Defending CCC Champion Endicott College has been unanimously selected to win the 2012 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men’s lacrosse championship, it was announced today by Commissioner Gregg M. Kaye. Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league’s head men’s lacrosse coaches.
Endicott (16-5 overall, 9-1 CCC) garnered all nine first-place votes in the 2012 CCC preseason poll. Western New England University (16-5, 10-0) was picked by the coaches as the runner-up in the conference. Roger Williams University (8-9, 6-4) was picked to finish third, while Gordon College (9-8, 7-3) and Salve Regina University (9-8, 6-4) were slated to finish fourth and fifth, respectively.
The Gulls had an impressive 2011 season as the team defeated top-seeded Western New England in a thrilling 13-12 overtime victory in the 2011 CCC Championship. In the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament, Endicott defeated Springfield 6-5 and advanced to the second round, but went on to lose 12-8 to the eventual 2012 NCAA DIII Men’s Lacrosse Champion, Salisbury. The Gulls enter the 2012 season ranked #14 by Inside Lacrosse Magazine. Senior midfielder Sam Ozycz, Jr. will provide leadership for his team in the upcoming season. Ozycz ranked eighth in ground balls (9.25 per contest) and 18th in face-off percentage (.632) among all NCAA Division III men’s lacrosse players last year. He was also named a 2012 Third Team Preseason All-American face-off specialist (Inside Lacrosse Magazine) and 2011 First Team All-CCC selection. Junior attackers Connor McCormack and Brian Estes, both 2011 Second Team All-CCC selections, also return to the field. McCormack led the Gulls with 42 goals last season, while Estes contributed 37 goals and dished out 14 assists last year.
Western New England enters the 2012 campaign after compiling an unblemished regular-season record in league play. Coach John Klepacki’s squad played a hard-fought game in the CCC Championship, but came up just short in a 13-12 overtime loss to Endicott. The team returns a great amount of talent and experience, led by senior goalie Brewster Knowlton (226 saves, 7.66 goals against average). Knowlton was recognized as an USILA Division III All-American Honorable Mention, CCC Defensive Player of the Year, ECAC Division III New England Defensive Player of the Year, and First Team selections for the CCC and ECAC, as well. The Golden Bears also return senior attacker Patrick White (38 goals, 15 assists) who was recognized as an All-NEILA Second Team and All-CCC First Team member. Other standout players include junior Corrigan Harreys (32 goals, 10 assists), Brian Leskitow (49 ground balls), Joe Martin (.580 face off percentage), Joe O’Keefe (17 goals, 16 assists), Andrew Mariani (21 goals, 11 assists), and Sean Lawton (21 goals, 7 assists).
After finishing last season as the fifth seed in the championship tournament, Roger Williams looks to continue to play at a competitive level in the upcoming season. In the first round of the 2011 CCC Championship, the Hawks fell just short to New England College in a close 9-8 defeat. Although the team lost five seniors who were named to the All-CCC team, there are many bright spots for this upcoming season. The team will be led by senior tri-captains midfielder Adam Vorwald (29 ground balls), midfielder Mitri Najjar (22 ground balls, 5 caused turnovers), and defenseman Collin Schmitt (12 ground balls). On the offensive side of the ball, the Hawks return junior attacker Ian Powers (19 goals, 4 assists) and senior attacker Dan Klink (13 goals, 5 assists).
Gordon returns to the field after finishing last year’s campaign with a third-place finish in the conference tournament. The Fighting Scots’ season ended after a tough 16-7 loss to Endicott in the conference quarterfinals. The team returns the talent of senior midfielder Wes Chittick, who finished last season second on the team with 33 points (25 goals, 8 assists). Assisting Chittick on offense is senior midfielder Adam Quinn and sophomore midfielder Jeremy Nelson. Quinn finished last season with 17 goals and eight assists, while Nelson finished with 18 goals and one assist. On the defensive side, Gordon welcomes back junior goalkeeper Houston Zemanski and sophomore defenseman Ian Knechtle. Zemanski tallied a 9.37 goals against average with a .544% save percentage in net, while Knechtle snagged 49 ground balls.
