Hockey’s Regular Season Finale Features Nichols Wednesday

BOSTON – In its regular season finale, Suffolk hockey is set for a 7:40 p.m. showdown with ECAC Northeast top-contender Nichols at Emmons Horrigan O'Neil Memorial Rink. 

SOCIALIZE
Stay up-to-date with all the latest news and notes on Suffolk Athletics by connecting with the Rams on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Be sure to use the hashtag #RamNation for an insider's look at Suffolk's teams and student-athletes.

LAST TIME OUT
Chris Glionna, the winningest coach of Suffolk hockey, collected his 100th-career victory Saturday night as the Suffolk hockey team shutout Becker, 1-0, in an ECAC Northeast matchup at Emmons Horrigan O'Neil Memorial Rink. 

Suffolk snapped a three-game skid with Nick Mosher netting the lone goal for the Rams. Michael Levine posted 23 saves in the freshman's first collegiate shutout. The clean sheet marks the first for Suffolk since Brandon Smolarek kept the Leopards off the scoreboard in the Rams' 4-0 win over Wentworth February 22, 2014. 

MORE READING: Glionna Earns 100th Career Victory in Hockey's 1-0 Shutout Over Becker

BOSTON HERALD: SUFFOLK IN THE HUNT
It has been a banner campaign for the Suffolk men, who sit in third place in the ECAC Northeast Conference standings heading into Wednesday's regular-season finale against league front-runner Nichols at Emmons Horrigan O'Neil Memorial Rink. 

MORE READING: Boston Herald: Suffolk in the Hunt

RUN DOWN ON THE RAMS

• Suffolk snapped a three-game skid Saturday night with a 1-0 victory over Becker, improving to 13-8-2 overall and 8-5-2 against ECAC Northeast opponents. 
• The Rams are two-points behind Nichols (15-8, 10-4 ECAC Northeast), who sit atop the league standings with 20, while Endicott (13-8-2, 9-4-1ECAC Northeast) is in second with 18. Suffolk takes the ice once more in the regular-season, while the Bison and Seagulls each have two conference games remaining. 
• Justin Selep, who ranks in the top-20 nationally in goals (0.65 - T16) and short-handed goals (0.09 - T5) per game, leads the team in points (26) and goals (15), which rank second in the league, respectively.  His four game-winners tie 14 skaters across the country for the fourth most nationally. 
• Danyil Medvedev is second on the team and seventh in the conference with 20 points on the fourth-most helpers among ECAC Northeast skaters with 13. 
• 26 different Rams have recorded a point this season with 23 tallying multiple points and seven notching double figure points. As a team, Suffolk produces the fourth highest offense in the league with 3.30 goals per game. 
• Three different Rams have seen action between the pipes. Brandon Smolarek has seen action in 19 games and produce 506 saves (.900) and has allowed 56 goals (3.14 GAA). Kevin Venturoso, who has played in five games, has made 84 saves and let in 12 goals, while Michael Levine is 2-0-0 thanks to 66 stops and just two pucks past. 

BREAKING DOWN THE BISON

•  Nichols sits atop the league with a 15-8 overall ledger and 10-4 mark. 
• Tyler Beasley has been a bright spot for the Bison as he leads the team and conference with 28 points on 13 goals and 15 handouts. Paul Prescott (7-19-26) and Frank Butler (12-12-24) have also registered 20-plus points for Nichols. 
• Ales Larson has played 21 games in net for the Bision with Colin Brennan and Jordi Van gaal seeing action in three and one, respectively. Larson boasts 593 saves, a 2.22 goals-against average, a .929 save percentage and has allowed 45 goals with a 13-7-0 record. 

WE MEET AGAIN
In a battle between the first and second place teams in ECAC Northeast, Suffolk surprised Nichols, 5-2, January 16 at Levy Rink. 

MORE READING: Hockey Upsets Nichols, 5-2

100
Chris Glionna won his 100th game on the bench of the Suffolk hockey program Saturday night. Through his 12-year career he was named the 2009-10 ECAC Northeast Hockey Coach of the Year, led the Rams to four ECAC post-season appearances and saw 24 players earn ECAC Northeast Hockey honors, including Simon Leahy, who was named Rookie of the Year during the 2013-14 season and Jeff Rose, who was tabbed as the league's top net minder in 2009-10. 

SHUTOUT STATS
For the first time since, February 22, 2014, Suffolk earned a shutout in the form of a 1-0 clean sheet over Becker Saturday night. 

The 1-0 victory was also the first for the Rams since November 6, 2010 when Suffolk earned a golden goal win over Stonehill in the Becker Ice Breaker Tournament.

RIGHT ON, ROOKIES
The freshman class has made a significant impact for Suffolk this season. Rookie forward Justin Holliday's 14 points off seven goals and seven assists, sit third on the team. Tommy Bishop's 12 points (4-8-12) ranks fifth on the team, while his forward counterparts of Nick Mosher (5-6-11) and Connor Parent (6-2-8) round out the Rams' top 10 point earners. Brendan Heinze has scored three goals and handed out two helpers and Mikhail Bryan has three assists and one goal to his credit. Connor Henry (1-0-1), Sean Henry (0-2-2) and Dominic Rovero (0-1-1) round out the rookies with points.

As a whole, the Class of 2019 accounts for 30.9 percent of the Rams' offense with 27 goals and 30 assists.

SHOW STOPPER
Brandon Smolarek has stood tall for Suffolk between the pipes and is a major reason why the Rams are 12-8-2 this season. The senior netminder has turned away 506 attempts, the sixth most among ECAC Northeast goalies. Smoalrek boasts a 3.14 goals-against average and .900 save percentage.

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 15 and Danyil Medvedev's and Justin Holliday's seven. On 76 total goals this season, Suffolk has racked up 113 assists, led by Medvedev's 13 and 11 from Tyler Heineman and Selep, respectively.  

GAME-WINNING GANG
Six of Suffolk's 12 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 has three. Junior Stanton Turner and freshman Nick Mosher put in two each with senior Zack Capozza and sophomore Luke Miller each have game-winning scores to their credit.

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.

UP NEXT
Suffolk, who has clinched an ECAC Northeast playoff berth, awaits the tournament's seeding.