Cranston native and La Salle alumna Torie Scorpio’s strong freshman campaign on the hardwood for Salve Regina was honored on Monday as she was named the Commonwealth Coast Conference’s Rookie of the Year.

The ex-Ram took the step up to the collegiate level in stride this winter, instantly cementing herself as an integral part of the Seahawk starting five, averaging nearly 36 minutes per game, good for second in the conference.

She also was a key contributor to Salve’s offense, draining a team-high 108 field goals and chipping in with 78 assists, the latter figure placing her seven off the team lead.

Additionally, Scorpio did not forget her defensive responsibilities, as she was one of five Seahawks with at least 100 rebounds this season and also compiled 44 steals, having grabbed at least one in all but two games on the campaign.

Along with the rookie of the year award that she received on Monday, Scorpio was also named to the All-CCC second team.

Salve enters the Commonwealth Coast tournament on a roll, having finished the regular season with a five-game winning run that has seen the Seahawks win all but one contest by at least 10 points.

The streak will be put on the line this Tuesday in the quarterfinals, as seventh-seed Salve will take a short journey to in-state rival and regular-season runner-up Roger Williams.

When the two teams last met on Jan. 31, the Hawks cruised to a 57-34 win thanks to a 20-point night from Bridget Quilty, who was the recipient of the conference’s player of the year honor this season.

Palmer closes impressive season for Skyhawks

Billy Palmer’s season between the pipes for Stonehill came to an end on Saturday in the Northeast-10 semifinals, as the Skyhawks fell on the road to Saint Michael’s 4-1, despite the native Cranstonian’s 46-save performance.

The Purple Knights didn’t take long to open the scoring, as Eric Salzillo fired home his 10th goal of the campaign on the power play, just 3:33 into the first period to put the home team ahead.

Saint Michael’s Josh Dickman then doubled the advantage at the 13:29 mark of the second stanza, scoring courtesy of a rebound off Palmer for his ninth marker on the winter.

Stonehill found a way back into the contest with 11:08 left in the final frame with a wraparound goal from Ryan Smith that found its way to the net via a Purple Knight defenseman.

However, it was the closest the Skyhawks got to their opposition, as Saint Michael’s later added a pair of markers to clinch a spot in the conference championship game.

Palmer finished his campaign as the undisputed workhorse of the Stonehill netminding corps, logging nearly 90 percent of the team’s ice time while posting a goals against average of 3.26 and a .912 save percentage.

The former Boston Bandit started all but one of the Skyhawks’ 27 contests, compiling a 9-13-4 record and picking up a shutout in Stonehill’s 8-0 rout of Southern New Hampshire on Feb. 11.

Boscia contributes in first season with Purple Knights

La Salle alumna and Cranston native Arianna Boscia made an impact in more ways than one on the ice for Saint Michael’s this winter, pacing the Purple Knights with 22 penalty minutes.

Despite her frequent trips to the penalty box this winter, she also managed to accrue a goal and five assists on the campaign, with four of her helpers coming in an 8-2 rout of Nichols on Jan. 28.

Although Saint Michael’s finished the regular season with a 4-20 overall record, the Purple Knights will be participating in the New England Hockey Conference tournament and will take on Franklin Pierce in Wednesday night’s play-in game.

The Ravens got the best of Boscia and her Saint Michael’s teammates in both of their regular season meetings, winning across the two games by a combined score of 9-1.