Mens Playoff Push
The Hawks came up just short this past Saturday to a number one ranked Endicott College. Junior Finn Miller led the hawks in scoring with 16 points, however this 16 points held significant value. With just three more points Miller will join an elite list and claim a spot on the 1,000 career points club. Miller is looking to achieve this goal next game, but more importantly get a playoff win on the road vs #4 Nichols. The last time these two teams faced off it was a nail biter, but Nichols came out victorious. (75-80) The Hawks will be looking to neutralize Nichols senior guard Javen Flowers-Smith who scored 28 points against the Hawks last outing and is currently averaging the third most points in the CNE this season.
Senior guard and four year starter Phil Sughrue who is a constant spark of energy for the Hawks this season provided some insight into the Hawks gameplan ahead of their game on Tuesday: “We’re going to need to stay in the gaps and not let him (Flowers-Smith) get downhill. “ Sughrue is embracing this challenge and looks forward to slowing Smith down himself. Sughrue also offered a brief moment of reflection, “What does this game mean to me? It means the world, I’ve been playing basketball since as far back as I can remember. This is a great opportunity to play a good team in a good environment.”
The Hawks will play #4 Nichols in Dudley, MA on Tuesday Feb. 24.
Hawks on the Rise
The women’s basketball team is also coming off a very close loss this past Saturday to a very good Endicott team. The Hawks started off very strong winning the first half but slowed down in the third. However, they battled back and took the Gulls to overtime. They did lose in overtime by 4 points but they sent a statement to the CNE that they can compete with anyone. The Hawks will travel to Western New England University on Tuesday in a game that will surely be a very competitive defensive battle.
The Hawks currently rank second in points allowed on defense, the only team ranked higher, WNE. The women’s team finished the season 13-12 and an impressive 9-7 in conference play.
They claimed the last spot in this year’s playoff and will face off against WNE on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at WNE.
RWU Men’s Hockey: A Season In Review
The hockey team has officially been ruled out of the playoffs after a tough loss on Saturday. They got off to a hot start going up 2-0 on Wentworth in the first period with help from a pair of Cooper St. Hilaire points, but Wentworth proved to be overwhelming from then on, scoring 5 unanswered goals. The Hawks can reflect on their inaugural season with nothing but optimism and the same confidence that took them this far.
Coming into the season there were doubts this team would win many games. The Hawks proved these critics wrong and gave themselves a real shot to make the playoffs in their first year. Daxton St. Hilaire finished the season with a team high 18 points with JJ Alger not far behind him with 15. Goaltender Jacob Jaslow finished with a 3.49 GAA and a very impressive 91% save percentage. I have to say one of the best moments as a fan was watching the Hawks host one of the best teams in the CNE in Endicott and win in a terrific shoot out. Congratulations on a successful inaugural season for the Hawks.
Men’s Baseball Preview
As the last patches of snow fade away, the diamond reappears beneath them, waiting, familiar, and full of promise. Another baseball season is getting ready to take their first swing. , For senior Louis Mosca he gears up to take his final swings with his teammates. He was very excited for this season:, “ I’m most excited about how many new guys we have. We graduated most of our starting 9, leaving us only 3 returning starters. We have a lot of hype and excitement around our 1st years, they will have an immediate impact.” The Hawks will go to Florida over spring break to kick off their season.
