Fitchburg State Tops UMass Dartmouth, 4-1

Riggs collects two points in Falcons pivotal MASCAC victory

FITCHBURG, Mass. (December 12, 2010) – Senior Chris Riggs (Sewell, N.J./Fort Vancouver Pioneers) registered two points with one goal and one assist as the Fitchburg State ice hockey team downed MASCAC rival UMass Dartmouth, 4-1 this afternoon.

Fitchburg State used a two goal second period to break open the tight 1-0 contest as the Falcons recorded a pair of markers in just 26 seconds. Riggs started the rally with a power play goal at the 18:38 mark, his second of the season, while junior Bryan Canter (Anchorage, AK/Helena Bighorns) added his first score of the year at 19:04 of the frame..

The Falcons also added single tallies in the first and third periods with seniors Kevin McCready (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Mohawk CC) and Andrew Jones (Franklin, Mass./Walpole Express) hit home for Fitchburg State. McCready connected for his team-leading sixth goal of the season with assists from Thomas McAleer (East Islip, N.Y./New York Bobcats) and Riggs, while Jones notched his first marker of year off a Nick Zaino (Duryea, Pa./CD Selects) helper.

Freshman Ryan Hurd (Mound, Minn./Rochester Ice Hawks) paced the UMass Dartmouth attack, registering his first collegiate goal early in the first period. Hurd took a William Colclough (Naples, Fla./Peoria Mustangs) feed and deposited the equalizer for his first goal in a Corsair uniform.

For the game, UMass Dartmouth held a slim margin in targets with a 24-21 advantage in shots, but Fitchburg State capitalized on the power-play, converting 2 of its 5 extra man opportunities. Between the pipes, senior Robert Vorse (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) was strong, posting 23 saves in the complete game effort, while senior Collin Tracy (Medford, Mass./Medford) stopped 17 shots for the Corsairs.

Fitchburg State (5-3-0, 3-3-0 MASCAC) is off now until after Christmas when the Falcons participate in the UMass Boston Codfish Bowl on December 29th. UMass Dartmouth (7-2-1, 4-1-1 MASCAC) will be in action after the winter break as it hosts Salve Regina on January 8th at 4:30 p.m.

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Fitchburg State 4, UMass Dartmouth 1