Molind’s Penalty Shot Delivers Women’s Hockey OT Win Over Nichols

EAST BOSTON – Sam Molind put on her hero cape with 2:39 remaining in overtime as the sophomore connected on a penalty shot to push Suffolk women's hockey to a 3-2 Commonwealth Coast Conference win over Nichols Saturday at Louis E. Porrazzo Memorial Skating Rink.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 3 | Nichols 2
RECORDS: Suffolk (14-5-2, 12-1-2 CCC) | Nichols (5-15-1, 3-11-0 CCC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk broke a scoreless deadlock 2:23 into the second period. Jesse Kennedy won a face-off in the Nichols zone, zoomed down the ice for a 3-on-1 with Victoria Bakopanos. The Bison netminder turned down Taylor Nowak's first attempt, but the second shot off Suffolk's sophomore stick caught Bakopanos off guard and put the blue-and-gold on the board.  

Just over three minutes later, Megan Buxton leveled the playing field. Like Suffolk, the Bison broke out for a 2-on-1. Buxton netted Nichols' first goal of the day with help from Kayla Currin and Sarah Zeidan to level the playing field at 1-all. 

The Rams regained the advantage when Cassidy Gruning picked up the rebound of Sammy Lassman's denied shot and turned it into Suffolk's second goal of the day. Jenna Caballero aided in the goal that sent the Rams into the second intermission up, 2-1.  

Penalties would factor into play from there on out. A five-minute penalty kill cost Suffolk first as Isabella Portt tied things up with a power play goal at the midway point of the third period. Luckily, the Rams managed to skate off the rest of Miranda Gaudet's boarding call to keep things even, where they would stay the rest of regulation. 

Suffolk would start the extra session with an extra skater, but was unable to figure out Bakopanos, who made three saves in the first minute of the overtime. 

Bakopanos would turned aside a trio of more blue-and-gold attempts to keep things deadlocked at two. Molind made a move on the breakaway and had a chance to win it, but Buxton interfered at the crease to block the shot. A whistle sounded on the play as Buxton was called for interference, which set Molind up for a penalty shot. This time, Bakopanos did not make the save as the Ram backhanded a top shelf score to send Suffolk to victory.   

NETMINDER NOTES

• Lily O'Neil had 30 stops in the overtime win. 
• Bakopanos registered 49 saves in the setback. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Molind recorded the game-winning goal on a penalty shot and had one assist to her credit. 
• Gruning and Nowak each had one goal. 
• Kennedy, Lassman and Caballero each dished out one assist. 
• The blue-and-gold held a commanding 52-32 advantage in shots. 
• Suffolk went 0-for-1 on the power play, while Nichols went 1-for-2. 
• The Bison held the face-off advantage, 30-28. 

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk moved to 7-2-1 all-time against Nichols. 
• The Rams are unbeaten in the last eight meetings with the Bison. That streak features seven straight wins in a row.
• At home, Suffolk boasts a 4-1-1 record versus the Bison. 
• Suffolk has y et to fall to Nichols in a CCC contest, 6-0-0. 
• The Rams and Bison went into overtime for the second time in the all-time series, first since Nov. 22, 2019. 
• There was a decision in OT between Suffolk and Nichols for the first time. 
• Suffolk is now 1-0-1 in OT against Nichols. 
• The Rams have outscored Nichols 42-24 all-time, including a 34-11 margin in the last seven meetings. 
• Molind shot and scored the first penalty shot in program history. 
• Suffolk played in back-to-back overtime games for the second time this season, first since Nov. 18-19 when it took then-No. 13 Endicott to an extra session in a CCC home-and-home series. 
• The Rams played their fifth overtime game of the season. 
• Suffolk is 2-1-2 in OT games this year. 
• Molind had her third multi-point game of her collegiate career. 
• Gruning has scored a goal in back-to-back games.
• Kennedy has dished out an assist in two games in a row. 
• Nowak found the back of the net for the first time in her collegiate career.

POST-GAME PIC
  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk sends its seniors off Friday, Feb. 10 when it hosts Salve Regina at Porrazzo Rink at 6 p.m., before it heads to Beverly, Massachusetts Saturday, Feb. 11 for a 3 p.m. contest at Endicott.