NCAA First Round Preview: Women’s Hockey at No. 7 Middlebury

SUFFOLK at #8 MIDDLEBURY
Date Time Venue Video Stats NCAA Program Tournament Central Series	Wednesday, March 8 7:00 PM Chip Kenyon '85 Arena Middlebury, Vt. NSNSports.net Live Stats Digital Program Tournament Central First Meeting

BOSTON – After earning its first CCC Championship in program history, Suffolk women's hockey has its eyes set on a new crown, the NCAA Division III Women's Hockey title to be exact, but the Rams will have to get by defending national champion, No. 7 Middlebury to advance. The blue-and-gold and nationally ranked panthers will square off in the first round Wednesday, March 8 at 7:00 p.m. Chip Kenyon '85 Arena.  

The NCAA D3 Women's Ice Hockey First Round action will be streamed live and for free on NSNSports.com. Fans can also follow along via live stats here. 

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets will go on sale at Middlebury's box office inside the Peterson Family Athletic Complex at 6:00 p.m. Per the NCAA, ticket prices are set for $6 for adults, $4 for students and children 2 and under are free. 

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.

NCAA BREAKDOWN
The NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Tournament expanded to 11 teams this season. The winners of Wednesday's first round games will advance to the quarterfinals this Saturday, March 11 with the semifinals set for Friday, March 17 with the next NCAA D3 Champion to be crowned Sunday, March 19. 

Seven teams received automatic qualification into the field by winning their conference championships, while four squads picked up at-large bids.  

MORE INFO: NCAA ANNOUNCEMENT | INTERACTIVE BRACKET | PRINTABLE BRACKET

TICKET PUNCHED
Suffolk earned its spot in the NCAA Tournament when it defeated Endicott, 2-1, in the CCC Championship Saturday, March 4 to be one of the seven automatic qualifiers. 

THE CCC in the NCAA TOURNAMENT

• In NCAA D3 Women's Ice Hockey history, CCC teams have yet to find their way in the win column (0-1). 
• Prior to Suffolk earning a spot this season, Endicott is the only other team to play in the NCAAs under the CCC umbrella. 
• Since the CCC women's hockey conference has been formed a league team has never scored in the NCAA tournament. 

SUFFOLK vs. NCAA TOURNAMENT FIELD

• The Rams own a 0-11 record against teams in this year's NCAA tournament.
• Suffolk has previously faced Adrian (0-2), Amherst (0-2), Nazreth (0-2) and Norwich (0-5). 

POSTSEASON PLAY

• Suffolk is in the midst of its fourth postseason appearance, first-ever NCAA tournament run. 
• Overall, the Rams are 4-3-0 in postseason play. 
• On the road, Suffolk is 2-1-0 in tournament tilts. 
• There have been two shutouts in Suffolk's postseason history.
• The Rams are unbeaten, 2-0-0, when a team is kept off the scoreboard in postseason play. 
• Suffolk has never gone into overtime in the postseason.  

MORE INFO: Suffolk in the Postseason

RAMS RUNDOWN
In its fifth varsity season, Suffolk will make its NCAA Tournament debut after claiming the CCC Championship over Endicott last Saturday. The Rams, who sit 18-7-2 on the year, ride a three-game win streak into the Wednesday's meeting and are one win shy of tying a program record of 19.   

As a team, Suffolk ranks in the top-15 in five categories including power play percentage (ninth with .262), assists (14th with 143), scoring defense (13th with 1.44), total points (14th with 224) and scoring margin (15th with 1.56). 

Shana Cote boasts a CCC-best 28 points on 13 goals and 15 assists and currently leads the nation with 361 faceoff wins. Miranda Gaudet leads the league with 17 assists and sits on Suffolk's squad with 24 points. Madison Duff is a scoring defenseman with 21 points behind six goals and 15 helpers. She racked up points in both of the Rams' CCC postseason victories. 