Salve Regina is led by the 2010 CCC Offensive Player of the Year and 2011 All-CCC Second Team attacker, Chris Walker. Walker embarks upon his senior year as the Seahawks’ all-time leader in points (188), goals (137), assists (66), and is regarded as one of the most dominant players in the program’s 15 years of NCAA play. The team also welcomes back 2011 CCC Rookie of the Year, sophomore Chad Hollenshade. As a midfielder, Hollenshade grabbed 18 ground balls, netted 39 goals, and dished out 14 assists. On the defensive side, sophomore Curtis McKeon returns after gathering 108 ground balls last season.
University of New England (8-10, 4-6) looks to battle back from a tough season and has high hopes for the 2012 season, as they will be led by senior defenseman Chuck Dowd. A season ago, Dowd caused 26 turnovers and collected 48 ground balls, which landed him a spot on the Inside Lacrosse Magazine Division III Preseason All-American Honorable Mention list, after receiving All-CCC Honorable Mention recognition last season. The Nor’easters also return junior captain attacker Tyler Thomas, who was first on the team in goals (16) and points (20) in CCC play last season. Senior goalie Nate Porter will continue to provide great experience in net, as he has been the number one starter for the past two seasons. Last season, Porter posted a 10.35 goals against average, which ranked him sixth in the league. The team also looks key offensive players Dylan Thomas, who ranked first on the team in assists in conference play (10) and Michael Pennachio, who netted nine goals against CCC opponents last year.
Curry College (5-11, 2-8) comes into the 2012 season with a solid returning class filled with leadership and experience. After a hard fought 2011 crusade in which they came up just short of a bid to the CCC tournament, the team has high hopes to bounce back into the tournament. Curry will be led by 2011 All-CCC Honorable Mention selection and 2012 Inside Lacrosse Magazine First Team member, junior Joe Natale. Natale led the team’s offensive charge from the attack position last season after netting 39 goals and having a stick in 16 others. The team plans to turn to the trio of senior captains Russell Lanham (midfielder), Michael Hibbard (goalie), and Sean Gallagher (attacker) as its leaders throughout the season.
Nichols College (4-10, 2-8) is under new leadership for the 2012 season as Eric Gobiel begins his tenure as head coach. Senior Scott Gray will be a force to be reckoned with in net as he ranked seventh among NCAA DIII men’s lacrosse goalies with a .633 save percentage and third in saves per game, turning away an average of 16.67 shots per game. For the past two seasons, Gray has also led all CCC keepers in each of those categories. One of the Bison’s top turnover creators, senior defender Elwin McCarthy, will help lead a veteran defensive corps that includes Chris Chipello and Ryan Flavin.
Wentworth Institute of Technology (3-10, 1-9) aims to earn its first CCC tournament berth since 2009. The Leopards will look to Dan Russo for direction. Russo served as an assistant coach for the past three seasons and now takes the lead for the Leopards as head coach. Alongside Coach Russo, the Leopards return both seasoned and young talent that will play a major role in its journey for success. Sophomore attacker Jeff Guilherme was the team’s second leading scorer last year, racking up 37 points and 41 ground balls. Alongside Guilherme, the Leopards also look to junior attacker Mark Pappas, who tallied 18 goals last season. Sophomore midfielder Chris Kipp, junior attacker Pat Helfrich, and senior midfielder Justin Connors are also anticipated to be repeat contributors for the team’s success in 2012.
2012 CCC PRESEASON MEN’S LACROSSE POLL
Teams received nine points for every first-place vote received, eight points for second place votes, seven points for third place votes, down to one point for a last-place vote. First place votes are shown in parentheses.
TEAM POINTS (1st Place votes)
Endicott 81 (9)
Western New England 72
Roger Williams 57
Gordon 56
Salve Regina 47
Univ. of New England 31
Curry 28
Nichols 17
Wentworth 16
To view the complete news release, please click here . You will need to have Adobe Acrobat reader installed on your computer to view the file.