Men’s Hockey to Skate at No. 4 Curry in CNE Semifinals Saturday

SUFFOLK vs. #4 CURRY
Date Time Venue Video Stats Notes Series Last Meeting Last Suffolk Win Lost 11	Friday, Jan. 31 7:00 PM Canton Ice House Canton, Mass. NSNSportsnet.com GoSuffolkRams.com GoSuffolkRams.com 5-37-3 Feb. 1, 2025, L, 4-0 Nov.  14, 2025, W, 3-2

BOSTON – Suffolk men's ice hockey's quest for Conference of New England (CNE) glory continues Saturday, March 1 as the fourth-seeded Rams take their talents to Canton, Massachusetts, to take on No. 4, top-seeded Curry at the Canton Ice House at 3:00 p.m. 

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2025 CNE MEN'S ICE HOCKEY TOURNAMENT
First Round - Wednesday, February 26
Game 1: No. 4 Suffolk defeated No. 5 Nichols, 4-0 – Box Score  
Game 2:  No. 3 Endicott defeated No. 6 Wentworth, 3-2 (OT) – Box Score

Semifinals - Saturday, March 1
Game 3: No. 4 Suffolk at No. 1 Curry – 3:00 p.m. – Live Video | Live Stats
Game 4: No. 3 Suffolk at No. 2 UNE – 7:00 p.m. – Live Video | Live Stats

Championship - Saturday, March 8 
Game 5: Winner of Game 3 vs Winner of Game 4 – Hosted by Highest Remaining Seed 

MORE INFO: 2025 CNE MEN'S ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

SUFFOLK IN THE POSTSEASON *

• Suffolk is playing in the postseason for the first time since 2022 and 10th time. 
• The Rams are competing in the league's postseason field as the fourths seed for the second time
• The Rams enter the league's postseason season field as the fourth seed for the second time and first time since 2016.
• The Rams won their first postseason victory with a CNE First Round 4-0 shutout of fifth seed Nichols Wednesday.
• That win was the first postseason triumph for the blue-and-gold since the 2008 ECAC Northeast Quarterfinals, a 3-2 overtime decision over Wentworth.
• The postseason win is the first in regulation for Suffolk and first at home in the postseason for the Rams. 
• The Rams hosted their third postseason game in program history, first since 2016.
• Suffolk is 2-9-0 in the postseason. 
• At home, Suffolk is 1-2-0 in postseason play. 
• On the road, the Rams are 1-7-0.
• Suffolk has needed overtime to decide a winner in postseason play twice; 2008 ECAC Quarterfinals and the 2016 ECAC Quarterfinals. Both of those games were against Wentworth.
• The Rams are 1-1-0 in OT outings in conference postseason action.
• Suffolk competed in the postseason for the first time with Shawn McEachern on the bench. 
• Suffolk will advance to a league's first round and/or quarterfinal once, in 2008. 
• The Rams have never made a conference championship contest according to the game-by-game record books, which go through the 1999-2000 season.
• The Rams played in the 4 vs. 5 first round game for the sixth time. Suffolk is 2-4-0 in such outings, and won its first time as the fourth seed. 
• Suffolk faced Nichols in a conference's postseason for the second time, first since the ECAC Northeast Semifinals in 2008. The Rams fell to the Bison in that showdown, 4-2. 
• There has been four shutouts in the postseason in Suffolk's history.
• The Rams are 1-3-0 when a team is kept off the scoreboard.  

* all records are noted through the game-by-game record books, which dates through the 1999-2000 campaign 

SUFFOLK IN THE CNE POSTSEASON

• Suffolk is in the midst of its third CNE (formerly CCC) postseason run, first since 2022. 
• The Rams hosted their first CNE postseason game in program history. 
• Suffolk advanced from the CNE first round for the first time.
• Suffolk is 1-2-0 in CNE tournament play. 
• Suffolk and Nichols tangled in the CNE postseason for the first time. 
• A CNE postseason game was decided via shutout for the first time in the Rams' history with the 4-0 triumph over Nichols. 
• A Suffolk CNE postseason game has never exceeded regulation.

LAST TIME OUT
After back-to-back overtime draws in the regular season with Nichols and sending-ending elimination on the line, the fourth-seeded Suffolk men's hockey team powered its way by the fifth-seeded Bison, in the First Round of the 2025 Conference of New England (CNE) Tournament, 4-0, Wednesday night at Louis E. Porrazzo Memorial Skating Rink.  

CJ Hapward was instrumental to the victory, Suffolk's first postseason win since 2008, as the goaltender denied all 46 shots he faced.  

MORE READING: Men's Hockey Seals Spot in CNE Semis, Shutouts Nichols in First Round, 4-0 

RAMS RUNDOWN
Suffolk rides a six-game unbeaten streak into Saturday's showdown that put the Rams at 13-10-3 on the year.  

The blue-and-gold's 56-goal offense has five players with double-digit points in Scott McManus (6g, 8a), Josh Milso(3g, 10a), Nick Liotino (2g, 9a), Michael McEachern (2g, 9a) and Ryan Webb (5g, 5a).  

CJ Hapward has been a staple in net for the Rams this season, playing and starting all 26 games. He holds a 1.90 GAA and .934 save percentage with a 13-10-3 ledger that features six shutouts.  

COLONELS CATCH UP
Curry, who is fourth in the latest USCHO.com Coaches Poll, has strung together 14 straight victories, with four cleansheets in that span, to head into Saturday's play 22-3-0 on the year. 

The trio of Eelis Laaksonen (14g, 10a), Manny Cabral (8g, 12a) and Gage Dill (5g, 15a) have all hit the 20-point mark this season to anchor the Colonels' impressive 103-goal offense. 

Shane Soderwall is one of the best goalies in NCAA DIII with a 1.42 GAA and .945 save percentage in 24 appearances, all starts. He brings in a 21-3-0 record into the postseason game with five cleansheets. 

WE MEET AGAIN
Curry, then No. 6 in the nation, swept the home-and-home series with Suffolk Jan. 31-Feb. 1. The Colonels skated by the Rams in game one, 6-2, before Suffolk was shutout the next day, 4-0.  

MORE READING: No. 6 Curry Too Much for Men's Hockey | No. 6 Curry Keeps Men's Hockey Quiet, 4-0

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Since the 1999-2000 season, Suffolk trails the all-time series with Curry, 5-37-3. 
• Suffolk looks to snap an 11 game skid versus the Colonels and defeat Curry for the first time since a 3-2 decision Nov. 14, 2015. 
• The foes last met Feb. 1, 2025, which was a 4-0 Rams loss. 
• On the road, Suffolk owns a 2-22-1 record against the Colonels. 
• At home, the Rams are 3-14-2 versus Curry. 
• Suffolk and Curry have gone into overtime five times. 
• The Rams are 2-0-3 in OT outings versus the Colonels. 
• Seven outings have been decided in shutout fashion in the all-time series between Suffolk and Curry. 
• The Colonels have won every game that a team was kept off the scoreboard. 
• Suffolk has yet to find the win column against Curry under Shawn McEachern's guidance, 0-8-0. 
• Suffolk and Curry will tangle in the postseason for the first time since the 2022 conference quarterfinals. 
• The Rams are 0-1-0 in the postseason versus the Colonels.

STATS SHOWDOWN

SUFFOLK'S SCHEDULE
The winner of Saturday's semifinal will move onto the 2025 CNE Championship next Saturday, March 8 and will take on the victor of the contest between second seed UNE and third seed Endicott.