CHARLESTOWN, Mass. – Suffolk men's hockey sophomore LJ Fellows' equalizer with 6:22 remaining in regulation lifted Suffolk to a 3-3 Commonwealth Coast Conference tie with Johnson & Wales Saturday evening at O'Neil Rink.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 3, Johnson & Wales 3
RECORDS: Suffolk (7-12-5, 4-10-3 CCC) | Johnson & Wales (9-11-4, 5-9-3 CCC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Rams overcame a 2-0 first period deficit to even matters on the strength of two power play tallies off the sticks of sophomore Mikhail Bryan and freshman Brian Brooks in the middle stanza. The Wildcats regained a 3-2 edge 3:40 into the third period on a goal by senior Connor Bates.
Fellows wristed his first collegiate marker from the left point on the tying tallying for Suffolk, as the teams combined for five scoring chances in the extra session before settling for the draw.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Bryan and Brooks were responsible for Suffolk's scores with rookie David Lappin leading the Rams in points with two helpers to his credit. Connor Henry and Jackson Tucker also got on the stat sheet dishing out one assist apiece.
- The Wildcats outshot the Rams by a 32-27 margin on the evening, but the blue-and-gold made the most of their man-up opportunities scoring on 2-of-4 power plays.
KEEPING UP WITH THE KEEPERS
- Freshman Will Ribas earned his first collegiate result in a relief, 26-save performance over the final 56-plus minutes of play in goal for Suffolk.
- Senior Kevin Venturoso earned the start in net on Senior Night and made three stops over the first 8:03 of action.
- Joe Ballmer recorded 24 stops in the draw for Johnson & Wales.
NOTEABLES
- Suffolk broke up JWU's three-game win streak over the Rams with the series third-ever tie to give the blue-and-gold a pivotal playoff point.
- Fellows found the back of the netting for the first time this season, while Tucker dished out his first assist of the year.
- Prior to puck drop, Suffolk honored the playing careers of its six graduating players; Connor Lawrence, Brett Lawson, Simon Leahy, Danyil Medvedev, Stanton Turner and Kevin Venturoso. The group has combined for over 70 goals and 170 points in 40 victories throughout their four-year careers.
POST-GAME PIC
WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk wraps up regular season action at No. 8/10 Endicott Monday, Feb. 20. Puck drop on President's Day is scheduled for 2:50 p.m.
