BIDDEFORD, Maine – Suffolk women's hockey heads into the postseason as the second seed in the inaugural Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Women's Hockey tournament, the league office announced late Saturday night.
The Rams compiled the winningest season in program history as they went 19-5-0 over their 24-game regular-season slate which included a 14-4-0 league ledger to finish with 42 points, four points behind the first-ever CCC women's hockey regular-season champ No. 9 Endicott (17-4-1, 15-2-1 CCC).
Although Suffolk will skate in the CCC post season for the first time, it marks the second time in program history that the Rams earned the second seed in a conference tournament as the inaugural Suffolk women's hockey team in 2018-19 made its first-ever postseason debut in the second spot in the 2019 New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Tournament. The Rams have never won a postseason game as the second seed. Suffolk did, however make its way onto the conference championship before, accomplishing the feat in the 2020 NEHC Tournament as the sixth seed. The blue-and-gold has yet to claim a conference crown in program history.
As the second seed, Suffolk will need to win three contests to hoist the inaugural CCC Championship as the first-ever tournament will feature all seven squads from the conference following an expansion decision made earlier this month due to numerous rescheduling challenges created by COVID-19 protocols. Seeds two through seven till battle in the quarterfinals Wednesday, Feb. 23.
The quarterfinals pits Suffolk against seventh-seeded Curry at 7 p.m. at Louis E. Porrazzo Memorial Skating Rink.
The Colonels took the seventh seed with a 1-16-1 conference mark, good for four points. Overall, Curry put together a 3-21-1 league ledger in its first varsity season.
Suffolk has handily taken care of Curry in the all-time meetings, all three of which happened this season. The Rams sit 3-0-0 all-time against the Colonels thanks to impressive offensive outputs, outscoring Curry, 22-6 all-time. One of the triumphs in the series, a 10-3 decision Nov. 13, 2021, sits in Suffolk's record book as the most goals scored in a single-game in the program's four-year history.
Following the quarterfinals, the bracket will be re-seeded and the top-ranked Gulls will host the lowest remaining seed in the semis Saturday, Feb. 26 with the remaining two quarterfinal victors squaring off against one another.
From there, the winners of the semifinals will meet in the CCC Championship contest that is on the calendar for Saturday, March 5. The 2022 CCC Women's Ice Hockey Champion will earn the league's automatic bid into the 2022 NCAAs.
2022 CCC WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY TOURNAMENT
Quarterfinals – Wednesday, Feb. 23
#7 Curry at #2 Suffolk – 7 p.m.
#6 Salve Regina at #3 Nichols
#5 Western New England at #4 University of New England – 7 p.m.
Semifinals – Saturday, Feb. 26
Lowest Remaining Seed at #1 Endicott
Second Lowest Remaining Seed at Second-Highest Remaining Seed
Championship – Saturday, March 5
Semifinals Winners