With only three games remaining in a difficult 2010-2011 season, Coach Glionna and the men’s hockey team look to finish the stretch run strong.
In their last six games, the men have gone 3-3, winning games at Becker Collage and home against Nichols and Salve Regina. The January 26 win against Becker came in overtime fashion, 3-2.
Suffolk Jumped out to a 1-0 lead 13 minutes into the game when Chris Boyd tallied his second of the year from Zach Barron and J. Andrew Wein. Zach Barron made it 2-0 Suffolk when he scored with five minutes left to go in the second period.
The third period was all Becker, as they put up two goals to tie the game at two, the second coming with just about three minutes left. But it was just 30 seconds into overtime when Charlie McGinnis netted the game winner. Jeff Rose had an impressive 33 saves on 35 shots.
The exciting win over Becker could not provide the spark that the men needed to start a consistent run. In disappointing fashion, the Rams dropped their next three contests, 4-2, 4-1, and 5-1, respectively. (The losses came to Johnson and Whales, Curry College, and Wentworth.)
Against Johnson & Whales, the game was tied 2-2 in the third period, when J&W went ahead 3-2 with eight minutes left and never looked back. The empty netter with 22 seconds left sealed the victory. The Rams got goals out of J. Andrew Wein and Charlie McGinnis.
In the next match against Curry, the Rams dug themselves a deep hole from which they could not drag themselves out. Surrendering three goals in the first period proved to be too much for Suffolk, as Curry once again scored with just seconds left in the second period to bring the score to an insurmountable 4-0. In the third, Suffolk did get on the board, courtesy of J. Andrew Wein’s second goal in as many games.
Déjà-vu struck the Rams the following game, as they once again fell into a 3-0 deficit against Wentworth. Bringing that 3-0 lead into the third, Curry added two more goals while Suffolk freshman forward Josh Goryl ended the shutout to bring the final score to 5-1.
There was a bit of a reversal in the score of the next game versus Nichols College, as the Rams found themselves ahead 3-0 in the third period. Thanks to tallies by Andrew Monesi, Robbie Donahue, and Andrew Flynn, and 29 saves by Jeff Rose, the Rams cruised to a 3-1 win.
Two days later, on Feb. 14, the Rams beat Salve Regina, 5-1, to improve their overall record to 8-14. Sophomore Andrew Flynn and freshman Charlie McGinnis lead the way with a goal and assist each.
After this imporant stretch, Head Coach Chris Glionna isn’t getting too down on his tired squad.
“I think we have played well in our last five games,” he said. “The first four were against the top-four teams in our conference. Though we only went 1-3 in those games, we played well enough to win in the other three. The wins over Becker and Nichols were big for our confidence.”
Glionna also noted that he is not down on how this season has turned out, and is looking forward to the remaining games on the schedule.
“There is no denying we had high expectations for this season after all our success last year,” he added. “So far we have not met those expectations. Now, if we secure a playoff berth, we may be able to fulfill some of those expectations. I think we are starting to show that we can be dangerous.
“I think the last few games could make our season a successful one. We are excited about honoring our seniors on Wednesday. The group has brought great pride to Suffolk University both on and off the ice.”
The men finish their season with bouts against Becker College and Western New England on Feb 17 and 19. The team is currently in sixth place in the tough ECAC.
