BEVERLY, Mass. - Curry College men's ice hockey dominated the Conference of New England Postseason Awards, earning four of the five major awards while placing four athletes on the All-Conference First Team, while achieving five total All-Conference players. The awards were announced by the league office on Wednesday afternoon and aim to highlight some of the best programs, players, and coaches in the conference.
Goalkeeper Shane Soderwall was not only named CNE Goalie of the Year but also earned Player of the Year for his record-breaking sophomore season in a Curry uniform. Soderwall has been a top goalie in all of college ice hockey throughout the 2024-25 campaign. The four-time CNE Goalie of the Week has a Curry College record eight shutouts this season, with 13 throughout his career, also a record. Soderwall's 22-3 record gives him a .880 win percentage, good enough to rank fourth in DIII and first among all goalies who started in 25 games. He also ranks fourth in the country with a 1.449 goals against average, notably playing at least 400 minutes more than the closest goalie ahead of him. With 584 saves to only 35 goals allowed, Soderwall is ranked 16th in total saves and fourth in save percentage with .943. He was also named First Team All-Conference.
Eelis Laaksonen was named CNE Scholar Athlete of the Year, an award that recognizes a player's ability on the ice and in the classroom. Laaksonen was a major component of the Colonels' run to the top of the NPI rankings, leading the squad in goals and total points with 14 and 25 respectively while adding 11 assists. His plus/minus of +19 is also the highest on the team. The senior also earned CNE Player of the Week on January 27th and earned a spot on the First Team All-Conference.
Casper Soderling and Ryan Prewitt were the other two Curry men's ice hockey players to earn First Team All-Conference. The pair were an integral part of Curry's suffocating defense that managed eight shutouts throughout the season. Both players were also important on offense with four goals each while Prewitt had 11 assists and Soderling finished with nine. Additionally, Gage Dill was named Third-Team All-Conference. The junior was another important aspect of the Colonels' powerful offense, tied for second on the team in overall points with 21, consisting of six goals and a team-high 15 assists.
In addition to the major awards and all-conference teams, the CNE also announced its new Community Service Team, highlighting one student-athlete per institution who demonstrates a commitment to their community. Each winner was picked and nominated by each program's head coach. Junior Jacob Crespo was the Curry recipient of the award who added one goal and two assists throughout the season.
It wasn't just the athletes earning awards as head coach Peter Roundy was named CNE Coach of the Year for the second straight season. Roundy continues to be one of the most successful coaches in Curry College men's ice hockey history. His previous accolades include leading the Colonels to their first NCAA Tournament win in 2023, a semi-finals appearance in the 2024 tournament, a program best 22-3 record in 2025, along with a string of individual achievements too numerous to list here. Additionally, this year's team has been ranked #2 and #3 in the DIIIHockeyNews and USCHO polls, both program highs, while earning the #1 in the NPI rankings, which takes into consideration strength of schedule, and is used to determine the seeding in the NCAA tournament..
Roundy will look to lead the Colonels to his first Conference of New England championship this Saturday, March 8th, in a showdown against Endicott beginning at 3 p.m.
#BleedPurple
