Suffolk Beats Salem State 7-3

EAST BOSTON – Meagan McNeil recorded a hat trick as Suffolk erased a three-goal first period deficit with seven unanswered goals to win 7-3 over Salem State on Saturday night at Louis E. Porrazzo Memorial Rink. 

Salem State (2-7-1, 2-4-1 NEHC) built a 3-0 lead after the first 20 minutes as Kerryann Good, Kylie Currier and Casie Curtin all potted the puck for the visitors.  

Good started the scoring 5:46 into the action on the power play with help from Abby Stafford. The one-goal game remained for nearly 10 minutes until Currier converted a fast-break into Salem State's second goal of the night at the 15:17 minute mark. Curtin added to the first frame scoring frenzy with her own man-up strike with 2:37 remaining in the opening period. Ally Webster and Carolyn Mahoney helped on the marker that put the blue-and-gold in a three-goal hole as it headed to the locker room for the first time.  

Suffolk (3-8-2, 3-3-1 NEHC) had a lot of ground to make up in the middle period and did just that and then some with four goals to grab a one-goal edge at the second intermission.  

MacNeil sparked the comeback with her first collegiate goal at the 4:02 minute mark on a set-up by Payton Dockus. Seven minutes later Emily Johnston's unassisted marker cut the gap to one and five minutes after that Cassidy Gruning made it a new game as she potted the puck. Grace Scholz and Molly Dowd aided to the game-tying goal.  

The Rams did not stop there as MacNeil found the back of the net for the second time on the night at with 2:33 left in the second period to push the hosts ahead, 4-3. Madison Ricardo registered an assist on the eventual game-winner.  

Suffolk's scoring carried into the final frame when Shana Cote put her name on the stat sheet with her fifth goal of the year 3:46 out of the locker room to add to the Rams' advantage. Haley Poloskey set-up the score that made it a 5-3 blue-and-gold game.  

The Rams kept their skates on the gas and added insurance when Maddy Burton converted passes from Gruning and Madison Duff into the Suffolk's sixth goal of the night.  

McNeil's milestone momentum came with 17 seconds left on the clock. The junior's third goal of the night and of the season made it a 7-3 game.  

Julia McLellan registered 24 saves for the victory. Sarah Plourde had 30 stops in the setback.

(Courtesy Suffolk Sports Information)