This week in Suffolk University sports: Men’s hockey secures home playoff match, women’s hockey continues free fall, women’s basketball picks up crucial CNE win, men’s basketball cruises past crosstown rival and a national qualification headlines weekend for track & field.
Men’s hockey locks up playoff position
Men’s hockey won two more games, beating the Wentworth Institute of Technology 3-2 at home Feb. 14 before a 2-1 win over Western New England University at home the next day.
After falling behind 1-0 to Wentworth, Suffolk scored three straight goals as Daniel McKiernan, Gavin Havens and Nick Liotino beat Leopards goalie Jack McGovern. CJ Hapward made 35 saves for his 11th win of the season.
Before the game against WNE, Hapward and defenseman PJ Donahue were honored as Suffolk held their annual senior night game. Hapward stopped all but one of the 26 WNE shots once the puck dropped while McKiernan and Joe O’Brien scored the goals for the Rams.
The two wins secured a fourth place finish in the Conference of New England standings for the Rams in the regular season. That guarantees them a home playoff game in the first round against the fifth place finisher. The first round match will take place Feb. 26 in East Boston.
Women’s hockey continues winless February
Women’s hockey was unable to make up any ground in the CNE race, as they lost two more games over the weekend. The Rams lost 3-2 to nationally ranked Endicott College Feb. 14 and 3-0 to Curry College the next day.
Sam Molind and Maddie Gagliano scored for the Rams against the Gulls before the shutout loss to the Colonels. Despite a six game losing streak and an 0-5 month of February, the Rams still hold playoff position as they are in sixth place in the CNE. That would make them the last team in.
Men’s basketball continues strong month
Men’s basketball took on Wentworth on home court Feb. 15 and made no mistake in a 95-69 rout of the Leopards, moving to 16-7 overall and 12-4 in conference play. They are 4-1 in the month of February.
Keenan Robertson and Danny Yardemian were the main drivers of play for the Rams, with Robertson finishing with 36 points on four rebounds and four assists while Yardemian had 19 points to go with seven assists and five rebounds. The Rams travel to play the University of Hartford Feb. 19 and host Nichols College Feb. 22 to end the regular season.
Women’s basketball picks up crucial conference win
Women’s basketball took on Wentworth Feb. 15 and picked up a necessary CNE win, running past the Leopards in a 65-44 win. The win gets them back above .500 at 12-11 while moving their CNE record to 7-9. They’ve also won 14 straight games against the Leopards for a 32-9 record against them, including a 14-2 home record.
Jordan Moreau, Amanda DeAngelis, Allison Bono and Ava Thurman all had double digit point totals for the Rams as DeAngels added 10 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season. The Rams wrap up the regular season with games against Hartford Feb. 19 and Nichols Feb. 22.
National qualifier headlines track & field weekend
Men’s and women’s track & field competed in two meets this weekend, the Valentine Invitational at Boston University and the Gordon Kelly Invitational at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
At the Valentine Invite, Thomas Novy ran a personal best in the five kilometer race at 14:35.48, securing a spot at the DIII New England Championships in the process. Amalia Dorion ran the mile in 4:53.13 to secure a spot in the DIII National Championships, which will take place March 14-15 in Rochester, New York.
Seven members of the women’s team set personal records at the Gordon Kelly Invite, while five members of the men’s team did the same. The regular season for indoor ends Feb. 23 at the USATF New England Indoor Championships at Harvard University.
