WESTFIELD, MA.— Salem State was picked second in a vote of conference coaches in the 2015-16 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference preseason men’s ice hockey poll. Plymouth State earned six of the seven first place votes for a total of 36 points. Last season, they finished 14-3-1 in the conference on their way to the MASCAC regular season and tournament titles. Reigning MASCAC Player of the Year Andrew Wigg returns for Plymouth State after leading the conference with 36 points on 17 goals and 19 assists last season. Also returning is First Team All-Conference goalie Gordon Ceasar who had a .919 save percentage and 2.45 goals against average last year.
Salem State will open their season Thursday 11/5 at Westfield State, 7 p.m. under the direction of head coach Bill O’Neil.
The Vikings land in second with 30 points. They finished last season with a 9-7-2 record in league play. Gabriel Comp, who was an All-Conference honoree in 2014, is back for the Vikings. He finished with 22 points on five goals and 17 assists while helping the team to the tournament title game.
Tied for third are Fitchburg State and UMass Dartmouth with 22 points. The Falcons were 8-8-2 in the MASCAC last season. Cameron Snyder was the top scorer for Fitchburg State last year with 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points. For the Corsairs, who received the final first place vote, they finished with six wins last season. Back for the team this year is Casey Shea, the 2014 MASCAC Rookie of the Year, who was fifth in the conference last season in points with 28 on eight goals and 20 assists.
Sitting in fifth with 20 points is Westfield State. The Owls ended the regular season with an 8-8-2 record in the MASCAC. The All-Conference duo of Dalton Jay and Kyllian Kirkwood are back for the squad. Jay tallied 14 goals and 10 assists while Kirkwood had six goals and 16 assists on the season.
Rounding out the preseason poll are Worcester State and Framingham State in sixth and seventh, respectively. The Lancers claimed 11 points in the poll and tallied seven wins during the 2014 MASCAC campaign. Goalie Tyler Fallica is back after a 2014 season that saw him with a 2.94 goals against average and .891 save percentage. The Rams earned eight points in the poll and had five wins during last year’s conference campaign. The team will look to Vaughn Guetens who finished with 16 points on four goals and 12 assists last season.
The puck drops this weekend with Fitchburg State, Plymouth State, Westfield State and Worcester State hitting the ice. Follow along with all the games at mascac.com.
The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, the nation’s oldest Division III men’s and women’s playing conference, has a rich and storied tradition of competitive success while celebrating excellence in the classroom. MASCAC member schools include Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, MCLA, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Salem State University, Westfield State University and Worcester State University. Two other institutions, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Plymouth State University, are affiliate members of the conference in the sports of football and men’s ice hockey, while Western Connecticut State University joined the conference as an affiliate member in football beginning in 2013.
Information for post provided by SSU Sports Information Department
