BIDDEFORD, Maine – Suffolk women's hockey Commonwealth Coast Conference all-league accolades were nearly identical from a year ago, with CCC Player of the Year Shana Cote, CCC Coach of the Year Taylor Wasylk and five All-CCC honorees, the league office announced Wednesday.
Cote remains the only player in CCC history to garner the conference's top award as she was the first-ever CCC Player of the Year ago in addition to first-team nod. For the second straight season Madison Duff joined her co-captain on the first team, while Sofia Scilipoti repeated as a second-team selection as well. Two Rams received their first all-league distinction in Leslie Steiner and Miranda Gaudet, who scooped up spots on the first and second teams, respectively.
Suffolk saw five all-league honorees are the most from a single institution on the 2022-23 All-CCC team. The Rams received five all-conference accolades the second straight year and third time in its five-year-old history the trio of first-team selections tying a program record for most in a single-season, set by last year's team.
Wasylk led the blue-and-gold to a 14-2-2 league ledger and 16-7-2 regular-season record. Her guidance coached the league's best defense with just 1.46 goals per game allowed, good for 15th in the NCAA DIII. Suffolk's offense, meanwhile, had the second-best scoring offense in the conference with 73 regular-season goals. The Rams' special teams were league-best with 19 power play goals for a 25.0 conversion rate, the 10th-best in the nation. The coach of the year honor marks Wasylk's second straight and third overall as she was recognized by her peers as the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Coach of the Year in the program's inaugural season in 2018-19.
The quintet were instrumental to Suffolk's pair of CCC crowns – a regular-season title and a postseason championship, which punched the programs first-ever ticket to the NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Championship.
Cote has had a knack for writing and rewriting Suffolk's record book throughout her career and the fifth-year graduate student made her final collegiate campaign no exception. Throughout the regular-season she led the league with 26 points behind an evenly divided stat line of 13 goals and 13 assists. She was especially dangerous on the power play, leading the league with four power play markers. The center had a knack for scoring in tough moments as well as she lifted the Rams to victory with three game-winners. On top of her scoring, Cote was exceptional at the face off dot with a 326 face off wins, which led the conference. Following the completion of the CCC Tournament, she led the nation with 361 face off victories.
The Broomfield, Colorado native became the second-ever Suffolk student-athlete to surpass the 100-point mark, achieving the feat just four games into the year. She will leave her mark on the program as the all-time leader in nearly every offensive statistically category and the most decorated Ram in program history with seven all-league accomplishments.
Duff, who hails from Novi, Michigan, who was the first Suffolk blue line on an all-league first team a year ago, becomes the first Rams' defenseman to capture a pair of first-team recognitions. The distinction, the senior captain's fourth career all-conference nod, comes on the heels of a 17-point regular-season in which she was the top scoring defenseman in the league divided down to five goals and a dozen helpers.
Steiner picked up her second all-league honor with her first first-team acknowledgement The Janesville, Wisconsin, native was a scoring defenseman with 11 points behind six goals and five handouts. The sophomore is the youngest Rams defender to receive a first-team nod in the program's history.
Scilipoti secured a spot on the second team for the second time in as many years after putting together near 20-point regular season. The senior from Toronto, Ontario supplied nine goals and 10 assists to Suffolk's scoring unit.
Gaudet, meanwhile, was also a scoring sensation. The graduate transfer from Kelowna, British Columbia found the back of the net seven times and dished out 17 assists to top the conference in points (24) throughout the regular-season en route to her first all-league accolade.
In its short history, Suffolk has collected 26 all-league honors: two player of the year, one rookie of the year, three coach of the year, seven first-team honors, seven second-team selections, a pair of third-team picks and four all-rookie team members.
Suffolk is headed up to Middlebury, Vermont, for the first-round of the NCAA Tournament where it will take on No. 8 Middlebury tomorrow, Wednesday, March 8 at 7:00 p.m.
2022-23 WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY ALL-CCC
Player of the Year - Shana Cote, Suffolk
Goaltender of the Year - Rieley Jessie-Gerelli, Western New England
Rookie of the Year - Maddie Pope, Western New England
CCC Scholar-Athlete - Carolyn Curley, University of New England
CCC Scholar-Athlete - Michaela O'Brien, Endicott
Coach of the Year - Taylor Wasylk, Suffolk
Team Sportsmanship - Endicott
First-Team All-CCC
F - Shana Cote, Suffolk
F - Samantha Fantasia, Endicott
F - Maddie Pope, Western New England
D - Madison Duff, Suffolk
D - Leslie Steiner, Suffolk
G - Rieley Jessie-Gerelli, Western New England
Second-Team All-CCC
F - Riley Esposito, Salve Regina
F - Miranda Gaudet, Suffolk
F - Kat Keith, Endicott
F - Sofia Scilipoti, Suffolk
D - Madison Hentosh, Endicott
D - Avery Lutrzykowski, University of New England
G - Michaela O'Brien, Endicott