Nichols Next for Hockey Saturday

BOSTON – The Suffolk hockey team remains on the road this weekend as the Rams stop by Nichols Saturday, Jan. 16. Suffolk and the Bison are scheduled for a 7:40 p.m. game at Levy Rink in Harrisville, Rhode Island. 

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LAST TIME OUT
The Suffolk hockey team was shutout by the Jumbos of Tufts in non-conference action Tuesday night at the Malden Valley Forum.   

MORE READING: Tufts Shutouts Hockey, 4-0

RUN DOWN ON THE RAMS

• Suffolk (8-4-2, 4-1-2 ECAC Northeast) sits in second of the nine-team ECAC Northeast conference.
• Rams players littler the ECAC Northeast charts in nearly every major statistic, with junior forward Justin Selep leading the way. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native ranks first in the conference in game-winning goals (3) and hat tricks (1), second in points (18) and third in total goals (9). Selep's linemate Danyil Medvedev also is amongst the league's leaders with seven goals (tied fourth) and nine assists (sixth) for 16 points (fourth).
• On the other end of the ice, the Rams have two of the top goalies in the ECAC Northeast. Senior Brandon Smoalrek is seventh with 345 saves. The senior has allowed 33 scores (2.82 GAA) for a 7-2-2 record. Kevin Venturoso, meanwhile, has 71 saves, allowing eight pucks by for a 1-1-0 mark.

BREAKING DOWN THE BISON

• Nichols sits atop the league with a unbeaten 6-0-0 conference mark and an 11-4 overall record.
• Paul Prescott has been a bright spot for the Bison as he leads the team with 19 points on seven goals and 12 handouts. Tyler Beasley (9-8-17), Frank Butler (9-7-16) and Scott Cuthrell (4-6-10) have also registered double digit points for Nichols.
• Alex Larson has played 14 games in net for the Bision, while Colin Brennan has seen action once. Larson boasts 432 saves, a 1.86 goals-against average, .943 save percentage and has allowed 26 goals with a 10-4 record. 

RIGHT ON, ROOKIES
The freshman class has made a significant impact for Suffolk this season. Rookie forward Justin Holliday's 10 points off four goals and three assists, sit third on the team. Tommy Bishop's nine points (4-5-8) rank fourth on the team, while his forward counterparts of Nick Mosher (2-4-6) and Connor Parent (4-2-6) each have six points. Brendan Heinze has scored three goals and handed out one helper while Mikhail Bryan rounds out the rookies with points as the defenseman has dished out two assists.

As a whole, the Class of 2019 accounts for 33.3 percent of the Rams' offense with 17 goals and 23 assists.

SHOW STOPPER
Brandon Smolarek has stood tall for Suffolk between the pipes and is a major reason why the Rams are 8-3-2 this season. The senior netminder has turned away 345 attempts, the sixth most among ECAC Northeast goalies. Smoalrek boasts a .285 goals-against average and .907 save percentage, which sit seventh and sixth in the league, respectively.

Smolarek brought his career total to2,005 saves Saturday, a milestone that was reached by just one other Ram since 1999-00, Jeff Rose '11 who owns Suffolk's all-time saves record with 2,799.

The Chesterfield, Michigan native steered away 46 shots against Salve Regina November 4, the most by a Suffolk keeper since junior Kevin Venturoso stopped 52 attempts against Tufts January 8, 2014.

A HEAPIN' HELPIN' OF HELPERS
The Rams have done well to spread the puck around with 11 scorers registering multiple goals, led by Justin Selep's nine and Danyil Medvedev's seven. On 47 total goals this season, Suffolk has racked up 73 assists, led by Medvedev's and Selep's nine each.

GAME-WINNING GANG
Five of Suffolk's eight game-winning goals this season have been scored by upperclassmen with the remaining three coming off the sticks of first-years. Junior Justin Selep leads the way with three, while freshman Justin Holliday put in two. Senior Zack Capozza, junior Stanton Turner and freshman Nick Mosher all have game-winning scores to their credit.

UP NEXT
Suffolk embarks to UMass Dartmouth Thursday, Jan. 21 for a 7:30 p.m. game.