The NEC men’s ice hockey team completed the 2019-2020 season with an overall record of 17-9-1 and a conference record of 12-6-0, and ended their season with a 2-4 NEHC semifinal loss to Hobart.
“Going into the year, our goal was to get home ice advantage and to make a run for it in playoffs,” said freshman forward Jhuwon Davis.
“Our season started a bit slow out of training camp, due largely to the large number of new players getting used to the pace and nuances of college hockey,” said Head Coach Tom Carroll. “We were able to make the adjustments and had a number of exciting wins while maintaining our top 20 NCAA Ranking.”
Three of these exciting wins were highlights of the season, according to junior captain Nicholas Rein, “Some highs for us were beating Hobart at home and then sweeping UMass Boston and Babson on Alumni Weekend.”
Coach Carroll also saw Alumni Weekend as one of the season highs, stating, “Celebrating 50 years of NEC hockey was a true highlight of the season, we welcomed back a number of alumni from all eras and were able to defeat both Babson and UMass Boston in front of our great home fans and alumni.”
Coach Carroll also noted how the Pilgrims senior class played a large role in the team’s success this season, as they “had a tremendous impact on NEC hockey and their legacy will serve as a motivation to all players.”
When asked about the senior class, Davis and sophomore Connor Inger were on the same page; they will simply miss being around and playing with the seniors.
One of the seniors who played a major role this year was Carlos Fornaris, who was named to the All NEHC team, as well as signing with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. Sophomore Nikita Pintusov was also named to the All NEHC team.
Davis joined the two returners with NEHC honors, being named to the NEHC All-Rookie team.
As the Pilgrims look towards the 2020-2021 season, Inger is looking forward “to just keep building on the culture and family we’re creating in the locker room.”
