Hockey’s Homestand Starts Wednesday with Endicott

BOSTON – On a three-game win streak, Suffolk hockey returns to Emmons Horrigan O'Neill Memorial Rink for a mid-week match with Endicott Wednesday night. Puck drop between the Rams and Gulls is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. 

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LAST TIME OUT
After trailing 2-0 in the first, Suffolk hockey scored three straight goals to earn a 3-2 road win over Salve Regina in ECAC Northeast action Saturday afternoon inside Porstmouth Abbey.

The Rams tied the game on a puck that bounced oddly off the end of the glass right back out in front of Seahawks netminder Blake Wojtala. Nick Mosher batted it out of the air into the back of the net to the game 2-2.

With plenty of time left it was anyone's game, but nearly two and half minutes later Luke Miller split two defenders through the neutral zone for a breakaway that he buried to give the Rams their first and final lead of the night.

MORE READING: Hockey Scores Three Unanswered in Comeback Win at Salve Regina

RUN DOWN ON THE RAMS

• Currently tied for first place in the ECAC Northeast standings with 14 points with Nichols (7-2), Suffolk has won three straight to improve to 11-4-2 overall and 6-1-2 in conference.
• Justin Selep, who ranks in the top-20 national in points (1.41 – T16) and goals (0.76 – 13) per game, leads the league and team in points (24), goals (13), short-handled goals (2), game-winning goals (4) and hat tricks (1). His four game-winners tie five other skaters across the country for the most nationally.
• Danyil Medvedev is second on the team and fifth in the conference with 19 points on the second-most helpers among ECAC Northeast skaters with 12.
• Overall, 26 different Rams have recorded a point this season, with 21 tallying multiple points and five notching double figure points. As a team, Suffolk produces the highest offense in the league with 3.76 goals per game.
• The Rams have called upon each goalie of their three-headed netminder machine this season.  Brandon Smolarek has been Suffolk's go-to goalie in 14 contests with the senior producing 411 saves (.917) and allowing just 37 pucks past him (2.70 GAA). Kevin Venturoso has 84 saves to his credit, while Michael Levine has stopped 23 pucks.

GET TO KNOW THE GULLS

• Endicott has gone 4-3 in 2016 to bring its overall record to 10-6-2 overall and 6-2-1 against ECAC Northeast opponents. In their last contest, the Gulls defeated Nichols, 5-3, Saturday.
• Freshman Ross Olsson leads the way for Endicott, totaling 16 points on seven goals and nine assists.  Cam Bleck has put in a team-high nine goals to sit second in points, 14.
• Kevin Aldridge has seen all the action as the backstop for the Gulls. In 18 games played, the freshman has a league-best 567 saves (.913) and has allowed 54 goals (2.97 GAA) for a 10-6-2 record.

WE MEET AGAIN
In front of a sold-out crowd at the opening of Endicott's Raymond J. Bourque Arena, the Suffolk ice hockey team clashed with the Gulls to a 1-1 stalemate after 65 minutes of back-and-forth with its ECAC Northeast opponent.

MORE READING: Hockey Ties Endicott in OT in ECAC Northeast Action

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 tied for fourth on the team. Tommy Bishop's nine points (4-5-9) rank fifth on the team, while his forward counterparts of Nick Mosher (3-4-7) and Connor Parent (4-2-6) each have seven and six points, respectively, 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 27.8 percent of the Rams' offense with 20 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 11-4-2 this season. The senior netminder has turned away 411 attempts, the seventh most among ECAC Northeast goalies. Smoalrek boasts a 2.70 goals-against average and .915 save percentage, which both sit fourth and third in the league, respectively.

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 64 total goals this season, Suffolk has racked up 94 assists, led by Medvedev's 12 and Selep's 10.

GAME-WINNING GANG
Six of Suffolk's 11 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, sophomore Luke Miller and freshman Nick Mosher each have game-winning scores to their credit.

UP NEXT
Suffolk remains at home Saturday, Jan. 30 when the Rams welcome Western New England to O'Neil Rink for a 7 p.m. game.