Well Played

It was a super-size weekend for Suffolk sports fans, with three teams taking part in Conference of New England (CNE) playoff competition on Saturday, March 1.

Riding the success of its first 20-win season in program history, the third-seed men’s basketball team traveled to Springfield to face No. 1 seed Western New England University in the CNE championship game—a true nail-biter that saw the Rams fall by just a single point, 75-74. Captain and senior guard-forward Keenan Robertson, who scored a game-high 36 points, was named the CNE Men’s Basketball Tournament’s most outstanding player. The road to Springfield was paved with an 87-78 home win against Wentworth Institute of Technology and a 96-83 victory at Endicott College. In the latter match-up,  Robertson was once again in a zone, scoring a career-high 43-points (including ten 3-pointers) to pace the Blue and Gold.

Going from the hardwood to the ice, the women’s hockey team lost to top-seeded Endicott College in a semifinal showdown, 3-1. Suffolk sophomore goaltender Katelyn Michals turned in a heroic performance, compiling 44 saves. Previously, the fifth-seeded Rams had defeated fourth-seed Western New England University, 4-1, on the road in the first round of playoff action, where senior assistant captain Sam Molina netted a hat trick—the first Ram in program history to score three goals in a postseason game. Another first: That victory also marked the team’s first on-the-road CNE postseason win.

The fourth-seeded men’s hockey team took its talents to Canton to tangle with top-seed Curry College in a semifinal clash. Despite goals from freshman forward Nolan Leonard and sophomore forward Gavin Havens, the Rams came up short, 4-2. The team had previously powered its way to a 4-0 home victory over fifth-seeded Nichols College in the opening round of CNE postseason play. Suffolk sophomore forward Ralph Berry (two goals) and senior goalie CJ Hapward (46 saves) led the way in the shutout win over Nichols.

This marked the Rams’ first postseason triumph since 2008 and the first playoff appearance in the era of third-year head coach Shawn McEachern, former National Hockey League star and Stanley Cup champion.