Article By: Dan Ryan
The men’s hockey team had an up-and-down week, losing two out of three games.
The team started off the current stretch of games with a 5-4 loss to Johnson & Wales, an ECAC Northeast opponent. The game saw Suffolk climb out of an early two-goal deficit to take a 4-2 lead in the third period. Johnson & Wales then scored three unanswered goals in the game’s final 15 minutes to win the game. The Rams got two goals from Andrew Flynn and one goal each from both Pat Welch and Niles Moore. Welch also assisted on one of Flynn’s goals.
The Rams followed up the loss with a 3-2 win at home vs. Southern New Hampshire University. This game saw the Rams blow another two goal lead before Ryan Fitzpatrick scored eight minutes into the third period to give the Rams a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Jeff Rose turned in another stout performance between the pipes, allowing just two goals on 27 shots.
The team couldn’t keep the momentum going, however, as the Rams fell in their next game at Babson College, losing by a score of 4-3. Babson fired a veritable barrage of pucks on the Suffolk goal, as Ryan Mula and Rose combined to make 51 saves on 55 shots (Rose replaced Mula in the first period, and saved 45 of the 46 shots he faced).
The Rams managed to fire just 16 shots on the Babson net. In comparison, the fewest amount of shots Babson had in a period was 16 (in the third period, preceded by 19 in the first and 20 in the second).
The Rams did have a player honored by the league for his performance, as Fitzpatrick was named to the ECAC Weekly Honor Roll after scoring two goals: the aforementioned one against SNHU, which was a game-winner, and one in the loss to Babson.
The Rams, who remain undefeated at home, will put that perfect mark on the line when they welcome Curry College to Walter Brown Arena tonight at 6:20 p.m.
The game will be the first of two-straight ECAC Northeast games for the Rams, as after the Curry game the squad will travel to Wentworth to face the Leopards at 7:30 p.m. this Friday, Dec. 4.
