BIDDEFORD, Maine – Suffolk women's hockey kept its record perfect over the weekend as it swept the University of New England in a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) home-and-home series and the Rams were recognized with weekly honors from the league as Jesse Kennedy garnered CCC Player of the Week, while Hannah Gordon grabbed CCC Rookie of the Week.
The accolades come after the blue-and-gold bested the Nor'Easters in a come-from-behind 3-2 overtime outing Friday night at Louis E. Porrazzo Memorial Skating Rink and downed UNE by a 4-1 margin the next night in Biddeford, Maine. Both Kennedy and Gordon were top contributors to the 2-0-0 conference weekend.
Kennedy factored into all three of the Rams' markers in the overtime win with a pair of assists to help tie the game, before putting the game-winner away herself. The senior forward handed out another assist in the second game with the Nor'Easters to finish the weekend series with a one-goal, three-assist stat line.
Gordon, meanwhile, was the netminder to both victories. The Brooklyn, New York, native entered the opener with the University of New England in relief in the third period with Suffolk trailing by a pair of pucks. She held the Nor'Easters scoreless, while her teammates lit the lamp twice to send the game into an extra session where Kennedy was able to put the game away. In the series closer she turned aside a personal-best 29 shots to finish the weekend with a 0.75 goals-against average and .974 save percentage.
The weekly awards are the first of Kennedy's and Gordon's careers. As a team Suffolk has picked up six weekly nods from the CCC this year. The Rams own all four of the best player of the week distinctions in CCC history. Kennedy became the third blue-and-gold skater to earn the accolade, Sofia Scilipoti took home that distinction Nov. 8 and Shana Cote grabbed it twice Nov. 1 and Nov. 15. Gordon is the second Suffolk player to be named rookie of the week as Scilipoti earned the accolade Nov. 8.
Suffolk, who is receiving votes in the latest USCHO.com Coaches' Poll, will take the Thanksgiving Week off before returning to play Dec. 4-5 with a home-and-home series with Salve Regina.