NICHOLS ATHLETICS CALENDAR
 
DUDLEY, Mass. – The Nichols Division of Athletics is set to kick off its winter sports slate on Friday, October 28, as both men's and women's hockey hit the ice in their first competition of the 2022-23 season.
 
Men's and women's basketball will follow suit with tip-offs set for November 8 and 10, respectively.
 
Men's Basketball
Schedule / Roster
 
Coming into the season ranked first in the CCC Preseason Poll and receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25 Poll, Nichols has its sights set on a six-peat in the conference this winter.
 
Head Coach Brock Erickson returns for his second year on The Hill following a 25-4 (15-3 CCC) record one season ago. His first season was highlighted by the team's run in the CCC postseason, in which the team went 3-0 as the No. 1 seed, and defeated No. 2 Salve Regina, 60-55, to take home the program's fifth-straight championship.
 
The team boasted a perfect 3-0 record against NESCAC opponents last season, and showed a great deal of perseverance, earning wins in all 11 games that were decided by 5 points or fewer or overtime.
 
This year, the team will take on two NESCAC opponents in Trinity and Middlebury over the first month of the season during a span of non-conference action.
 
CCC play will begin at home on Wednesday, November 30 in a matchup with Roger Williams. A major game to circle on the calendar will be on Wednesday, January 18, when Salve Regina comes to Dudley for a rematch of last year's title game.
 
Nichols will return All-American and reigning CCC Player of the Year, Jakigh Dottin, CCC Rookie of the Year, Tahmeen Dupree, and CCC Second-Team selection, Matt Alectus, while adding a slew of newcomers.
 
"I'm very excited about this year's team," said Erickson. "We have a great mix of returners and newcomers that really complement each other well. I think this core group of players understands what we are trying to accomplish. They are already helping the newcomers learn and adjust to what the expectations are here at Nichols."
 
The Bison will begin their season at home on Tuesday, November 8 against Eastern Conn. St. at 6 p.m.
 
Women's Basketball
Schedule / Roster
 
The Nichols women's basketball program looks to make its way back to the CCC playoffs for a second-consecutive year under second-year head coach Dan Nagle.
 
Nagle's squad will begin the year with four consecutive non-conference games before competing in CCC play in a matchup with Roger Williams on Wednesday, November 30.
 
The team is returning nine players from their 2021-22 squad that reached the CCC Quarterfinals for the first time since the 2015-16 season, including top two scorers Leandra Ortiz and Abrianna Vazquez.
 
With ten new players joining the team, Coach Nagle said of the 2022-23 team, "I am really looking forward to our second season together on The Hill. We have a young, fast, and athletic team that is getting after it day-in and day-out thus far. We anticipate being very fun to watch all season long and are confident and hopeful that we will take a big step forward this season."
 
Nichols women's basketball opens the season on the road in Nashua, N.H., Thursday, November 10, against Rivier.
 
Men's Ice Hockey
Schedule / Roster
 
The Nichols men's ice hockey program looks to make its way back to the CCC playoffs under first-year head coach Alex Gacek.
 
The Bison are set to host the Worcester Mayor's Cup Tournament (WooCup) on opening weekend. Following Sunday's second-round WooCup game, Nichols will begin CCC play with a home-and-home with Endicott November 4 and 5.
 
Briefly interrupting CCC action will be the Boston Landing Collegiate Invitational held at the Warrior Ice Arena on January 7 and 8.
 
Returners Nathan Carl, Gabe Temple, and Conor Leonard will look to add to their offensive production from last season, while netminders Mathias Backstrom, Tyler Bost, and Anthony Bonaldi will look to hold down the duties in between the pipes.
 
Gacek, a former associate head coach at Wentworth and assistant at Saint Anselm, said of the 2022-23 season, "We as a team are just focusing on getting better each day. We're going to need everyone to step up this year and excited to see our team respond to the challenge".
 
The Bison open their season on Friday, Octocber 28 against Anna Maria in the first round of the WooCup at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center.
 
Women's Ice Hockey
Schedule / Roster
 
The Nichols women's ice hockey team will hit the ice in Michael Barrett's second season at the helm, following a third-place finish in the CCC regular-season in which the Bison hosted both quarterfinal and semifinal playoff contests.  
 
Following their non-conference opener, the Bison are set to face the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked Endicott Gulls and Suffolk Rams, in order.
 
Mid-season, the team will travel to Blaine, Minn. for the Bethel University Showcase on January 6 and 7 at Schwan's SuperRink, taking on Marian and Concordia Wisconsin, respectively.
 
Nichols returns graduate student Isabella Portt, who finished fifth in the conference in points last season. Junior Megan Buxton recorded the fourth most goals in the CCC with 13 and will look to boost the scoring efforts of the Bison yet again this season. Sophomore goaltender Victoria Bakopanos will look to lead the Bison between in goal yet again, following a strong statistical season last year.
 
"With a solid core group coming back, and with the addition of four new talented players, we are excited to build on the success we had last year," said Barrett. "The CCC is a highly competitive conference and we're looking forward to the challenge."
 
Nichols will begin its season at home on Friday, October 28 in a non-conference showdown with Worcester St. at Levy Rink at 5:40 p.m.