BOSTON – For the second straight season, Suffolk women's hockey will be led by five Rams as head coach Taylor Wasylk announced Shana Cote, Madison Duff and Natasha Savage will be tri-captains with Cassidy Gruning and Sofia Scilipoti sharing the assistant captain role.
"We are very fortunate to have an incredible group of leaders this season," Wasylk said. "It is an all-around fantastic group that we expect to do great things on the ice, in the locker room, and within the Suffolk community."
Wasylk continued, "Our three fifth year captains, Shana (Cote), Madison (Duff) and Natasha (Savage), have given absolutely everything to this program the past four years and we are ecstatic to have them back for another season and to see where they can take this team."
"Our two senior captains, Sofia (Scilipoti) and Cassidy (Gruning), had outstanding junior campaigns and we are really excited to see them transition into our leadership group and help take this team to the next level," Wasylk added.
Suffolk was led by five players a year ago. Cote and Duff begin their third year in the role, while Savage, Gruning and Scilipoti will wear letters for the first time in their collegiate careers.
The threesome of Cote, Duff and Savage were all members of Wasylk's first-ever recruiting class back in 2018-19 and have been crucial components to Suffolk's program and its success ever since. The triad have all taken advantage of the fifth-year of eligibility.
Duff and Savage are main ingredients on the blue line.
A native of Novi, Michigan, Duff is an all-region, two-time all-conference selection, who has played every single one of Suffolk's 87 games. She has racked up 46 career points on eight goals and 38 assists.
Savage, who hails from Warwick, Rhode Island, has produced eight points on three goals and five handouts in 72 outings as a defender.
Cote is the most decorated skate in Suffolk women's hockey history. A year ago, she made University history as the first-ever Ram, male or female, to take home American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) All-America Honors. That recognition is one of many on her award shelf that includes an all-region nod, CCC Player of the Year, NEHC Rookie of the Year and three all-league selections. The forward from Broomfield, Colorado, looks to etch her name in the Rams record book this season as the first-ever player to produce 100-plus points in a Suffolk sweater. She enters the year just five points shy with 45 goals and 50 assists to her credit over 87 games.
Scilipoti, a member of the Spanish National Team, burst out onto the Suffolk scene a year ago. The rising senior forward brought her talents to Boston from Toronto, Ontario last season and provided a dozen goals and 17 assists to the Rams' 97-goal offense en route to a spot on the All-CCC Second-Team.
Gruning, a senior forward from Tewksbury, Massachusetts, had career-numbers last season of two goals and eight assists for points. Over three years she has played in 58 games and notched 19 points on eight goals and 11 helpers.
Suffolk's fifth season gets underway this Friday, Oct. 28 at Plymouth State at 3:00 p.m.