CHARLESTOWN, Mass. – A game-tying goal by Max Rand with 30 seconds left in regulation and a stand-up 56-save effort from Cal Wilcox helped Suffolk men's hockey skate to a 4-4 draw with No. 5 Hobart in NEHC action at Emmons Horrigan O'Neil Memorial Rink.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 4 | No. 5 Hobart 4
RECORDS: Suffolk (5-9-2, 1-6-2 NEHC) | No. 5 Hobart (10-3-3, 4-3-2 NEHC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk was limited to just two chances on target over the first 20 minutes and the first did not come until the midway point. In transition, Phil Kreuser fired off an attempt from the right face-off dot. The puck met Joe Halstrom's pads though and zeros clung to the scoreboard.  

Six minutes later Joseph Mortillaro managed a mark for the hosts. Junior Joe Vingi fed his classmate for a one-on-one opportunity with Hobart's netminder. On the go, Mortillaro made a move from the right and went for the opposite top shelf to score the first goal of the evening at the 16:14 minute mark. Brian Brooks dished ahead to Vingi to aid in the first goal of the game. 

The Statesmen scored 2:05 later to lock the conference clash at 1-all. Brendan Howell nearly mirrored Mortillaro's goal with his own opposite top-shelf score from the left side of the Rams' zone. Zach Sternbach and Lawson MacDougall helped Hobart level the playing field. 

The tied score did not last long in the middle period as Hobart went ahead 3:24 out of the first intermission. With Wilcox distracted on the blocker side, the puck got loose where Zach Tyson picked it up and easily flipped it in to give the visitors a 2-1 edge.  

With 2:42 left in the second stanza, Tyson tacked on his second score of the day with assists from Mike Faulkner and Chase Bell on the power play to push the distance to a pair, 3-1.  

A Rams response came with 44 seconds left when Brooks caught Halstrom off guard to restore the one-goal gap, 3-2. Mortillaro intercepted a Statesmen clearing pass, found Brooks, who beat the goaltender, to keep things interesting. 

Suffolk sprung out of the break looking to get back into things. The intensity paid off for the hosts as Brooks went on a breakaway and slipped a pass to Kreuser entering the zone. The senior's one-timer hit Halstrom's pads, but John Garrity turned the rebound into a goal to once again equalize matters 2:52 into the third period.  

The goal-for-goal action continued when Hobart went ahead with 11:50 left in regulation when Alec Robitaille netted a feed from PA Martineau and Ryan Lynch.  

In need of a comeback, the Rams saw a chance on a power play with just over eight minutes left. Suffolk was only on the man-up advantage for 1:31 before being whistled for wrong doing. That made it 4-on-4 for 29 seconds before the hosts had a penalty of its own to kill.   

Suffolk successfully kept the Statesmen off the board from there and saw another prime opportunity at the 56-second mark when Robitalille was whistled for interference. Chris Glionna pulled Wilcox to give the Rams an added boost and it worked when Randchipped a pass in from Alex Kolowrat to level the playing field. Brooks had a hand in the goal that forced overtime.

Hobart tested Wilcox and the Rams defense throughout the entire OT. The visitors maintained possession for nearly all of the five minutes, outshooting Suffolk, 5-1. Wilcox preserved the tie, though, scooping up all of the Statesmen's shot to help the hosts pick up one conference point.  

NETMINDER NOTES

• Wilcox finished with an impressive 56-save effort. 
• Halstrom stopped 19 shots in the stalemate.  

STATISICALLY SPEAKING

• All four of Suffolk's scores came from different sticks: Brooks, Garrity, Mortillaro and Rand. 
• Brooks finished with four points behind a one-goal, three-assist performance. 
• Mortillaro contributed two points with one goal and one helper. 
• Kolowrat, Kreuser and Vingi all handed out one assist. 
• The Statesmen outshot Suffolk, 60-23, and won face-offs, 58-30.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk and Hobart played in overtime for the first time in program history. 
• Suffolk skated to a draw with Hobart for the first time in program history to move to 1-2-1 all-time against the Statesmen.
• The Rams faced their fourth ranked opponent of the season. Suffolk is 0-3-1 in such outings. 
• Suffolk needed extra time for the fourth time this season. 
• The Rams moved to 0-2-2 in OT games this year. 
• Wilcox made a career-high 56 saves. 
• Brooks' four points are a personal-best as are the three helpers. 
• Mortillaro matched a career-best two points.  

POST-GAME PIC
  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk is back at tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 18 when it entertains Skidmore at 5 p.m.