Hockey Closes Road Swing at Salve Regina Saturday

BOSTON – The winners of two straight, the Suffolk hockey closes its five-game road swing Saturday as the Rams visit Salve Regina for a 3:40 p.m. ECAC Northeast game.  

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LAST TIME OUT
An offensive onslaught saw the Suffolk men's hockey team dominate from start to finish in a 9-5 pounding of UMass Dartmouth Thursday night at Hetland Arena.

Stanton Turner finished the game with five points on two goals and three assists, while Luke Miller and Justin Selep each had two scores and one handout. Danyil Medvedev, Tyler Heineman and Shaughn Shields each had two helpers to their credit and Anthony Galloway, Connor Henry and Connor Lawrence all recorded a goal in the win. Tommy Bishop, Shayne Bailey and Dominic Rovero rounded out the skaters with points, who helped Suffolk score the most goals by a team in a single game since the Rams scored 11 in an 11-4 victory over Franklin Pierce December 4, 2002. The nine goals also mark the most by a squad in the Chris Glionna era and the most goals scored on the road according to Suffolk's record books, which date back to the 1999-2000 season.

Michael Levine needed just 18 saves, including 12 in the final frame, to pick up his first collegiate win and help Suffolk improve to 10-4-2 overall.

MORE READING: Hockey Pours in Nine in 9-5 Win at UMass Dartmouth

RUN DOWN ON THE RAMS

• Suffolk (10-4-2, 5-1-2 ECAC Northeast) sits in second place of the ECAC Northeast with 12 points on the season. The Rams have won two straight consecutive conference games, including handing Nichols its first league loss, 5-2, last Saturday.
• Justin Selep, the team's leader in goals (13) and points (23), also ranks as the league's best in both categories. Danyil Medvedev is tied for second in the conference with 19 points off a team-best 12 assist and seven goals.
• Brandon Smolarek is the Rams' regular goalie, starting 13 of the team's 16 games and enters the weekend with a 8-2-2 record. He boasts a 2.75 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage.  

SOMETHING 'BOUT THE SEAHAWKS

• With 17 contests under its belt, Salve Regina hosts Suffolk at 10-6-1 this season, including a 4-2 mark at home, and 5-2-1 in ECAC Northeast action. In the Seahawks' last outing, they easily handled Wentworth, 8-1.
• Senior Peter Gintoli has set up the Seahawks offense this season, racking up seven goals and a team-high 11 assists for 18 points. Pat Thompson (8-2-10), meanwhile, is Salve Regina's scoring force with a team-best eight goals. Alex Pompeo (4-9-13) and Evan Scmidbauer (4-9-13) also contribute offensively.
• The two-headed goaltending tandem of Blake Wojtala and Alexander Devine play in between the pipes for Salve Regina. Wojtala has seen the most action, with 14 starts and 15 games play. The freshman goalie has posted 394 saves (.925) and let in 32 scores (2.22 GAA) for a 10-5-0 record.

WE MEET AGAIN
Suffolk and Salve Regina met in the Rams' ECAC Northeast opener November 4 with the teams battling to a 3-3 draw.

Suffolk led 3-2, but a Salve Regina score in the final period stalemated the Rams into overtime for the second time in as many games, which eventually ended in a 3-3 tie at Emmons Horrigan O'Neil Memorial Rink.

The Rams relied on its youth offensively. Freshman Tommy Bishop used his first collegiate goal to put Suffolk on the board, before dishing out an assist on sophomore Shayne Bailey's first goal as a Ram. Rookie Mikhail Bryan registered his first collegiate point on an assist, while classmate Justin Holliday added one handout to his growing state line. Junior Stanton Turner rounded out Suffolk's goal scorers with senior Justin Selep and junior Simon Leahy handing out an assist each.

In net, senior Brandon Smolarek was nearly flawless through two full periods and ended the game with 46 saves, including seven in the extra session. The 46 stops are the most by a Suffolk goalie since junior Kevin Venturoso turned away 52 attempts at Tufts January 8, 2014.

MORE READING: Hockey Battles to a 3-3 Draw with Salve Regina in ECAC Northeast Opener

NINE SCORES AND 14 YEARS AGO
For the first time in 14 years, Suffolk scored nine goals en route to a 9-5 trouncing of UMass Dartmouth January 21. Six skaters in blue-and-gold combined for the most scores by the Rams since December 4, 2002 in an 11-4 victory over Franklin Pierce. Twelve different players recorded a point to put in the most goals in the Chris Glionna era and the most tallies on the road in Suffolk history, according to the record books, which date back to the 1999-2000 season.

RIGHT ON, ROOKIES
The freshman class has made a significant impact for Suffolk this season. Rookie forward Justin Holliday's 11 points off five goals and six assists, sit fourth on the team. Tommy Bishop's nine points (4-6-10) rank fifth on the team, while his forward counterparts of Nick Mosher (2-4-6) and Connor Parent (4-2-6) each have six points to round out the Rams' top 10 point earners. Brendan Heinze has scored three goals and handed out two helpers and Mikhail Bryan has two assists to his credit. Connor Henry (1-0-1), Sean Henry (0-1-1) and Dominic Rovero (0-1-1) round out the rookies with points.

As a whole, the Class of 2019 accounts for 28.0 percent of the Rams' offense with 19 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 9-4-2 this season. The senior netminder has turned away 377 attempts, the seventh most among ECAC Northeast goalies. Smoalrek boasts a 2.75 goals-against average and .915 save percentage, which both sit third in the league.

Smolarek brought his career total to 2,005 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 14 scorers registering multiple goals, led by Justin Selep's 13 and Danyil Medvedev's seven. On 61 total goals this season, Suffolk has racked up 89 assists, led by Medvedev's 12 and Selep's 10.

GAME-WINNING GANG
Six of Suffolk's 10 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 four, while freshman Justin Holliday and junior Stanton Turner ach put in two. Senior Zack Capozza and freshman Nick Mosher each have game-winning scores to their credit.

UP NEXT
Suffolk returns to the friendly confines of Emmons Horrigan O'Neil Memorial Rink for the first time in 2016 as the Rams entertain Endicott Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 7:40 p.m.