PROVIDENCE, RI – The La Salle Academy Rams claimed the Division I hockey state championship Saturday night with a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over the Hendricken Hawks at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, capping an undefeated season and bringing the school its first hockey title in seven years.

The championship game lived up to its billing as a classic rivalry matchup, with both teams playing with intensity and skill throughout regulation. La Salle's Tyler Marcotte scored the overtime winner at 4:23 of the extra period, sending the Rams' bench and the packed student section into a frenzy.

"This team has worked so hard all year," said La Salle head coach Mike Brodeur. "We had a target on our backs all season as the defending runner-up, and these kids responded every single night. I couldn't be prouder of them."

The Rams finished the season with a 22-0 record, the best in the school's history. Their dominant run through the playoffs included wins over Toll Gate, Barrington, and Chariho before the championship showdown with Hendricken.

Senior captain Jack Connolly, who scored two goals in the championship game, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Connolly, who has committed to play at the University of New Hampshire, has been one of the state's top players throughout his four-year career at La Salle.

"This is what we've been working toward since we got here as freshmen," Connolly said after the game. "We knew this team was special. We just had to go out and prove it."

Goaltender Ryan Murphy was outstanding throughout the playoffs, posting a .934 save percentage and two shutouts. His performance in the championship game—making 28 saves, including several spectacular stops in the third period when Hendricken was pressing for the tying goal—was the difference in the Rams' victory.

The championship is La Salle's eighth in school history and its first since 2019. The school's hockey program has produced numerous Division I college players and a handful of NHL draft picks over the years.