Saturday College Sports
Men’s College Hockey / Commonwealth Conference semifinals
Endicott 3, UNE 2 – Endicott senior winger Jimmy McIsaac (Winnipeg, Manitoba) scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Semifinals on Saturday evening to lift the Gulls over the University of New England (UNE), 3-2, in overtime at Raymond J. Bourque Arena. McIsaac tied up the contest at 2-2 with 26 seconds to play in regulation with the extra skater when he one-timed home a cross-ice pass from Cass Bowes (Sturgeon County, Alberta) at the left post, sending the capacity crowd into a frenzy. The senior winger came up clutch once again at the 9:27 mark of overtime by converting a failed clearance along the left wing boards into his first career game-winner. McIsaac pounced on the loose puck just above the faceoff circle and rifled a low wrist shot blocker side past UNE’s goalie to punch Endicott’s ticket to the CCC Championship.
Kevin Craig (Hyannis) provided the Gulls’ first goal of the contest at 15:41 of the third (power play) to even the score at 1-1. Craig netted an eerily similar tally to McIsaac’s game-tying marker off a rebound at the left post, once again coming from Bowes on the opposite end of the net. Atticus Kelly (St. Paul, Minn.) made 37 saves to improve to 8-3-3 overall (20-3-5 career).
Second-seeded Endicott (16-5-5) will host No. 4 Salve Regina in the CCC Championship on Saturday, March 2 at 2 PM. Third-seeded UNE (17-6-4) awaits a potential at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The selection show takes place on Monday, March 4 at 10 AM on NCAA.com.
Women’s College Hockey / Commonwealth Conference Semifinals
Curry 1, Endicott 0 – The No. 13 Endicott women’s ice hockey team fell to Curry College, in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Semifinals on Saturday afternoon at Raymond J. Bourque Arena. Hannah Berkowitz (Mattawan, Mich.) scored the game-winner on a second-chance opportunity from the left face-off dot high glove side just 45 seconds into the second period. Soleil Archambeault (London, Ontario) pitched her second straight shutout in the playoffs with a 50-save effort on the afternoon, tying her season-high which also came against Endicott this season (2/17/22, 2-2 tie).
On the other end, Casey Moritz (Trophy Club, Texas) turned away 24 shots in the setback (16-5-2).
First-seeded Endicott (18-5-3) awaits a potential at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The selection show takes place on Sunday, March 3 at 8:30 PM on ncaa.com. Fifth-seeded Curry (11-11-5) will play the winner of third-seeded UNE/second-seeded Western New England in the CCC Championship on Saturday, March 2. The game will be hosted by the highest remaining seed.
Salem State Baseball – Gordon at Salem State – Monday
Endicott Men’s and Women’s Hockey Involved in the Community
BEVERLY — Over the past few months, the Endicott men’s and women’s hockey programs have made their mark not only on the ice, but also on the community.
The Gulls hockey teams have become influential figures in the lives of two local Beverly residents: Dylan and Ryan Thompson. Dylan (8) and Ryan (5) started coming to the games with their father, Brad Thompson, in 2021, but over this past season, the boys’ relationship with the teams started to flourish.
Dylan, who has been playing hockey for 4 years, and Ryan, who has been playing for 3, have found themselves to be not only avid fans of the Endicott programs, but close friends with some of the players.
When the boys were asked what made them start coming to the games, Ryan was quick to jump in: “Because we have hockey practice here every day.”
Brad, who has been around the sport his whole life, then added: “It’s just college hockey in Beverly. It’s cheaper than going to a Bruins game and it’s, you know, the arena is small enough so we are right on top of everything, you can see it, and it’s better for them to learn.”
