BEVERLY, Mass. (May 2, 2026) – The Golden Bears and Gulls faced off in the CNE Championship game on Saturday afternoon, with the winner earning a spot in the NCAA tournament. The contest saw defense prevail for the majority of it, but a strong second half led by the Golden Bear veterans, including
Jacob Roy,
Max Rudgers,
Josh Gagnon,
Thomas Labbe, and
Logan Jenkins, fueled the 10-7 Golden Bear championship game victory on the road.
Records:
Western New England: 12-6 (8-1)
Endicott College: 14-4 (9-0)
How it Happened:
First Quarter:
- The championship game got started with a quick goal from the Gulls as they looked to make this a one-sided game early. Nick Graap scored 36 seconds into the game. Donovan Devellis assisted Graap's 72nd goal of the season.
- Dylan Nardone would answer for WNE, though. Kevin Morina assisted the equalizer for the Golden Bears. One that would hold for about five minutes before Adam Priest found the back of the net for Endicott. Aidan Kellachan assisted Priest with the goal.
- The first quarter kept going back and forth as Logan Jenkins scored his first of the game off a Thomas Labbe assist before Tommy Tyksinki received a Kellachan assist and gave Endicott the one-goal lead going into the second quarter. Both teams recorded eleven shots, but WNE had more shots on goal, 7-5. WNE did win the faceoff battle, and it was a major reason why WNE stuck in the game early on.
Second Quarter:
- After a back-and-forth first quarter, only one goal was scored in the second quarter. Both teams turned the ball over, and neither team could get a ball past the opposing goalie.
- That was until 9:35 into the second, where Rafe Grant was able to create just enough space for him to take a shot and cause the net to move. He tied the game at three goals a piece with that goal.
- The first half would end tied after a few more saves from each goalie and some much-needed turnovers produced by the Golden Bear defense. At the end of the first half, the game was tied, but WNE led in shots (22-20), shots on goal (14-7), ground balls (19-12), and faceoff wins (7-1). Endicott had more saves (11-4). WNE could not crack the Gio Panicolla code just yet.
Third Quarter:
- The third started similarly to the first. A quick goal from Joseph Tumolo gave Endicott the lead 36 seconds in. It was a short-lived lead. Thomas Labbe equalized for WNE 54 seconds later.
- It took 9:20 of game action for someone to find another goal. It was Max Rudgers giving WNE their first lead of the day. Jacob Roy assisted. Six seconds later, Nick Graap scored off a Travis Forster faceoff win and assist. However, Jacob Roy gave WNE the 6-5 lead 1:02 later, and this time, the lead would stick.
- WNE kept leading in the major stat categories in the third. They kept pressure on the Gulls with more shots and shots on goal than Endicott. They also picked up more ground balls. However, Endicott would get the best of WNE when it came to faceoffs and saves.
Fourth Quarter:
- The fourth quarter was WNE's quarter. Logan Jenkins made sure of that by scoring two in 37 seconds early in the fourth. Max Rudgers assisted on the first goal and Roy on the second. Jenkins' second goal saw him fly through the air to score right in front of the Endicott goalie.
- Josh Gagnon then extended the Golden Bear lead to four with just under ten minutes to go in the championship. They led 9-5. Endicott would show fight with a goal at the 5:12 and 3:07 marks. Nick Graap scored off an assist from Aidan Kellachan. Manny Marshall scored the second.
- However, WNE would lock up the championship with a Thomas Labbe man-up goal with 1:59 left. WNE would run the clock out after that to become conference champions for the first time since 2023. They earned it, too. They had more shots than the Gulls (43-37), more shots on goal (25-15), more caused turnovers (12-10), more ground balls (37-24), and Chris Catuosco had more faceoff wins (12-8).
Inside the Lines:
- The Golden Bears won the CNE Championship over Endicott, 10-7.
- Three separate Golden Bears earned three points on the day to lead WNE. Logan Jenkins had the lone hat trick.
- Thomas Labbe scored two goals and assisted one. Roy scored one goal and assisted on two of them.
- Eight different Golden Bears collected at least one point during the championship.
- Nick Graap led the Gulls with a hat trick of goals.
- Jeffrey Wojtowicz made eight saves and only let up seven goals to earn the win for the Golden Bears.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- The Golden Bears will wait for their name to be called during the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament selection show, which takes place on Sunday, May 3, 2026, at 9:00 PM.
