This conference is truly wide open and the battle for just the four playoff spots will be intense. Coach Sean Walsh at SNHU thinks the spots could come down to the final weekend.
“It is going to be interesting to see all of the rosters and how the teams on the ice shake out,” said Walsh. “The league is deep, and the talent is definitely there but with only four playoff spots just getting in is the first battle and then you can go from there in a one-and-done tournament. The last four weeks of our schedule are brutal so we need to get points everywhere we can – you can’t win the conference in the first-half, but you can knock yourself out of it with a poor start.”
“I think the group in Vermont has to be the favorite,” said Walsh. “The [Sel] Narby kid is a special player and there is a good group of players around him, so I expect St. Michael’s to be right there battling.”
The Favorites
St. Michael’s returns a very deep roster and perhaps the best player in the conference in defenseman Sel Narby. The Purple Knights have an experienced goaltender in Hugo Turcotte and should have good balanced scoring from a deep group of forwards. Goal scoring and special teams will be key for Damian DiGiulian’s squad.
St. Anselm also returns a deep roster and Anthony Iacullo is among the best scorers in the conference. The Hawks feature a deep group of forwards along with a big and mobile defense corps including Sean Healy, Trevor Hott, Jack Murphy and Luke Mix. Nick Howard has been good when healthy and he is a key to St Anselm competing for the title.
The Dark Horse
The Assumption Greyhounds have a number of skilled forwards that can score in any situation. The key will be the defensive zone for the Greyhounds where they will need to establish some consistent goaltending and defensive puck movement to free up the talented forwards on the roster.
Players to watch:
Assumption: Dante Maribito – forward; Devan Sheth- forward
Franklin Pierce: Adam Carman – goaltender; Alex O’Dowd – forward
Post: Brandon Brown – goaltender; Evan Lugo – forward
Southern New Hampshire: Joe Fiorino – defenseman; Andy Somerville – forward
Stonehill: Max Pineo – forward; John Day – goaltender
St. Anselm: Sean Healy – defenseman; Anthony Iacullo – forward
St. Michael’s: Sel Narby – defenseman; Hugo Turcotte – goaltender
USCHO Predicted finish
- St. Michael’s
- St. Anselm
- Assumption
- Southern New Hampshire
- Stonehill
- Franklin Pierce
- Post
The season has already seen its first COVID protocol postponement for St. Michael’s last weekend so the move into conference play will be an additional challenge with the first competition of the season and three games upcoming on the weekend.
