Second seed Gulls drop Seahawks 2-1 in CCC finals

BEVERLY, Mass. (Saturday, March 2, 2024)-- Fourth seed Salve Regina men's ice hockey made the trip to the Raymond J. Bourque Arena and Endicott College, where the Gulls scored first with a penalty shot and advanced to a 2-1 final.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Endicott 2, Salve Regina 1
Records: Salve Regina (17-9-2), Endicott (17-5-5)
All-Time Series: The Seahawks are 9-12-1 against the Gulls since the 2015-16 season, the Gulls first season with varsity men's ice hockey. 

BREAKDOWN: 

Endicott's Cass Bowes swayed the game in favor of the Gulls early on when he netted a penalty shot with 5:49 gone from the clock in the first period. After the first 20 minutes Salve Regina and Endicott matched each other with 11 shots on net. To tie the game a 1-1, Damon Zimmer outwitted Endicott and broke away down the ice to score with no defenders in sight at 6:54 in the second period. The difference maker in the encounter came at 19:03 in the second period when Gulls' Andrew Kurapov sunk the game winning goal, after a skirmish for the puck along the boards. 

Goalie Cayden Bailey faced 30 shots during his time on the ice. Salve Regina shot off 33 to Endicott's 30 shots on net, for a relatively even confrontation. The Seahawks pulled Bailey with 1:55 left to play, expertly moving the puck in the attack zone, but the Gull's posted several key stops to win the day 2-1. 

NOTEWORTHY:

• Today's matchup is the second time the Seahawks have ever appeared in the CCC championship game. The last time men's ice hockey was in the finals was 2019, when Salve Regina hosted Western New England University at Boss Arena.
• The last time the Seahawks and Gulls competed for a championship was the final season of the ECAC northeast in 2015-16. The Seahawks served a 4-0 Gull shutout at the Raymond J. Bourque Arena. 
• Salve Regina men's ice hockey alum Lachlan Burgess '06 has been an assistant coach for Endicott since the team's first varsity season.
• Endicott fell 3-2 to the No. 2 Hobart College in the 2023 NCAA DIII semifinals. 
• Last year Endicott overpowered Salve Regina 5-4 in the CCC semifinals. Johnny Mulera, Logan Calder and Mitch Walinski '23 all scored in the encounter. 
• This is the fourth time the Gulls have won the CCC championship, with the most recent time being last year in 2022-23. 

ON THE HORIZON: 

Salve Regina men's ice hockey ends the season with today's contest. The Gulls earn the Commonwealth Coast Conference automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament. On Monday March 4 at 10 a.m. the NCAA selection show will name all teams automatically qualifying and at-large bids.