Rams Sink Golden Bears with Four Third Period Goals

East Boston, Mass. (December 9, 2022) - The Golden Bears traveled to the east side of the state for a matchup with CCC's top-ranked Suffolk Rams. After dropping two of three to the Rams last season, the Golden Bears looked to finish 2022 off with a big win. However, the Rams put four goals in the net to win by a score of 4-1.

Records:

• Western New England: 7-3-2 (4-3-2)
• Suffolk University: 8-3-1 (7-1-1)

How it Happened:

The game started with a faceoff win from Suffolk. The first shot on net of the game quickly followed that. WNE goalie Rieley Jessie-Gerelli made the save. A little under four minutes into the game, the Golden Bears went on the penalty kill. The Rams were held to three shots on net. Jessie-Gerelli handled all three of them and kept the game scoreless. Later on, in the first period, the Rams got their second chance at a power play. That was quickly followed up by another penalty on WNE. The Rams had a five-on-three opportunity and got six shots on goal this time. However, the result was the same. Jessie-Gerelli made every save and made the Rams 0-3 on the power play. WNE skated five on five for a few seconds before picking up another penalty. Jessie-Gerelli was there again, saving five shots and keeping the game tied at zero. Shortly after, the first period came to an end. The score was knotted at zero, with Jessie-Gerelli making three saves and Suffolk's goalie, Lily O'Neil making 20 saves.

The second period saw Maggie Holt win the opening faceoff. After that, both teams went back and forth with opportunities. Suffolk threatened more than WNE, but Jessie-Gerelli made save after save. However, WNE's Zoe Galanoudis got the closest for both teams as Galanoudis put a shot off the pipe and was inches away from giving WNE the lead. At the end of two periods, the score was still tied at zero, with neither goalie budging. O'Neil made four saves, and Jessie-Gerelli made 18 saves.

The third period saw fireworks. It started with a Suffolk faceoff win. Within two minutes of play, Suffolk broke through. Shana Cote got a pass from Miranda Gaudet, who got it from Elise Wainwright. Cote slotted it just past Jessie-Gerelli and into the net behind. That goal put the Rams up 1-0 at the beginning of the third period. Just over two minutes later, the Rams doubled their lead. Miranda Gaudet got a second point in the game. It was the duo of Cote and Gaudet that struck again. However, this time Gaudet got the pass from Cote, and buried the puck in the back of the net past Jessie-Gerelli. The Golden Bears were down 2-0 with a little over 15 minutes left to play. WNE made pushes down the ice, but O'Neil, along with the Rams' defense, would not let the puck through. That was until there were less than seven minutes left. With 6:51 left in the game, WNE struck. It was Emma Birmingham who netted the goal. Alexa Paoli sent a pass over to Allison Walker, who was able to get it to Birmingham for the goal. The Golden Bears cut the lead in half and had momentum. That would be until Jesse Kennedy scored with 3:42 left in the game. Sam Molind and Elise Wainwright were credited with the assists for the goal. Kennedy was able to be in the right place at the right time and get the puck past Jessie-Gerelli to put the Rams up 3-1. The Rams would tack one more on 1:18 left in the game when the goalie was pulled to put an extra attacker on the ice for WNE. Kennedy got that goal as well to put the game out of reach. The Rams won 4-1. The Rams put 55 shots on Jessie-Gerelli, who made 52 saves. O'Neil saved 11 of the 12 shots that WNE got on net.

Inside the Crease:

• Shana Cote got the night's first goal at 1:58 into the third period. Miranda Gaudet and Elise Wainwright were credited with the assists.
• Miranda Gaudet scored just over two minutes later to give the Rams a 2-0 lead. Shana Cote got the assist.
• Emma Birmingham got the lone goal of the night for the Golden Bears. Alexa Paoli and Allison Walker were credited with the assists. The score was 2-1.
• Jesse Kennedy put the lead for the Rams back to two with 3:42 left in the game. Wainwright and Sam Molind got the assists.
• Kennedy ended the game with an unassisted empty-net goal. 
• The final score was Suffolk over WNE, 4-1. 
• Rieley Jessie-Gerelli made 52 saves and Lily O'Neil made 11.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England will go on break for the rest of 2022. They will be back in action on Tuesday, January 10, at 4:00 pm when they travel to New England College for a matchup with the Pilgrims. 
• Suffolk will stay at home and welcome Trinity College to town. They will host Trinity on Saturday, December 10, at 4:50 pm.