This week in Suffolk University sports: Men’s hockey runs winning streak to assert conference supremacy, women’s hockey swept to end January, men’s basketball battles through three tough conference games and school records fall for indoor track & field.
Men’s hockey runs winning streak to six with CNE dominance
There is no hotter team at Suffolk right now than men’s hockey, who swept its third straight Conference of New England weekend series, this one coming against the Bison of Nichols College.
Trailing 1-0 after one period to the Bison at home Jan. 30, Suffolk outscored Nichols 4-1 in the second period on goals by Bobby Lachance, Josh Milso, Aidan O’Connell and Joe O’Brien. Owen Hodgett scored his first NCAA goal in the third period before Daniel McKiernan sealed the win with an empty-net goal to make it a 6-2 Suffolk victory.
On the road against the Bison the next day, Suffolk scored three goals in the second period, with Jake Grace, Ralph Berry and McKiernan all scoring to make it 3-0 after 40 minutes. Dmitri Voyatzis and Nolan Leonard scored in the third to seal a convincing 5-1 win for the Rams, with Voyatzis factoring in on four of the five Rams goals against his old squad.
Austin McNicholas started both games in net for the Rams, stopping 52 of the 55 shots on goal he saw over both games. The freshman now sits at 12-7-1 overall with a 2.16 goals against average and a .902 save percentage, having started all 20 games the Rams have played.
Women’s hockey swept to end January gauntlet
There is likely no team happier that January is ending than women’s hockey, who ended the gauntlet of a January schedule with back-to-back losses against No. 11 nationally ranked Endicott College.
On the road Jan. 30 against the Gulls, a 1-1 game after one period quickly became lopsided as the Gulls outscored the Rams 4-1 in the second. That proved to be the difference in a 7-4 Endicott win, one that still had goalie Katelyn Michals very busy, making 45 saves despite allowing seven goals.
The contest at Porrazzo Rink in East Boston the next day was more competitive in terms of the final score, but ended the same way: a Suffolk loss.
Abbey Agrodnia and Gracyn Kurrle had the goals for the Gulls, with Kurrle scoring twice in a 3-1 setback for the Rams. Liliana Moose had the lone goal for Suffolk as Michals made 53 saves. Endicott outshot Suffolk 56-22 on the day, and Michals made 98 saves on 108 shots over both games.
Men’s basketball battles through tough CNE competition
Facing the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats on the road Jan. 28, men’s basketball wound up on the wrong end of a 69-65 overtime thriller. The Wildcats got CNE win number one on the season by outscoring the Rams 6-2 in the five-minute overtime.
Nick Verdile paced the Rams in scoring with 22 points despite only shooting 1-for-8 from three-point range. Harrison Neil was also in double figures with 15 points, while James Jones and Connor Strickland were tied for the team lead in rebounds with nine.
Taking on Western New England University Jan. 31, a furious comeback attempt by the Rams came up agonizingly short, with Suffolk losing 62-59 to the Golden Bears to drop to 7-4 in CNE play and 11-9 overall.
Western New England was doubling up the Rams at halftime with a 34-17 lead. Suffolk went on the offensive in the second half, outscoring the Golden Bears 42-28 but were unable to pull off what would’ve been a herculean comeback. Jones, Strickland and Verdile were all in double figures in points, while Jones was one rebound shy of a double-double with another nine rebound performance.
Facing the University of Hartford on home court Feb. 3, men’s basketball won a back-and-forth tilt with the Hawks, emerging victorious by a 70-68 final score. The Rams remained in third in the CNE standings with the win, currently in position to host a first-round playoff game with four games left in the regular season.
Verdile paced the Rams with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting, but it was two big threes in the second half by Hatcher Nordquist that put the Rams over the top, with Nordquist and Jones each chipping in 14 points. Greg Keane added four more blocks to his statline as he remains one of the best shot blockers in Division III while also scoring 13 points on the other end of the court.
Women’s basketball endures winless slate as playoff chances dwindle
Women’s basketball didn’t fare any better against Johnson & Wales and Western New England, also dropping both games to slip to 10-10 overall and just 3-7 in CNE play.
Against the Wildcats, no Rams were able to score 10 points as they were held to 19-for-60 shooting and only converted eight of 14 free throw attempts in a 75-49 loss. Jordan Moreau’s nine points led the team, while Mia Corazzini led the team in rebounds with eight and Claire Berkowitz dished out the most assists with three.
Against WNE, the Rams only made one three-pointer and shot just 13-for-55 overall in a 56-35 loss. Allison Bono was responsible for 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting from the field, also pulling down 11 rebounds for a double-double. Bono was also responsible for two of Suffolk’s three assists on the day.
The losing streak for the Rams reached three against Hartford Feb. 3, dropping a 56-42 decision to the Hawks. The Rams fell under .500 for the first time this season at 10-11 overall and sit at a paltry 3-8 in CNE play, likely the nail in the coffin for Suffolk’s playoff hopes.
A five point deficit at halftime turned into a 14 point loss for the Rams, who only managed seven points in the fourth quarter to Hartford’s 14. Bono and Berkowitz each had 10 points for Suffolk, with Berkowitz responsible for the only two three pointers made by the Rams all game.
Record books re-written in two-meet weekend for track & field
Indoor track & field competed at the Harvard Invitational and the John Thomas Terrier Classic over the weekend. The men’s team competed at Harvard Jan. 30 and at Boston University Jan. 31, while the schedule was flipped for the women’s team.
At the Harvard Invitational, Connor Johnson set personal bests in the 200 meter dash and long jump, while Nolan Winslow set a personal record in the long jump. Jack Marston made his Suffolk debut with a 4:49.51 showing in the mile. Four event debuts were made on the women’s side at Harvard in addition to four personal bests, headlined by Kelsie Dessaps jumping 4.97 meters in the long jump.
At the Terrier Classic, Suffolk’s school record book was rewritten in multiple events. Sophomore Michael Nossek took down the 200 meter school record with a 21.99 second time, while senior Josh Catino was ever so close to the school record in the pole vault by clearing 3.70 meters.
On the women’s side, JJ Conteh broke the 60 meter dash school record with a 7.87 second time. Sofia Moukaddem took down the 5-kilometer record as well, shattering her previous personal best as well with a 17:18.55 showing.
