When Suffolk University elevated its head coaching position to a full-time one in the summer of 2022, it was a sign the school in downtown Boston – whose hockey program had been mired in the bottom half of whatever conference it played in for a decade – was seeking upward mobility.
The position was awarded to former NHL star and Stanley Cup winner Shawn McEachern (Waltham, Mass.), a former Division 1 assistant who had enjoyed head coaching success at the prep level for a decade at Rivers School.
With less than a month to go in regular seasons across New England, there’s been no shortage of surprises.
But Suffolk’s rise to the top of the Conference of New England tops the list.
Suffolk keeping pace with CNE heavyweights
OK, Suffolk’s first-place position in the CNE with a 10-3-1 record (10-7-1 overall) should be balanced by the fact that the three nationally-ranked teams chasing it – the University of New England, Curry and Endicott – each have a game in hand (or, in Endicott’s case, two). Those teams are serial winners.
But the young Rams have landed some blows. They beat Endicott (4-1) and UNE (2-0) – both on the road – and will get two more cracks at Curry on the final weekend of the regular season. This weekend sees a home-and-home with Nichols.
Sophomore transfers Marko Giourof (from Curry) and Aidan O’Connell of Wilmington, Mass. (from Stevenson) have propelled a pretty robust offense with 25 and 16 points, respectively. Another sophomore, Nolan Leonard (Braintree, Mass.), has a team-high 16 assists while rounding out the line. Junior Daniel McKiernan (Weston, Conn.) has chipped in nine goals.
The Rams play their games off-campus at the 500-seat Porrazzo Skating Rink in East Boston, so there are recruiting challenges in this quest. But this season is proof it’s moving in the right direction.
Salve Regina working independently, and well
As a team between conferences – it will return to the CNE next season – it was tough to know what Salve Regina would produce this season. First-year coach Jay Punsky was hired less than a month before the first game.
The surprise isn’t so much its gaudy 18-4 record – its cobbled-together schedule isn’t particularly daunting – but that it could be even better.
Three of the Seahawks’ four losses came by a single goal, including a 4-3 loss to nationally-ranked SUNY Geneseo earlier this month that saw a third-period lead slip away.
Senior forward Cade DeStefani (Bedford, N.H.), the team’s leading scorer, has almost doubled his production from last season, with 12 goals and 30 points.
Salve only has two more games to play this season – at Keene State next week and at Franklin Pierce on Feb. 10. There will be no NCAA tournament. But there will be momentum heading into a better situation in 2026-27.
Southern Maine making unlikely push in Little East
The first season of play in the Little East Conference began with a preseason coaches’ poll, one that had Southern Maine picked to finish in the bottom half of the standings – where it resided during the entirety of its tenure in the NEHC.
But since conference play resumed after New Year’s, the Huskies (10-7-1, 8-2-1) have won five of six games – including one over preseason No. 1 Plymouth State – to move within two points of first-place Babson.
One explanation is that USM is winning the games it needs to win – it’s feasted on teams in the bottom half of the standings.
But on a team that’s scoring a little more than 3 goals a game and giving up a little less than 3 goals a game, what stands out is its success on the penalty kill – 95.2 percent, the best rate in the league.
Offensively, freshman Ben Aucoin has provided a jolt. His 14 goals are the most in the Little East.
@MikeZhe603
mzhe@hockeyjournal.com
