BURRILLVILLE, R.I. (1/31/2026) – The Nichols College men's ice hockey team hosted the Suffolk University Rams on Saturday evening at the Levy Rink. A three-goal second period proved to be the difference as the Rams defeated the Bison 5-1 in Conference of New England action.
Nichols' three senior athletes captain
Brendan Schmidt,
Aaron Hamel, and
Rocco Bianculli were honored for their dedication and tenure with the Bison with an on ice ceremony prior to the puck drop.
After the loss, the Bison drops to 7-12-0 (4-10-0 CNE), while the Rams move to 12-7-1 (12-3-1 CNE).
The opening period was quiet, as neither team could break through due to strong defensive and goaltending at both ends. Nichols goaltender
Ryan Henry turned aside 7 shots, while the Bison killed off two power-plays in the period to keep the game scoreless through 20 minutes.
Suffolk broke through midway through the second period with a power-play goal at 8:22, as Jake Grace finished a feed from Daniel McKiernan and
Dimitri Voyatzis to open the scoring. The Rams doubled their lead just under two minutes later when Ralph Berry scored at even strength to make it 2-0. Suffolk struck again late in the frame, converting on another power play with 10 seconds remaining in the period, as McKiernan extended the lead to 3-0 heading into the third.
The Rams continued to capitalize on special teams early in the final period, scoring a power-play goal just 1:07 into the third to push the advantage to 4-0. Nichols responded moments later, as
Tristan Kimmen found the back of the net on the power play at 2:17, finishing a setup from
Luca Ricci and
CJ Zezima to cut the deficit to 4-1. Suffolk added an insurance goal at 12:09 of the third period, with Nolan Leonard scoring at even strength to close out the scoring at 5-1.
Henry finished with 34 saves for the Bison. Nichols went 1-for-6 on the power play, while Suffolk converted 3-of-8 opportunities with the man advantage.
The Bison returns next weekend for a home-and-home with Western New England University. Friday's game is at the Olympia Ice Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, for an 8:10 puck drop.
