Boston Mass. (4/27/24) – A fourth-quarter push propelled the No. 4 seed Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards over the No. 5 seed Nichols College Bison in the Commonwealth Coast Conference first-round game at Sweeney Field in Boston. The Leopards took the game by a 9-12 margin.

The Leopards got a quick jump to a 2-0 lead within the first five minutes of the game. But the Bison had an answer back thanks to Colby Gillis' 14th goal of the season which was a rocket past Leopard's starting netminder Tom Gardner. That goal would be the first of a four-goal run put on by the Bison to take the lead. Those goals came off the sticks of Gillis, Dylan DeRubeis, Shea Ullo, and Jack Ellis. 

The 4-2 Bison lead would be cut into by the Leopards in the 11th minute of the 2nd quarter. With two goals 27 seconds apart, the teams found themselves all tied up at 4. Breaking the ice was Conor Doherty who netted his team-leading 26th goal to push the Bison ahead. The teams would continue exchanging goals and chances, with Jack Ellis, Gillis, and Travis around scoring the last three goals of the frame for the Bison in a late momentum push. The Bison led the home Leopards 8-6 at halftime. 

Second-half action saw a freeze to the scoring frenzy, with Doherty scoring off a feed from Shea Ullo at the 3:59 mark of the third quarter. The Leopards would then go on to add three goals in the third quarter, and three in the fourth quarter all unanswered to edge out the Bison 12-9.

Defensively for the Bison, Kyle Ettenhofer, Cooper Melvin, and Travis Arnold all led the way recording four ground balls each. Brady Morgan was solid between the pipes recording 13 saves. Before being relieved by Carter Renaud late in the fourth quarter.

With the loss, the Bison bowed out of the CCC tournament and finished the season with an 8-10 (3-5 CCC) record. The Leopards continue onto the CCC semi-final match, opponent TBD.