Way back on October 29, 2022, the Cadets traveled to face-off against the Gulls in the opening game of the 2022-23 season and skated away with a 3-0 road victory. The Gulls have been anxiously awaiting the outcome of the first-round game between Plattsburgh v. Norwich for their quarterfinal opponent and now have the chance to advance to the Frozen Four against a known and difficult opponent on Saturday.
“We almost played Plattsburgh once in their tournament a few years ago,” stated Endicott head coach RJ Tolan. “We traveled a long way to play Babson and Tufts in that Cardinal Classic but now get a Norwich team we saw a long time ago and understand that they are different now but so are we. The opening game of the season was a very long time ago and they were very opportunistic with a couple of power play goals. I think we know how they like to play, and our guys will be ready to take on the challenge in our rink on Saturday.”
“This is going to be a great hockey team between two very good teams,” noted Norwich head coach Cam Ellsworth. “We have a ton of respect for them as I have known RJ going back to our days at UMass-Lowell. I think both teams have evolved since that first game of the season and the stage is a lot bigger this time around. That building will be rocking, and we will be ready to go.”
Last week two road teams advanced in the tournament to the quarterfinal round as well as all three at-large teams moving on to action on Saturday. No one expects anything to come easy this time of the season and both coaches are thrilled with the joy and extra time spent as a group playing into late March.
“We got a second chance after a not-so-great feeling when we lost to Babson,” stated Ellsworth. “Don’t get me wrong, we love playing at Kreitzberg, but these guys are loving playing together and on the road. They showed great effort and commitment to the game plan, even when we were down a goal to Plattsburgh. We have a lot of respect for Endicott and know it will be another battle, but I also know this group has battled from start to finish and will again on Saturday.”
“Our building is already sold out for the game,” said Tolan. “I never knew that 11-1200 people could sound like 3500 but that is what happened in the CCC title game, and I expect that the crowd will really be ramped up for Saturday. It is nice being home and sticking to routine before the game which hopefully has us loose and ready to play against Norwich.”
Like most playoff games it is expected that the goaltending will weigh heavily on the outcome of the game. Both teams have great confidence in their netminders and expect their overall game and the guy manning the crease will contribute to winning hockey.
“Atticus [Kelly] and Ryan [Wilson] have been great all year in our rotation,” stated Tolan. “They came here and played behind one of the best players and people I know in Conor O’Brien, and we are seeing the output of their development with how well they both have played all season. They are good friends and really push each other as well as root for each other when the other goaltender is playing. Also, the team has confidence in both, so it is a great luxury to have two guys playing hot entering a tournament like this.”
“We love both our guys,” noted Ellsworth. “We probably aren’t here if Anderw [Albano} doesn’t play great for his five straight starts mid-season and Drennen [Atherton] has not come by his accolades as NEHC Goaltender of the Year twice without earning it against some pretty strong competition. As good as Plattsburgh’s guy was last week, we don’t win if DA doesn’t come up with two exceptional stops in overtime. He has proven to be a big-game goaltender and we will need his best against a skilled Gulls team.”
Face-off for the quarterfinal game is at 7 PM at Raymond Bourque Rink on the campus of Endicott College on Saturday, March 18.
