Ladka Pots Game-Winner as Men’s Hockey Clips Rivier in OT, 4-3

BOSTON – Troy Ladka scored with 28 seconds left in overtime to lift Suffolk men's hockey over Rivier, 4-3, Tuesday at Emmons Horrigan O'Neil Memorial Rink in the Rams and Raiders first-ever meeting.

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 4 | Rivier 3
RECORDS: Suffolk (7-11-4) | Rivier (5-15-2)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams traded offensive outputs throughout regulation to end the 60 minutes deadlocked at 3-3.  

Suffolk tested Andrew LoRusso from the get-go in the extra session. The Rmas put five shots on target before Ladka put the puck away on the sixth at the 4:32 minute mark. The freshman's game-winning strike came with help from Kyle Valiquette and Samuel Rand.  

The blue-and-gold dominated the 3-on-3 OT as it limited the Raiders to just two shots, neither of which made its way to Jarret Bovarnick thanks to the Rams defense. 

In regulation, the scoring started 34 seconds into the middle period as Rivier was the first to get on the board. Just over eight minutes later the Raiders padded their margin to a pair on the power play.  

Scoring continued in just about four-minute increments, but the tides turned in Suffolk's favor the next time the puck passed the goal line. Alex Kolowrat responded to Rivier's second strike with his own man-up marker thanks to set-ups from Devin Lowe and Nick Lachaine to trim the margin to one.  

Peter Nugent then leveled the playing field at the 16:34 minute mark courtesy of assists of PJ Donahue and John Garrity.  

The teams skated into the second intermission tied at 2-all and played the majority of the third that way. As the end of regulation loomed, Nicolas Paloucci managed to figure out Bovarnick and push the visitors in front with 2:52 left on the clock.  

Once again, a Rams' response came. Garrity intercepted a Raiders pass and quickly shot it to the back of the twine to even matters at 3-3 with 1:37 to go in the third. The score stayed that way until the horn sounded to end regulation and set up Ladka's heroics.  

NETMINDER NOTES

• Bovarnick logged 20 saves in the victory. 
• LoRusso registered 28 saves in the setback. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Garrity led Suffolk's scoring with two points behind one goal and one assist. 
• Garrity notched the game-tying goal, while Ladka registered the game-winner with his only point in the outing. 
• Kolowrat and Nugent each supplied one goal. 
• Donahue, Lachaine, Lowe, S. Rand and Valiquette all dished out one assist. 
• Suffolk outshot Rivier, 32-23. 
• The Rams held an edge in face-offs, 30-29.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk and Rivier met for the first time. 
• The Rams played in sixth OT game of the season. 
• Suffolk secured an overtime win for the first time since slipping past Becker, 4-3, Dec. 4, 2016.
• Bovarnick recorded his first win of the year. 
• Garrity matched a career-high two points. 
• Ladka notched his first game-winner of his collegiate career.  

POST-GAME PIC
  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk concludes the regular-season this weekend Feb. 18-19. The Rams will head to No. 15 Endicott Friday before hosting Wentworth Saturday. Both Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) clashes start at 7 p.m.