EAST BOSTON – 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 to help the Rams hoist their first league trophy.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 2 | Endicott 1
RECORDS: Suffolk (18-7-2) | Endicott (17-8-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Endicott controlled the pace of the first frame, but it was Suffolk's second shot of the day that was the difference maker. Madison Duff received a pass at the right side of the blue line from Jesse Kennedy off the boards and the senior captain defensemen let a shot fly towards the Gulls cage. The puck through Michaela O'Brien five-hole to push the Rams in front, 1-0, 3:32 into the contest.
O'Neil put on her hero cape in the middle period. The junior netminder stood on her head with 16 saves over the second set of 20 minutes. She did so even with four Suffolk penalties including 49 seconds of 5-on-3 in the Gulls' favor.
Thanks to O'Neil's efforts in between the pipes that kept Endicott off the scoreboard, the Rams had a chance to extend the edge when they went on their first power play of the contest. Duff fired shot from just inside the right face off dot that O'Brien denied, however, Sofia Scilipoti was there to pick up the pieces and doubled the distance, 2-0, at the 18:32 mark. Shana Cote helped set-up the marker.
After O'Neil rewrote the Rams record book with her 38th save of the outing, Endicott caught the blue-and-gold goalie off guard. Emerson Hayes won the faceoff. Ashley Keaveney picked up the puck at the blue line and slid a pass across to Nicole Connor. Connor crushed an attempt from the top of the zone that snuck past O'Neil to cut Suffolk's lead in half, 2-1, with 8:48 remaining in regulation.
As time ticked down, Endicott had a handful of chances to level the playing field, especially when Liliana Moose sat in the pen for two minutes for slashing. For the fifth time in the game, Suffolk successfully skated off the penalty to hold onto the lead when the action returned to even strength with 1:13 left on the clock.
In a last ditch effort, O'Brien headed to the bench to add an extra skater for the Gulls. Scilipoti got in front of a shot and O'Neil secured her 40th save of the night to preserve the championship for Suffolk.
NETMINDER NOTES
- O'Neil finished the championship contest with 40 saves.
- O'Brien logged 23 stops in the setback.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Duff contributed to both of Suffolk's goals. She scored one herself and assisted on the other.
- Scilipoti found the back of the net once.
- Cote and Kennedy both dished out one assist.
- Endicott outshot Suffolk, 41-25.
- The Rams won the face off battle, 29-21.
- Suffolk went 1-for-1 on the power play and successfully skated off all five of its penalities.
NOTEWORTHY
- The Rams won the CCC Championship for the first time in program history.
- The women's hockey team is the third Suffolk squad to capture a CCC title joining the women's cross country team, who holds two titles (2021, 2022), and 2022 men's outdoor track & field team.
- Women's hockey will be the first Suffolk squad to advance to the NCAA Tournament since baseball did so in 2018.
- Women's hockey is the first women's Suffolk team to compete in NCAAs since women's tennis in 2007.
- Suffolk skated in the CCC Championship for the first time.
- The Rams played in their second league title game, first since playing for the 2020 New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) crown.
- Suffolk moved to 1-1-0 all-time in championship contests.
- The Rams hosted their first championship contest in program history.
- Suffolk wrapped up its second straight CCC and fourth overall postseason run.
- The Rams competed in the conference playoffs as the first seed for the first time.
- Suffolk improved to 4-3-0 in the postseason and 2-1-0 in the CCC Tournament all-time.
- At home, the Rams leveled their overall record in the playoffs at 2-2-0.
- In the CCC playoffs, Suffolk sits 2-1-0 at home.
- Suffolk played Endicott in the postseason for the first time.
- The Rams improved to 3-8-0 all-time against Endicott.
- Suffolk defeated the Gulls for the first time in regulation.
- The win marks Suffolk's first over Endicott since a 2-1 overtime outing Nov. 19, 2022.
- The Rams took down Endicott in East Boston for the first time.
- There has never been a shutout in the Suffolk, Endicott series.
- Suffolk moved to 1-4-0 against Endicott in Eastie.
- The game between Suffolk and Endicott was determined via one goal for the eighth time.
- Kennedy skated in her 100th career game. She is the fifth Ram to play in 100 collegiate games, just the third to compete in all 100 in a Suffolk sweater behind Cote and Duff, who accomplished the feat the same day, in the 2-1 win over Trinity, Dec. 10, 2022, the program's 100th contest.
- Suffolk has scored first in both championship contests it has appeared in.
- Duff and Cote both registered a point in each of the Rams' CCC postseason games.
- O'Neil reset a Rams' postseason record for saves with 40 stops.
- Suffolk had the most penalties in a tournament game since behind whistled for five at Southern Maine in the 2020 NEHC Semifinals.
- Scilipoti became the fifth Ram to pot a power play goal in the postseason in program history.
- Suffolk has scored a power play goal in its last three postseason contests.
POST-GAME PIC
WHAT'S NEXT?
With the CCC crown captured, Suffolk received the conference's automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Tournament. The official bracket of the 11-team field will be unveiled via the selection show tomorrow, Sunday, March 5 at 8:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
