Endicott Tabbed as Preseason Favorite in CCC Preview Poll

2015 CCC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll
2015 Endicott Men's Lacrosse Roster
2015 Endicott Men's Lacrosse Schedule

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Endicott men's lacrosse team will enter the 2015 season as the preseason favorite to win the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) as it was announced today by league Commissioner Gregg M. Kaye. The 2015 CCC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll revealed that the Gulls received all nine first place votes from the league's head coaches.

With 81 total points in the poll, Endicott ranked ahead of three-time defending conference champion Western New England who came in with 71 points. Conference semifinalists Roger Williams (63) and Salve Regina (49) finished third and fourth, respectively, followed by Wentworth (42), University of New England (35), Gordon (34), Curry (18), and Nichols (12).

"This is a special season for us for many reasons," said head coach Sean Quirk who is entering his 18^th season with a 227-91 all-time record, seven CCC titles, and eight NCAA Tournament appearances. "Two-thousand and fifteen marks the program's 20^th year in NCAA Division III. With a relatively short history, the tradition and success has been immeasurable due to the hard-work and dedication of our fine student-athletes."

Endicott's success this spring will depend heavily on the leadership and athleticism of an offense that projects to be one of the best in the country, a strong defensive unit that welcomes a talented group of newcomers, a fearless goaltender with national accolades, and a second-year faceoff specialist eager to be a premiere player at his position.

All six starters on offense return in 2015, including 2014 USILA All-American Honorable Mention midfielder Harrison Cotter (Lordship, Conn.) who led a Gulls attack that ranked sixth among NCAA Division III programs in scoring at 15.3 goals per game and scoring margin at +7.4 goals per game. Cotter, the CCC's Offensive Player of the Year last spring, had a career year with 74 points on 61 goals and 13 assists with 57 groundballs and 10 caused turnovers. Ten of his team and conference-leading 61 goals came with the man-advantage and Cotter, who took 188 shots, scored on 32% of his shot attempts.

"Harry Cotter is a top-notch leader on-and-off the field. He is our lone captain this season. Along with being one of the best leaders in the history of the program he is without question one of the premiere players in Division III."

Rejoining Cotter on the offensive unit will be last year's CCC Rookie of the Year sophomore attacker Colin Bannon (Westport, Conn.) who also claimed regional rookie of the year awards from the NEILA and the ECAC. Bannon erupted for 70 points in his freshman campaign via 48 goals and 22 assists. Senior attackers Nick Pinciaro (Beverly, Mass.) and Kyle Weber (West Hartford, Conn.) as well as senior midfielders Jeremy Morgan (Lake Panamoka, N.Y.) and Joshua Tordik (Sayville, N.Y.) all earned a spot on the 2014 All-CCC Second Team and return for their last go at a conference championship. All six of Endicott's returning offensive players comprise the top six point-getters from the 2014 season.

Two-time USILA All-American goalie Cameron Bell (Falmouth, Maine) anchors the Gulls defensive unit that also features senior defenseman Ian Knechtle (New Canaan, Conn.), an All-CCC Honorable Mention honoree last spring, as well as senior defensive midfielder Sam Scoba (Franklin, Mass.) and junior defenseman Ben Katzen (Blauvelt, N.Y.).

Bell was recognized last season as an Honorable Mention All-American by the USILA for the second-straight year after collecting CCC Defensive Player of the Year. Bell has accumulated the second-most goalie victories (27) in program history through only two seasons while sporting an 8.71 goals against average and a .564 all-time save percentage. Knechtle had 22 caused turnovers and 32 groundballs in his first season wearing the Blue and Green.

On the "x", sophomore Tommy Hughes (Coram, N.Y.) won 62.4% of his faceoffs last season and scooped up 200 groundballs which ranked him seventh among NCAA Division III players. For his efforts, Hughes was a two-time CCC Rookie of the Week and was ultimately placed on the All-CCC Second Team as a freshman.

Quirk praises the team's chemistry, work ethic, and focus on accountability as ingredients into the recipe for Endicott men's lacrosse success.

 "We don't make excuses. It's all about us. Our biggest goal is to get better each play and each day."

Quirk was named CCC Coach of the Year for the first time since 2006 and for the third time in his career in 2014, but without the input, dedication, and enthusiasm of his coaching staff the program wouldn't be where it is in its 20^th season. One of the sport's brightest offensive minds eighth-year assistant coach Mike Sciamanna returns as does fourth-year offensive assistant Lars Keil. The team's defense is run by former three-time USILA All-American goalie and Endicott great Eric Hagarty '10 who has proven tremendous attention to detail, game planning, and recruiting ability. Last year's CCC Short-Stick Specialist of the Year and Gulls captain Peter Erickson joins the staff for his first season and will be a valued asset on the sidelines for Endicott.

The CCC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll comes two days before Endicott's season opener on the road at Stevens (1-0) who are coming off 16-5 victory over FDU-Florham last Wednesday. The Gulls are 2-4 all-time against the Ducks and in their most recent meeting, the 2014 season opener, Endicott pulled off an upset of a 13^th-ranked Stevens squad 15-11 at home. Endicott currently owns the #13 spot in the USILA Top-20 poll while Stevens is unranked.

Endicott's home opener will also be the team's first game of their CCC schedule as the Gulls host Roger Williams on Wednesday, February 25^th at 4:00 p.m. A challenging stretch of non-conference opponents follows including back-to-back games against nationally ranked programs #19 Springfield, #8 Lynchburg, and #12 Amherst. The Blue and Green will also play Connecticut College, Middlebury, Bowdoin, and #1 Tufts in a rematch of 2014 NCAA Second Round action in this spring's schedule.

The highlight of the CCC schedule will be a road game against Endicott's opponent in three of the last four conference championship games, Western New England, on Saturday, April 18^th. The CCC Tournament will be held from April 25^th-May 2^nd with the winner earning an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament. 

2015 CCC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll