The Commonwealth Coast Conference recently announced its 2021-22 all-conference teams and major award winners.
Voting for the all-CCC teams and major awards was conducted by the eight CCC men’s head coaches following the conclusion of the regular season.
Endicott goaltender Conor O’Brien took home two major awards as he was voted both CCC Player of the Year and CCC Goaltender of the Year. His teammate Andrew Kurapov earned rookie of the year recognition. Meanwhile, Suffolk’s Joe Feeney was selected as the CCC Scholar-Athlete. University of New England’s Kevin Swallow was named CCC Coach of the Year and Western New England won the team sportsmanship award.
O’Brien was nearly unbeatable for Endicott this season going 17-5-1 in goal, including a 14-4-1 mark in conference play. He was one of the best goaltenders in all of NCAA Division III, leading the nation in save percentage at .949 and finishing the regular season with the division’s second-lowest GAA at 1.38. The first-time CCC Player of the Year honoree and second-time CCC Goaltender of the Year posted four shutouts this season and allowed more than two goals only twice. He also had six games with 30-plus saves. During the regular season O’Brien was recognized as the CCC Goaltender of the Week six times (weeks ending Nov. 14, Nov. 28 Dec. 5, Jan. 16, Feb. 6, and Feb. 13).
Kurapov made quite an impact in his rookie season for Endicott, becoming the team’s leading scorer with 12 goals, 12 assists, and 24 points. His goal total ranked him third in the conference. Kurapov also had a flare for timely goalscoring, recording four game-winners to rank second in the conference. There were only six games this season in which the Gulls forward failed to register a point. He was honored by the conference during the week ending Feb. 20 as he was selected as the CCC Rookie of the Week.
Feeney is a graduate student working towards his MBA after completing his bachelor’s in finance last May with a 3.936 GPA. He has been a staple on Suffolk’s team, serving as a two-time captain. Throughout his career Feeney has collected a number of academic accolades including being named an ACHA Krampade All-American Scholar three times and being named to the CCC and NEHC All-Academic Teams. He was also a member of Suffolk’s 4.0 Club in the Spring of 2019 and is a seven-time AD Honor Roll selection.
Swallow was selected as the CCC Coach of the Year for the first time after leading the University of New England to the CCC regular-season championship with a 17-3-1 (1-0 OT, 1-0 SO) conference record and an 18-3-1 record overall. His Nor’easters currently sit at No. 11 nationally in the DCU/USCHO Division III Men’s Poll. Swallow’s team featured one of the top offensive units in the division, ranking seventh at 4.36 goals per game. UNE’s power play unit was also the best in the conference, taking advantage of 25 percent of their man-up opportunities. The team also was strong on the penalty kill, ranking second with an 89.2 kill percentage.
FIRST TEAM ALL-CCC
F – Jake Fuss, Jr., University of New England
F – Timmy Kent, Jr., Curry
F – Mitch Walinski, Jr., Salve Regina
D – Liam Darcy, Sr., University of New England
D – Spencer Stanley, Jr., Salve Regina
G – Conor O’Brien, Sr., Endicott
SECOND TEAM ALL-CCC
F – Andrew Kurapov, So., Endicott
F – Austin Morgan, Sr., University of New England
F – Kevin Obssuth, Jr., Wentworth
D – Eric Manoukian, Jr., Endicott
D – Kalle Sundell, Sr., Curry
G – Nicholas Latinovich, Gr., Salve Regina
THIRD TEAM ALL-CCC
F – Seth Benson, So., Salve Regina
F – Curtis Carlson, Sr., Nichols
F – Jared Christy, Jr., University of New England
F – Zach Mazur, Jr., Endicott
D – Chris Jones, Gr., University of New England
D – Shane Miller, So., Western New England
G – Billy Girard IV, So., University of New England
