CNE RELASE
BEVERLY, Mass. – Suffolk men's ice hockey's record-setting season saw three Rams earn All-Conference of New England (CNE) honors in Marko Giourof, Aidan O'Connell and Austin McNicholas, while head coach Shawn McEachern garnered CNE Coach of the Year status, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon. Giourof was tabbed to the first team, while O'Connell and McNichols secured spots on the third team.
McEachern led the Rams to their best season in 35 years with a 17-9-1 overall record. That ledger featured the longest known win streak with 10 straight victories from Jan. 16 through Feb. 20, 2026. Along the way, the blue-and-gold received votes in the USCHO.com poll four times to be featured among the nation's top-20. Suffolk skated to a 15-4-1 ledger in league play, good for the third seed in the postseason tournament, the highest finish in the CNE era, and best since 2009-10. The fourth-year head coach guided the blue-and-gold to the CNE semifinals for the second time in program history and as many years. He is the first head coach to be recognized by his peers as CNE Coach of the Year and second leader of the men's ice hockey program to earn a coach of the year distinction since Chris Glionna did so in 2009-10 from the ECAC Northeast.
Giourof, a sophomore transfer that brought his talents to Beantown from CNE counterpart Curry, made an immediate impact on the Rams' roster. The forward that hails from Redondo Beach, California, sat atop the team with 32 points behind 19 assist and 13 goals, including one game-winner, which came in a crucial 3-2 decision at Johnson & Wales, Jan. 23, 2026. He is the first first-team honoree for Suffolk's squad under the CNE umbrella and second student-athlete in the program's game-by-game record books, which date back to 1999-00, to take home a first-team accolade, first since Suffolk Hall of Famer Jeff Rose garnered ECAC Northeast First-Team in 2009-10.
O'Connell complimented Giourof offensively with 27 points on a team-best 15 goals and 12 set-ups. The sophomore transfer that calls Wilmington, Massachusetts home, put away six power play goals and three game-winners en route to his third-team selection.
McNicholas was a staple in between the pipes for the blue-and-gold all season. The Clarence, New York native started and played in all, but one of Suffolk's 27 games in net. He produced a 2.05 goals against average and .910 save percentage for a 16-9-1 ledger in net. He is the first goaltender to take home an all-league honor since Brandon Smolarek was selected to the ECAC Northeast Honorable Mention squad in 2014-15. As a freshman, he is the youngest Ram to earn an all-league award since Rose was tabbed to the ECAC Northeast All-Star Team as a first-year in 2007-08.
It is the second straight season that Suffolk has scooped up all-conference honors. The threesome is the largest among of teammates to garner All-CNE in the same season and first trio to earn all-conference in the same season since Stanton Turner, Shaughan Shields and Smolarek grabbed recognitions from the ECAC Northeast.
Since joining the CNE in 2016, Suffolk has captured eight awards from the league. When broken down, the Rams CNE awards are one coach of the year, one scholar-athlete, one first-team, two second-team and three third-team.
In addition to the all-league honors, senior captain Thomas Dempsey repeated on the CNE Community Service Team, which recognizes student-athletes on every member institution's squad that demonstrates a commitment to their community. He is not only the first two-time honoree for Suffolk men's ice hockey, but Ram Nation overall.
2026 CNE MEN'S ICE HOCKEY AWARDS
Player of the Year - Dominic Murphy, UNE
Goaltender of the Year - Peter Sterling, Endicott
Rookie of the Year - Peter Sterling, Endicott
Scholar-Athlete of the Year - Nick Cullinan, Wentworth
Coach of the Year - Shawn McEachern, Suffolk
ALL-CNE FIRST-TEAM
F - Marko Giourof, Suffolk
F - Lou Kamienski, Endicott
F - Dominic Murphy, UNE
D - Kyle Furey, Endicott
D - Luca Ricci, Nichols
G - Peter Sterling, Endicott
ALL-CNE SECOND-TEAM
F - Gage Dill, Curry
F - Connor Nelson, JWU
F - Drew Olivieri, UNE
D - Jesse Galassi, Curry
D - Collin Kleiser, Endicott
G - Harrison Chesney, UNE
G - Jake Inzirillo, JWU
ALL-CNE THIRD-TEAM
F - Aidan O'Connell, Suffolk
F - Sebastian Speck, Endicott
F - CJ Zezima, Nichols
D - Chip Hamlett, UNE
D - Kevin O'Keefe, UNE
G - Austin McNicholas, Suffolk
CNE COMMUNITY SERVICE TEAM
Nathan Chickering, UNE
Brad Cox, Endicott
Thomas Dempsey, Suffolk
Aaron Hamel, Nichols
Nicholas Lariviere, Curry
Cam Martin, JWU
Gabe Reis, RWU
Everest Schneider, WNE
Ian Worthley, Wentworth