Women’s Hockey Begins Sixth Season at Utica Kick-Off Tournament

SUFFOLK at #13 UTICA
Date Time Venue Video Stats Series	Friday, Oct. 27 7:00 PM Nexus Center Utica, N.Y. Stretch Stretch First-Meeting

SUFFOLK vs. #6 ADRIAN
Date Time Venue Video Stats Series Last Meeting Last Suffolk Win Streak	Saturday, Oct. 28 TBA Nexus Center Utica, N.Y. Stretch Stretch 0-2-0 Jan. 7, 2023, L, 3-1 Never L2

SUFFOLK at #12 ELMIRA
Date Time Venue Video Stats Series	Saturday, Oct. 28 TBA Nexus Center Utica, N.Y. Stretch Stretch First-Meeting

BOSTON – Suffolk women's hockey will pull the curtain back on its sixth season at the Utica Kick-Off Tournament this weekend. The Rams will face No. 13 Utica in the season debut Friday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. and will take on either No. 6 Adrian or No. 12 Elmira pending the results of game one.
 
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.

WELCOME BACK
Suffolk had a record-setting fifth season as it captured it put checks in the boxes of regular-season conference championship, postseason conference champions and NCAA Division III Tournament participant.  

Along the way the Rams saw their second student-athlete earned AHCA All-America honors in defenseman Madison Duff and Shana Cote repeat as CCC Player of the Week. The three-time captains exhausted their eligibility and are not featured on Suffolk's squad for the first time in program history. 

RAMS ROOKIES
Fresh off its first Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship, the Suffolk women's hockey team has added a talented recruiting class to help the Rams repeat. The 12 fresh faces feature six true freshmen and six transfers. 

MORE READING: Rams Rookies: Dozen Newcomers Join Women's Hockey for 2023-24 

GEOGRPAHY 101
No more than three student-athletes are from the same area state side or internationally.  

Illinois, Massachusetts and New Jersey have the most residents with a trio apiece. A twosome hails from California and New York. Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Wisconsin are represented by one Ram each.  

When it comes to the United States' neighbor to the north, one player flew in from Quebec. 

CLASS RANKS
Suffolk's 20-player roster is nearly evenly divided between veterans and underclassmen. The upperclassmen are spread out in four juniors, three seniors and a pair of grad transfers, Sydney Fascetta and Kellie Popkin. Underclassmen wise, there are six true freshmen and five sophomores, only two of which wore blue-and-gold last year. 

PUCK POSITIONS
The 20 Rams are broken down into a dozen forwards, six skaters on the blue line and two netminders. 

RAMS RINGLEADERS
Suffolk women's hockey will be led by a foursome as first-year head coach Abby Ostrom has unveiled the Rams' leadership group for the 2023-24 campaign. Seniors Lily O'Neil and Vanessa Stuart will serve as co-captains with senior Elise Wainwright and junior Sammy Lassman sharing the assistant captain role. 

MORE READING: Women's Hockey Names Quartet Captains for 2023-24

OSTROM OUTLOOK
Suffolk women's hockey will be under new leadership in 2023-24 as Abby Ostrom became the program's second-ever head coach in August 2023.  

Ostrom took over the reins of Suffolk's squad in its sixth varsity season. She replaced Taylor Wasylk, who was name head coach at Lindenwood University over the offseason after leading Suffolk to its first CCC Crown and NCAA appearance in program history.  

In her first season as a head coach, Ostrom will be aided by assistant coaches Kevin Harrington and Kaitlyn Spillane. 

OPENING ACT

• Suffolk will open its campaign on the road for the fourth time in program history, second straight season.
• The Rams have opened the season in the win column the last three seasons to move to 3-2-0 all-time in their first game of the year. 
• Suffolk won its first season opener on the road to move to 1-2-0 in such contests. 
• The blue-and-gold is 2-0-0 when lifting the lid on its season on its own ice.  
• The Rams won their first-ever season debut in 2020-21 in the form of a 5-3 victory over Nichols.
• The blue-and-gold's goal record in game one is five, which the Rams achieved twice. First in 2020-21 in a 5-3 win over Nichols and again a year ago in a 5-2 triumph against Plymouth State. 
• There has been only one shutout in Suffolk's opener history. The Rams were kept off the scoreboard when they lifted the lid on the 2019-20 season at Nazareth, 3-0.
• Suffolk has never needed extra time in its first outing of a campaign. 
• The Rams will face Utica in their season debut for the first time. 
• Suffolk will face a nationally ranked opponent in game one for the first time. 