Netminder Lily O'Neil was a crucial ingredient to Suffolk's CCC Championship as she stopped 40 of the 41 shots she faced. She brings in the nation's 15th-best goals-against average of 1.497 to go along with a .942 save percentage.  

PANTHERS POINTS
Middlebury will make its 18th appearance in the NCAA tournament and is seeking the program's fifth national title, second straight.  

The 16-7-3 Panthers earned an at-large into the 2023 NCAA Tournament field after being bounced from the NESCAC playoffs in the semifinals by No. 4 Amherst, 2-0. 

Jenna Letterie (9g, 17) and Britt Nawrocki (14g, 9a) have been instrumental to Middlebury's success, while the trio of Avery McInerney (6g, 9a), Claudia Vira (4g, 11a) and Sabrina Kim (4g, 11a) all share third on the team with 15 points apiece.  

In goal, Sophia Merageas has played 14 games and started a dozen. She ranks 13th in the country with a 1.448 goals-against average and holds a .932 save percentage. Sophia Will has started 12 games in between the pipes as well and boasts a 1.96 GAA and .926 save percentage.

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Suffolk and Middlebury will meet for the first time. 

SUFFOLK vs. THE NESCAC

• The Rams are 2-7-1 all-time against current members of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC).
• Suffolk's only wins over a NESCAC opponent came versus Trinity (2-0-1). The last a 2-1 win over the Bantams Dec. 10, 2022. 
• The blue-and-gold needed overtime against a NESCAC foe twice. Both battles were versus Trinity.
• The last OT outing between Suffolk and NESCAC member was Dec. 10, 2021 at Trinity when the Rams defeated the Bantams, 4-3. 
• Three Suffolk contests with a NESCAC foe were determined via shutout; two versus Connecticut College, one against Amherst. 
• The Rams are 0-3-0 in shutouts against a NESCAC member.

EYES ON THE GAME

LAST TIME OUT
The saying goes defense wins championships and that was true Saturday as Lily O'Neil was nearly perfect in net to backstop the top-seeded Suffolk women's hockey team to the Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship behind a 2-1 win over second-seed Endicott at Louis E. Porrazzo Memorial Skating Rink. 

The blue-and-gold's defense aided O'Neil in the win with 16 blocked shots, while Suffolk's offense scored when it had to help the Rams hoist their first league trophy. 

MORE READING: CCC Champions! Women's Hockey Captures Title Over Endicott, 2-1 

SUFFOLK SCORES

SIGHTS & SOUNDS: CCC CHAMPIONSHIP

RAMS RECOGNITION
Suffolk women's hockey Commonwealth Coast Conference all-league accolades were nearly identical from a year ago, with CCC Player of the Year Shana Cote, CCC Coach of the Year Taylor Wasylk and five All-CCC honorees, the league office announced Wednesday.

Cote remains the only player in CCC history to garner the conference's top award as she was the first-ever CCC Player of the Year ago in addition to first-team nod. For the second straight season Madison Duff joined her co-captain on the first team, while Sofia Scilipoti repeated as a second-team selection as well. Two Rams received their first all-league distinction in Leslie Steiner and Miranda Gaudet, who scooped up spots on the first and second teams, respectively. 

MORE READING: Cote Claims Repeat CCC Player of the Year, Women's Hockey Sees Seven All-CCC 

WEEKLY AWARDS
After capturing the 2023 Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship over the weekend, the league's CCC Tournament weekly awards poured in for Suffolk women's hockey as the Rams swept the three categories. Lily O'Neil garnered goaltender of the week, while Madison Duff and Jenna Caballero were named player and rookie of the week, respectively.  

MORE READING: Women's Hockey Sweeps CCC Tournament Weekly Awards

WHAT'S NEXT?
The winner of Wednesday's first-round action will head to No. 2 Plattsburgh State for the NCAA Quarterfinals Saturday, March 11 at 3:00 p.m.