This week in Suffolk University sports: Men’s hockey splits weekend, women’s hockey faces national competition, men’s basketball dominates at home and track & field starts second semester action.
Men’s hockey splits weekend against conference foe
Taking on a nationally ranked Conference of New England rival, the University of New England, men’s hockey picked up a milestone 2-0 shutout win on the road Jan. 9.
Suffolk beat UNE for the second time in program history and first since 2017, snapping a 12 game losing streak against the Nor’Easters. It was the first time they won on the road and the first time they beat UNE in shutout fashion. Daniel McKiernan and Joe O’Brien had the goals for the Rams, while Austin McNicholas put together a 27 save shutout in goal.
The Nor’Easters responded the next day with a commanding 7-4 win over the Rams. Both teams netted three goals in a back-and-forth first period before the Nor’Easters outscored Suffolk 2-1 in the second and 2-0 in the third to skate out of East Boston with a win.
Women’s hockey continues January gauntlet against the nation’s best
Women’s hockey faced two nationally ranked opponents, first playing CNE rival Endicott College before a non-conference game against Colby College.
Against the Gulls, Suffolk was ahead 2-1 entering the final minute of the third period before Jo Wimler scored with 33 seconds left in regulation to tie the game 2-2. With 17 seconds left, Jenna Caballero scored her second goal of the night to put the Rams in front 3-2. Katelyn Michals had a stellar game in net, making 39 saves on 41 shots on goal by the Gulls to preserve an upset victory for the Rams.
The Mules came to East Boston Jan. 13 ranked 12th in the most recent national poll. The game was tied 7:35 in after Megan Martodam scored for Colby and Cassie Borowski for Suffolk.
After that, the Mules poured in four unanswered goals to leave with a dominant 5-1 win. Ally Martiniello made 18 saves in net for the Mules to secure the win, while Michals made 26 saves on 31 shots over two periods before getting pulled from the game. Freshman Lucy Cantin came on for the third period and stopped all 15 shots Colby had.
Men’s basketball picks up dominant win
Men’s basketball hosted the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats Jan. 10, storming past the Wildcats with a convincing 73-46 win.
At halftime, the Rams built themselves a 30-21 lead before outscoring JWU 43-25 in the second half to cruise to victory. Harrison Neil led the Rams in points with 17 while coming off the bench. Greg Keane, James Jones and Nick Verdile were also in double figures.
Keane, who ranks fifth in the nation in blocks per game, added three more to his statline. By allowing only 46 points to the Wildcats, Suffolk also moved into the top 10 in the country in scoring defense. The Rams have the eighth best scoring defense in the country, allowing an average of 62 points per game.
Women’s basketball continues losing streak
Women’s basketball also took on Johnson & Wales at home but were unable to have the same success the men’s team had with a 76-67 loss.
The Rams’ losing streak reached five games as they were outscored 14-10 in the first quarter, 18-11 in the second and 24-20 in the third period. Grace Jaffray was a force for the Wildcats, pouring in 33 points while collecting nine rebounds.
Tatiana Tune led the way offensively for Suffolk thanks to a 19-point, seven rebound game. Allison Bono chipped in 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting while Jordan Moreau had 16 points and three rebounds.
Track & Field races into second semester action
Track & Field competed at the University of Southern Maine Open II to begin the new semester. Michael Nossek finished third in the 55-meter dash with a 6.64 showing, while Tighe Hosman placed sixth in the 55-meter hurdles with a 8.47 time in the finals.
Nico Carrillo and Josh Catino finished in fifth place in the high jump and pole vault respectively, while Mohamed Mehaya landed in fourth place in the long jump to round out strong performances on the men’s side.
On the women’s side, JJ Conteh ran the 55 dash in 7.57 seconds to finish second in the field. Kaylie Groom raced to a second place showing in the 400-meter dash as well with a 1:03.97 time. Devyn Battistoni cleared 3.45 meters in the pole vault to win the event, while Averie Denelle placed second in high jump.