MORE INFO: Suffolk Women's Hockey Season Openers

RAMS RANKS
For the second straight season. Suffolk women's hockey picked up votes in the DCU/USCHO.com Division III Preseason Poll, the national organization announced. 

MORE READING: Women's Hockey Receives Votes DCU/USCHO.com Preseason Poll 

PRESEASPON POSITION
Fresh off its first-ever conference championship, the Suffolk women's hockey team has been picked to hoist the conference trophy yet again in 2023-24 as the Rams sit atop the Commonwealth Coast Conference Coaches Preseason Poll, the league office announced Monday morning.  

MORE READING: Women's Hockey Predicted CCC Coaches Preseason Favorite

PIONEERS POINTS
A year ago, No. 13 Utica won a program-tying record 22 contests. 

The Pioneers will be led by graduate student Erica Sloan, who is in the pursuit of multiple program records after producing a 24-goal, 21-assist offensive output in 2022-23. 

Between the pipes, Angela Hawhtorne is on track to be the Pioneers leader in several categories as well. She enters the year with 32 career wins. She has shutout 13 opponents throughout her career and holds a career .947 save percentage with a 1.23 GAA. 

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Suffolk and Utica will battle for the first time. 

EYES ON THE GAME
 

BULLDOGS BREAKDOWN
No. 6 Adrian finished the 2022-23 season 26-4-0 overall and captured the NCHA Slaats Cup Playoff to punch the league's automatic ticket to NCAAs. The Bulldogs entered the tournament's field as the fourth seed and was upset by then-No. 5 Hamilton, 2-0. 

A year ago, Adrian led the country with five AHCA All-Americans, one of who returns this year in Une Bjelland (22g, 24a). She is one fifth-year Bulldogs back along with Kaleigh Cadorette (8g, 12a) and Lidnsey Sorrell (4g, 2a).  

A familiar foe for Suffolk will be stationed in net for the Bulldogs as Endicott's goalie Michaela O'Brien took her talents to Adrian for grad school. 

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Suffolk and Adrian met in a two-game series a year ago. 
• The Rams were swept by Adrian to sit 0-2-0 all-time. 
• If the opponents meet Saturday it would be the first neutral site outing between the foes. 
• One game between the Rams and Bulldogs was decided via shutout, the first-ever meeting, Jan. 6, 2023, a 3-0 loss for Suffolk.  

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

EYES ON THE GAME

SOARING EAGLES SCOUT
No. 12 Elmira is under new leadership with Greg Haney taking the role as the Soaring Eagles head coach. A year ago, the squad put together a 21-6-0 overall record and went unbeaten, 17-0-0 versus New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) rivals in the regular season before falling to then-No. 11 Norwich in the championship contest, 2-0. 

The Soaring Eagles were one goal shy of 100 last season. Six players produced 20-plus points and four of those skaters are back in an Elmire jersey in Erika Goleniak (8g, 20a), Riva Holley (10g, 13a), Emma Bradbury (11g, 10a) and Claire Meeder (8g, 12a). 

Elmira's usual netminder Leonie-Louise Kuehberger is back for her junior season after compiling a 1.34 GAA and .924 save percentage in 24 games played a year ago. She went 19-5-0 in net last season and shutout eight opponents.

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Suffolk and Elmira could be first-time foes this weekend.  

EYES ON THE GAME

SUFFOLK'S SCHEDULE
The Rams return to familiar competition next weekend, Nov. 3-4, when they pull the curtain back on their Commonwealth Coast Conference campaign versus Salve Regina. Suffolk entertains the Seahawks in their home debut Friday at 6 p.m., before traveling to Middleton, Rhode Island Saturday for a 7 p.m. showdown.