PAWTUCKET, R.I. - Suffolk hockey could not overcome a 3-0 first period set by Johnson & Wales as the Wildcats went on to take down the Rams, 4-1, in ECAC Northeast action Thursday night.
JWU (10-9-3, 6-5-2 ECAC Northeast) scored three times over the course of four minutes in the first frame to take an early 3-0 cushion. The Wildcats tacked on another goal in the second and kept Suffolk off the scoreboard over the first 40 minutes.
With time dwindling, Suffolk (12-8-2, 7-5-2 ECAC Northeast) got on the scoreboard at 14:33 in the third. Simon Leahy stole the puck at the right face-off circle, poked it to Justin Selep who beat Joe Ballmer top right to make things 4-1. The Rams could not overcome the three-goal span in the final 5:27 as JWU walked away with the 4-1 final.
Brandon Smolarek made 12 saves in just the first 11:22 of action, before Michael Levine played the remainder of the game and stopped 20 shots.
Suffolk returns to action Saturday night when the Rams entertain Becker at 7 p.m.