Men’s Hockey Skates to 2-2 Stalemate at Colby, Wins Shootout

WATERVILLE, Maine – Suffolk men's hockey went goal-for-goal over the first two periods with Colby and neither team gained the edge in either the third or overtime to have the non-conference pre-Thanksgiving tune-up end in a 2-2 deadlock Tuesday night at the Jack Kelley Rink. The Rams went on to grab the shootout, 2-1.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 2 | Colby 2
RECORDS: Suffolk (3-4-2) | Colby (2-1-1)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
A tip-in in front by Will Soloway at the 10:02 mark gave Colby the early one-goal edge. 

The Rams responded 45 seconds later. Ryan Webb tipped the puck off the boards in the Rams' zone into the neutral zone. A Mules defender tipped it at center ice and Gavin Havens was there to pick it up. Suffolk's sophomore zoomed in for a one-on-one Edward Baliotti. From the right face-off circle, Havens chipped the puck home to level the playing field at 1-all with 9:13 remaining in the first period.  

Soloway's stick spurred the Mules second strike of the night. He forwarded the puck from Colby's zone downed to the Rams zone where James Tepper took it to the cage. Tepper left it for Resse Farrell to put it away and put Suffolk in another one-goal hole, 2-1, 3:09 into the middle period. 

The Rams responded as Jack Robinson tipped in the game-tying goal with six minutes to skate in the second stanza to level things at 2-2. Tyler Borys and Joe O'Brien had a hand in the goal.  

Shots were nearly even in the third, but neither side managed to get the go-ahead marker to send the action into overtime.  

Suffolk tested Baliotti in the extra five minutes, but the netminder denied all four of the Rams shots on target to preserve the draw. 

Michael Gallagher started the shootout strong for Suffolk as the freshman made the first shot. After CJ Hapward turned aside Will Molson's attempt, Michael McEachern padded the Rams margin to a pair as he tucked the puck away. Hapward came up strong once again as he stopped Reese Farrell's shot to lock up the win for the blue-and-gold. Massimo Gentile managed to figure Hapward out on the Mules final shot for the 2-1 shootout final.  

NETMINDER NOTES

• Hapward had 24 saves in the stalemate. 
• Baliotti finished with 22 stops for Colby.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Havens and Robinson were responsible for Suffolk's goals with one apiece. 
• Borys and O'Brien handed out one assist apiece. 
• Colby held an edge in shots, 26-24. 
• The Mules barely won the face-off battle as well, 31-30.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk and Colby met for the second straight season, fifth time overall. 
• The Rams tied the Mules for the first time, to move to 0-4-1 all-time. 
• Suffolk skated at Colby for the second time in the all-time series. 
• The Rams and Mules went into overtime for the first time. 
• Suffolk went into overtime for the fourth time this season. 
• The Rams are now 1-1-2 in OT outings this year. 
• Suffolk went to a shootout for the second time this campaign. 
• The Rams have won both shootouts they have played in this season. 
• Havens and Robinson both scored their second goals of the season. 
• Borys and O'Brien notched their first assists of the year.  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk welcomes Wesleyan to Louis E. Porrazzo Memorial Skating Rink Sunday, Dec. 1 for a 4:50 p.m. showdown.