BOSTON, Mass. – After missing out on a postseason berth a season ago, the Wentworth Institute of Technology ice hockey team aims to make a run at the program's seventh conference championship as the Leopards open up Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament play on Saturday, February 17.
Wentworth, the tournament's number six seed, finished the regular season with a 9-13-3 overall record and a 7-8-3 (16 points) mark in league play and will travel to third-seeded University of New England (18-4-3, 11-4-3 (25 points)) for a 7:00 p.m. quarterfinal.
In addition to the Nor'Easters earning the number three seed, Salve Regina captured the league's regular-season championship and top seed with a 19-4-2 overall record and a 14-4-2 record (30 points) in CCC play. Endicott, last season's tournament champion, earned the number two seed with a 17-5-3 overall record (13-4-1 (27 points) CCC), while Curry (17-7-1, 11-6-1 (23 points) CCC) earned the number four seed.
In other quarterfinal action, Salve Regina will host eighth-seeded Western New England (9-13-3, 4-12-2 (10 points) CCC), Endicott will host seventh-seeded Suffolk (9-12-3, 6-10-2 (14 points) CCC), and Curry will host Nichols (14-8-3, 9-6-3 (21 points) CCC).
After the conclusion of the quarterfinal round, teams will be re-seeded for the semifinals. The highest remaining seed will host the lowest remaining seed in one semifinal, while the second highest remaining seed will host the third highest remaining seed. The semifinal round will take place Saturday, February 24.
The two semifinal winners will meet in the CCC Men's Ice Hockey Tournament Championship which takes place on Saturday, March 3. The CCC Tournament Champion will receive the conference's automatic qualifier into the 2018 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championship.
Saturday's meeting will be the fifth all-time between the Leopards and the Nor'Easters with UNE holding a 3-0-1 series record. The Nor'Easters, ranked 10th in the February 5 USCHO.com Division III Men's Poll and the D3Hockey.com poll, have won the last three meetings between the two schools, including sweeping the season series, 6-4 and 6-5.
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