Men’s Hockey Faces UNE, Franklin Pierce this Weekend

BOSTON – The Suffolk men's hockey team entertains back-to-back opponents at Emmons Horrigan O'Neil Rink as the University of New England stops by Saturday, Feb. 11, before Franklin Pierce comes to down the next day for a non-conference contest. The Rams drop the puck at 7:30 p.m. versus the Nor' Easters and will take on the Ravens at 8 p.m. 

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LAST TIME OUT
The Suffolk men's hockey team fell to Curry, 6-3, Saturday night in Commonwealth Coast Conference action at Emmons Horrigan O'Neil Rink.       

MORE READING: Curry Crushes Men's Hockey, 6-3

RUNDOWN ON THE RAMS
Suffolk sits just outside playoff contention with eight points with a 3-9-2 league ledger and 5-11-4 overall mark. 

Tommy Bishop is the lone Ram recording double figures with 15 thanks to 10 helpers and five marks. Justin Holliday has also found the back of the net five times this season and sits second on the squad with Danyil Medvedev (4-5-9) in points, each with nine. 

Michael Levine and Kevin Venturoso each have seen plenty of action in between the pipes this season. Venturoso is 3-6-1 on the year with a .908 save percentage and a 3.20 GAA, while Levine sits at 2-5-3, allowing 3.65 goals per game and stopping 89.9 percent of his shots faced. 

NOR'EASTER NOTES
New England has had its last two games postponed due to winter storm Niko, but prior dropped a 5-2 decision to Johnson & Wales to sit at 11-7-2 overall and 7-5-2 in CCC contests. The Nor'Easters 16 points put New England in fifth place in the conference standings. 

Brady Fleurent not only leads New England's offense, but the entire league with 45 points off the best set-ups (26) in the conference and team and second-best scorers on the squad in the CCC (16). Trevor Fleurent and Ryan Bloom have 33 points apiece. The formers coming off 17 markers and 16 assists and the latter off 14 goals and 19 helpers. Dylan Bengtson is also contributing 20-plus points with seven goals and 14 assists. 

Four different goalies have seen action this season for New England. Tate Sproxton is the go-to goalie for the Nor'Easters with the freshman owning a 7-3-1 record thanks to a .909 save percentage and 2.94 GAA.   

WE MEET AGAIN
The Suffolk men's hockey team fell in a hole early and could not climb out of it as the University of New England piled on the goals and kept the Rams off the scoreboard to blank the blue-and-gold, 8-0, in Commonwealth Coast Conference action Dec. 1 at Harold Alfond Forum. 

MORE READING: UNE Shutouts Men's Hockey

INSIDE THE SERIES
The series between Suffolk and the University of New England lands on the newer side, dating back to just 2011-12, with the Nor'Easters owning all three victories versus the Rams.   

EYES ON THE GAME

RAVENS REVIEWS
Franklin Pierce come to the Bay State to cap off its 2017 regular-schedule after facing Assumption Saturday night. Prior to Saturday night's showdown, the Ravens won two straight and sit at 9-13-1 on the year. 

Jonathan Haun's 20 points on nine goals and 11 assists lead the way for the Raven's 163-point offense with 66 goals and 97 handouts. Nate Indelicato (9-9-18), Taylor Fletcher (3-9-12), Alex Lester (5-6-11) and Alex Schieper (4-7-11) are also offensive threats for Franklin Pierce. 

Tom McGuckin has held down the net for the Ravens as the junior sports a .911 save percentage (627) and a 3.15 goals-against average in 21 appearances. 

THE SERIES
Suffolk leads the all-time series versus Franklin Pierce, 10-4-2. Last season, the Rams and Ravens split the two meetings with the blue-and-gold picking up the last outing, 5-3. 

EYES ON THE GAME
 

SHUTOUT
Kevin Venturoso turned aside 28 pucks Saturday night at Becker to record his first collegiate shutout. He is the first Suffolk netminder to tally a cleansheet since Michael Levine blanked Becker Feb. 13, 2016. Just three games later the senior did it again with a 23-save effort against Wentworth. 

SERIES SWEEP
For the first time since 2009, Suffolk swept the regular-season series versus Wentworth. The Rams took the first meeting versus the Leopards, 2-1, Nov. 12, and shutout WIT 1-0 Feb. 2. 

CLEANSHEETS
For the first time since 2007-08, Suffolk has two shutout victories as the Rams blanked Becker, 3-0, Jan. 21, and recorded a 1-0 victory over Wentworth Feb. 2. 

ONE-GOAL GAMES
Suffolk landed on the right side of a one-goal game thanks to Luke Miller's first period marker versus Wentworth Feb. 2. The 1-0 victory over the Leopards marks the first time that the Rams won a 1-0 game since downing Becker 1-0 Feb. 13, 2016. 

HATS OFF
In his Suffolk debut Jackson Tucker registered a hat trick showing, scoring all three of Suffolk's goals in the 3-0 win at Becker. Tucker, the first Ram to pot three pucks in one game since Stanton Turner did so in a 7-2 win over the Hawks Nov. 11, 2014, grabbed CCC Player of the Week accolades for his three-goal game performance. 

MORE READING: Tucker Grabs CCC Player of the Week 

FROZEN FENWAY
Thursday, Jan. 5 will go inside Suffolk men's hockey record books as the Rams took the ice at legendary Fenway Park apart of the Capital One Frozen Fenway 2017. 

MORE READING: Men's Hockey Holds Intersquad Scrimmage at Frozen Fenway

SHORT-HANDED
Luke Miller's first goal of the season came in short-handed fashion at Western New England Nov. 10. The junior forward is the first Ram to net a man-down score since Justin Selep '16 put one away in a 5-2 win at Nichols Jan. 16, 2016. 

CCC FROZEN FIRST
Simon Leahy's first goal of the season turned out to be a historic one as the senior from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the first player across the CCC to find the back of the netting on the inaugural night of play for the first-year league. Since the tally was on the power play, he added to the historics, as the forward also became the first CCC skater to put one away on the man advantage opportunity. 

CCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tommy Bishop of the Suffolk men's hockey team will go down in history as the first-ever Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Player of the Week as the sophomore grabbed the initial award of the inaugural season after a career opening night, the conference office announced Oct. 31.

MORE READING: Bishop Grabs First-Ever CCC Player of the Week Nod

UP NEXT
Suffolk travels to Nichols Wednesday, Feb. 15 for a 7:10 p.m. contest.