SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 26, 2025) – The Golden Bears hosted the Suffolk University Rams in the first round of the CNE postseason tournament. The Rams jumped out to an early lead thanks to two goals in the first period of play. They added a third in the second, and after a WNE goal in the third, they would net the empty-net goal to hand WNE a 4-1 defeat.

Records:

Western New England: 13-10-3 (7-8-3)

Suffolk University: 10-15-1 (7-10-1)

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears started the game with two shots, the first being saved by Suffolk's goalie, Katelyn Michals. The Rams answered with three shots, with Irving making a save on the first shot. WNE took the next four shots and gained momentum before Liliana Moose sent a pass down the ice. Anya Nichipor corralled the puck and sent it to Sam Molind in front of the net, who netted the game's opening goal. Suffolk had the early lead 1-0 4:08 into the contest. Suffolk kept the momentum on their side with two shots before WNE took a shot. However, WNE was called for a penalty after that. Suffolk had five shots on their power play, with two shots on goal. Suffolk kept the pressure on the Golden Bears with nine of the next eleven shots. The ninth shot of that run found the back of the net. Katie Newkirk got the puck to Laurel Potter, who sent a shot off the crossbar before finding Alessia Di Silvestro, who sent the puck back to Potter, who scored. Suffolk led 2-0 with 9:35 remaining in the first. WNE tried to gain the momentum back with the next three shots. They earned a power play chance after that and had three shots, with one on goal. They had another shot before earning another power play opportunity. WNE had eight shots on net during this power play but no goals. That made 15 shots in a row, but they could not score. Each team concluded the first with three shots. At the end of the first, the stats showed WNE leading in shots 27-23, shots on goal 15-6, blocked shots 9-3, and faceoff wins 13-9. Suffolk had more saves, 15-4.

Suffolk started the second strong. They had the first six shots, which included the game's third goal. Cassie Borowski sent the puck to Liliana Moose, who sent a shot at goal. The puck got blocked, but Sam Molind was there to send the puck at the goal and give the Rams a 3-0 lead. WNE had the next three shots, trying to find a quick answer to trailing 3-0, but Michals made two saves, and a third shot went wide. Suffolk answered with nine of the next ten shots to quiet any momentum WNE was trying to gain. WNE would then have seven of the next nine shots but could not get a shot past Michals, who was able to make save after save versus the Golden Bear shots. Suffolk answered again. They gave Michals a break from the WNE pressure by having nine shots in a row. Irving dealt with the shots, but the WNE offense could not test Michals for a while. The Golden Bears flipped the script for a little while with two shots, but six shots in a row and ten of the final twelve shots of the second was the answer from Suffolk to close out the second. Entering the second intermission, the Golden Bears trailed 3-0 and needed a goal desperately to stay in the game. The second period of play stats were as follows: WNE led in saves 13-7 and blocked shots 16-2. Suffolk had more shots 36-15, shots on goal 14-7, and faceoff wins 14-4.

The third period of play saw the Golden Bears make a change at goalie. Kayla Ireland replaced Irving. Suffolk started the third by sending two shots right at Ireland, who made the saves. They followed that with three more shots, but only one needed to be saved by Ireland, and it was. WNE had two of the next three shots, with the second of the two shots getting them on the scoreboard. AnnaBelle Calvanese would direct the puck to Alyssa Murphy, who skated down the ice, turned in towards the middle of the ice, and sent a shot at goal, which bounced into the back of the net. WNE trailed 3-1. Suffolk looked to gain their three-goal lead back with four shots in a row after the WNE goal. Ireland made three saves, with the other shot going wide of the goal. WNE had three shots in a row before earning a power play. They had two shots before being called for a penalty of their own. Both teams had a shot during the double-penalty time. Suffolk had three shots during their power play. WNE then ramped up the pressure with eight shots in a row before they earned another power play. Both teams had a shot during the early stages of the power play. That was before WNE had another eight shots in a row to conclude their power play, but no goals. The teams traded a few shots before WNE earned another power play. WNE had another six shots during their power play, but again, Michals and the Suffolk defense did not let up another goal. After the power play, the Golden Bears pulled their goalie, and Sam Molind completed the hat-trick with an empty-net goal assisted by Anya Nichipor and Alexia Hill. Suffolk led 4-1 with 1:50 remaining in the contest. WNE pulled their goalie and had a shot before a 5-minute major and a game misconduct penalty were called against the Rams. WNE had three shots, and the Rams had one to complete the contest, with Suffolk advancing to the semifinals of the CNE postseason tournament with a score of 4-1. The final stats saw Suffolk leading in shots 79-78, but WNE led in shots on goal 39-32. WNE also led faceoff wins 33-31 and blocked shots 27-14. Suffolk had more saves, 38-28.

Inside the Crease:

• The Golden Bears hosted the Rams in the CNE tournament.
• 1st 4:08 – Sam Molind netted the opening goal off assists from Anya Nichipor and Liliana Moose. Suffolk led 1-0.
• 1st 10:25 – Laurel Potter doubled the lead with a goal assisted by Alessia Di Silvestro and Katie Newkirk. Suffolk led 2-0.
• 2nd 1:17 – Sam Molind netted a second goal off assists from Liliana Moose and Cassie Borowski to give Suffolk a 3-0 lead.
• 3rd 4:03 – Alyssa Murphy cut into the Suffolk lead with a goal assisted by AnnaBelle Calvanese. Suffolk led 3-1.
• 3rd 18:10 – Sam Molind netted the hat trick with an empty-net goal assisted by Anya Nichipor and Alexia Hill to give Suffolk the 4-1 lead.
• Rachael Irving made 17 saves, and Kayla Ireland made 11 saves to accumulate 28 saves for WNE.
• Katelyn Michals made 38 saves to earn Suffolk the win.
• Suffolk defeated WNE 4-1.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears season ends with the loss to Suffolk in the CNE postseason tournament first round. They conclude their season with a record of 13-10-3 and 7-8-3 in the conference.