloom's phenomenal rookie season (19-23-42) has him atop the country's statistical leaders in points per game among first-year players at 1.68/game.

The starting goaltender in both UNE's playoff victories, Payton Porter joined the team at semester break and sports a 5-0-0 record with a 2.36 goals against average and .915 save percentage.

Meet the Gulls:

The Gulls have six all-conference selections on their squad, headed by CCC Goaltender of the Year Kevin Aldridge. Aldridge is in the Top 10 in the nation in both save percentage (.939) and goals against average (1.90). Offensively, Tommy Besinger (17 goals, 29 assists) leads the way with 46 points, while Ross Olsson (17-18-35), Cam Bleck (17-19-36), Logan Day (15-21-36) and Jason Kalinowski (11-22-33) are ranked in the top 35 in the nation in points per game.

What's at Stake:

The winner advances to the NCAA III Championship, which is slated to get underway next Saturday (March 11).