Women’s Hockey Prepares to Open 2020-21 Season with Nichols Friday

FRIDAY, FEB. 26 // 1:45 PM  LOUIS E. PORRAZZO MEMORIAL SKATING RINK EAST BOSTON, MASS. LIVE STATS // VIDEO
EYES ON THE GAME // PROGRAM SERIES RECORD // SUFFOLK TRAILS, 0-2-1 LAST MEETING // NOVEMBER 22, 2019, T, 5-5 (OT) LAST SUFFOLK WIN // NEVER CURRENT SUFFOLK STREAK // T1

BOSTON – After 350 days being away from collegiate competition, women's hockey puts Suffolk Athletics back in action Friday, Feb. 26 with a matinee against Nichols. The non-conference bout is set for a 1:45 p.m. puck drop at the Rams' home arena, Louis E. Porrazzo Memorial Skating Rink in East Boston.

SPECTATOR SECTION
With a strict no spectator policy set for the 2020-21 athletic season, here's how fans can follow Suffolk game-day action.

SOCIAL SAYINGS
Ram Nation has a chance to keep up with all the latest news and notes on Suffolk Athletics, its student-athletes and teams by following the Rams on  Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Fans are encouraged to use the hashtag #RamNation a behind-the-scene look at Suffolk Athletics.

For an insider look at Suffolk women's hockey, Ram Nation can subscribe to @su_whockey on Instagram and Twitter.

RAMS REWIND
Suffolk's sophomore season saw the blue-and-gold make a championship run, reaching the NEHC title tilt as the sixth seed after an 8-7-1 regular-season league ledger. The Rams went up against national and conference powerhouse, then-No. 7 Norwich and lit the lamp first, but ultimately the clash ended in favor of the Cadets. To end it second year 10-15-3 overall. 

RAMS RETURNERS
In one of the most unpredictable years, Suffolk's returning core remains strong with 15 veterans back in blue-and-gold.

Maddy Burton (11g, 12a) and Shana Cote (11g, 9a) anchor the scoring on the ice as the now senior and junior accounted for 30.9 percent of the offensive output from last season's NEHC runner-ups, who potted 61 pucks as a whole.

Defensively, Madison Duff (1g, 5a) and Stephanie Moy (1g, 3a) will led the blue line contingent with Julia McLellan (3.25 GAA, .895 save %) back in between the posts for the Rams. 

RAMS ROOKIES
Suffolk women's hockey has added four newcomers for the condensed 2020-21 campaign.

The group features junior transfer Meghan Gazard and a trio of true freshmen that represents each position in forward Bella Kaczorowski, goaltender Lily O'Neil and defender Elise Wainwright.

MORE READING: Rams Rookies: 2020-21 Women's Hockey

GEOGRAPHY 101
Women's hockey covers the most ground of all Suffolk's rosters with 10 states represented as well as two Canadian Provinces.

Four skaters are from the Bay State, as well as Michigan. A pair hails from Colorado with one player from Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, and Rhode Island.

Trekking from our neighbor from the north is one student-athlete from British Columbia and another by way of Ontario. 

CLASS CATEGORIES
The bulk of the Rams' roster comes from Suffolk's Class of 2022 in 10 juniors. There are a trio of seniors, the largest graduating class in the program's history, in addition to a threesome of sophomores and freshmen, respectively. 

PUCK POSITIONS
The 19 Rams are broken down into 10 forwards, six defensemen and three netminders.

RAMS RINGLEADERS
For the first time in Suffolk women's hockey history, the Rams have a leadership unit as four members of the Class of 2022 have been given a title in co-captains Shana Cote and Madison Duff and assistant captains Payton Dockus and Julia Volpe. 

MORE READING: Women's Hockey Names First-Ever Captains

WASYLK WHISTLE
Taylor Wasylk, the first and only head coach of Suffolk women's hockey, returns to lead Rams for their campaign.  for its third campaign.

Bridget O'Brien returns to help Wasylk in year three. Dana Trivigno, Wasylk's Boston College teammate, meanwhile, has joined the bench as a graduate assistant. 

OPENING ACT

• Suffolk is 0-2-0 in season debuts.
• The Rams will lift the lid on its season at its home rink for the first time in program history.
• Suffolk and Nichols will tangle on day one for the second time in the Rams' record book. The blue-and-gold battled the Bison in its first game of the year in 2018-19, which also served as the inaugural Suffolk women's hockey contest. Nichols came out on top, 5-2. 

MORE INFO: Suffolk Women's Hockey Season Openers 

BISON BREAKDOWN
Nichols welcomes back all, but four skaters from last season's squad that went 6-16-4. The trio of Mel McAleer (12g, 8a), Sarah Zeidna (5g, 6a) and Kaci Johnson (2g, 8a) highlight the Bison returners as the threesome all recorded double digit points a year ago. 

Experience is back in between the pipes for the Bison in senior Abby Bassett (2.44 GAA, .916 save%) and sophomore Julia Carroll (3.27 GAA, .906 save%). Suffolk faced Carroll in the team's last meeting, a 5-5 tie in Eastie Nov. 22, 2019, in which Carrol turned aside 35 shots.   

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Nichols was Suffolk's first-ever opponent, the two foes met in the Rams' inaugural contest, Oct. 26, 2018.
• Suffolk remains winless all-time versus the Bison, 0-2-1.
• Last season, the blue-and-gold skated to a 5-5 stalemate against Nichols in East Boston, Nov. 22, 2019. 

MORE INFO: Suffolk vs. Nichols – All-Time Series

EYES ON THE GAME

SUFFOLK SOUNDS
During the longer than usual off-season, women's hockey was well-represented on Suffolk Sounds, the official podcast of Suffolk Athletics. 

TIMELINE OF TRADITION
Ram Nation has a chance to take a walk-through Suffolk women's hockey history by visiting the Timeline of Tradition, here. 

CCC PERSON OF THE WEEK
Without conference competition in the fall, the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) has decided to recognize a "CCC Person of the Week" during each week in the fall semester. The series demonstrated that competition is only a small part of what CCC student-athletes, coaches and administrators do and served to highlighted the great things they are doing on their own campus and beyond. 

On October 5, Suffolk women's hockey's Stephanie Moy was recognized as an advocate for social justice.

MORE READING: Moy Tabbed CCC Person of the Week 

WASYLK REPRESENTS RAMS IN NWHL BUBBLE
Taylor Wasylk, Suffolk women's hockey head coach, returned to her playing roots with the Buffalo Beauts for the 2020-21 NWHL season. 

Over her trip in Lake Placid, New York, which ended early as the NWHL season was called on February 3, prior to the Isobel Cup semifinals, Wasylk played in four of Buffalo's six contests. The defensive forward, who was the lone active NCAA head coach competing in the bubble, racked up three blocks and contributed to the Beauts' 2-1 win over the Boston Pride Saturday, Jan. 30.

MORE READING: Wasylk's NWHL Bubble Run with Buffalo Beauts End Early 

SEASON'S GIVING
Throughout the month of December, Suffolk women's hockey turned its attention away from the giving of giving in the tradition sense and instead focused on a whole different kind of giving; giving back to the community.

MORE READING: Season's Greetings: Women's Hockey Gives Back

MASK UP FOR SUFFOLK CARES
Suffolk University is asking members of Ram Nation to come together to help raise funds for students most in need by purchasing a reusable Suffolk branded face mask for $10. Net proceeds will support the Suffolk CARES program.  

The 3-ply face mask cover comes in four different designs – University, Suffolk Law, Rams, Logo Repeating. The non-medical grade masks are heavyweight, 100 percent polyester, washable and reusable. Masks can be purchased here.