<strong>SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (Nov. 1)</strong> &ndash; The Nichols College field hockey team has earned the third seed for the 2011 Commonwealth Coast Conference field hockey championship, which begins semifinal matchups on campus sites the afternoon of Thursday, November 3.<br /> <br /> Nichols (9-8, 5-5) will travel to second-seeded University of New England (17-2, 9-1) for a 4 p.m. game in Biddeford, Maine. <a href="http://www.sidearmstats.com/une/fhockey/">Live stats</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://athletics.une.edu/sports/2009/8/25/gen_all_access_webcasts.aspx ">live pay-per-view video</a> are available for the game, which was originally slated for Wednesday but was moved due to widespread power outages throughout New England.<br /> <br /> Nichols returns to the CCC postseason for the seventh consecutive season and sixth under Head Coach Kristan Mallet. The Bison are paced by junior midfielder/back Emily Widdison who ranks second in the CCC with 31 points on 14 goals and three assists. Her 0.88 goals per game average leads the conference. First year netminder Molly Melanson&nbsp; has been a steady presence in the cage, and ranks third in the CCC with a 2.36 goals against average and .770 save percentage.<br /> <br /> The Bison and Nor&rsquo;easters met in last season&rsquo;s CCC semifinals where third-seeded UNE upset second-seeded Nichols, 2-1, in Dudley, Mass., en route to their first CCC crown. UNE won both regular-season matchups this season, winning 4-0 on October 8th in Biddeford, and most recently emerging with a 2-1 win on Vendetti Field on October 25th.<br /> <br /> Endicott (10-8, 9-1) earned the top seed over the Nor&rsquo;easters by virtue of a tiebreaker, allowing fewer goals against common conference opponents. The Gulls will host fourth-seeded Gordon College (9-11, 4-6 CCC) Thursday tentatively scheduled at 1:30 p.m.<br /> <br /> <br /> 2011 CCC FIELD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE<br /> All Start Times Subject to Change<br /> <br /> Semifinals &bull; Thursday, November 3<br /> #4 Gordon (9-11, 4-6) at #1 Endicott (10-8, 9-1), 1:30 p.m.<br /> #3 Nichols (9-8, 5-5) at #2 University of New England (17-2, 8-1), 4:00 p.m.<br /> <br /> Championship Match &bull; Saturday, November 5<br /> Semifinal Winners, 1:00 p.m. (at higher seed)<br /> <br />