Fitchburg State Skates Past Worcester State, 7-3

Martin tallies game best four points in Falcons MASCAC victory

FITCHBURG, Mass. (November 16, 2013) – Freshman forward Jake Martin (Montreal, Que.) posted a game-best four points on one goal and three helpers as the Fitchburg State ice hockey team defeated Worcester State, 7-3 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this evening at the Wallace Civic Center.

In the opening period, Fitchburg State took the lead just 56 seconds into the frame as sophomore forward John Celli (Leominster, Mass.) found the back of the net for his fourth tally of the season off  assists from classmate Max Lorenzen (Leesburg, Va.) and Martin for the 1-0 margin.

The Lancers responded at the 19:07 mark when junior Andrew Bates (Marblehead, Mass.) blasted a shot from the right point into the upper right corner of the net for his first tally of the year, using an assist from freshman defenseman Alex Taddeo (Franklin, Mass.) to knot the score 1-1 going into first intermission.

In the second stanza, Worcester State grabbed the lead at the 1:17 mark as Bates struck for his second score of the contest to make the score 2-1. Freshman Alex Dewitz (Oronco, Minn.) and junior Cody Osburn (Sacramento, Calif.) assisted on the play.

The Falcons retied the game (2-2) less than a minute later when sophomore Paul Falanga (East Haven, Conn.) struck for his first goal in a Falcons uniform as classmate Kevin Holmes (Newburyport, Mass.) and freshman Cameron Snyder (Shawnee, Kan.) assisted on the play.

Fitchburg State regained the lead for good at the 4:43 mark as Martin gathered a feed in front of the net from Lorenzen and Celli and slipped the puck inside the near post for the 3-2 advantage before senior Shawn Bradley (Tewksbury, Mass.) made it a two score game with his first marker of the year with just under a minute remaining in the period for the 4-2 margin heading into the final period of play.  

In the final frame, Fitchburg State upped its lead just 2:12 into the period when sophomore forward Ryan Connolly (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) connected for a power play tally on assists from Martin and junior Craig Halpin (Irvington, N.Y.) to make the score 5-2.

Following a goal by Lorenzen, Worcester State cut the lead to 5-3 with just over 12 minutes remaining in the game as junior Stephen Rock (Tulsa, Okla.) collected his second goal on the year before the Falcons capped the scoring midway through the frame when sophomore Ryan Bedard (Derby Line, Vt.) fired a shot from just inside the blue line for his second score of the season resulting in the 7-3 final.

For the contest, Worcester State held a 38-33 margin in shots, while the Falcons notched five power plays throughout the match. Between the pipes, junior Dan Finn (Fitchburg, Mass.) posted 35 saves for the Fitchburg State in the complete game effort, while sophomore Drew Case (Plano, Tex.) totaled 26 stops for the Lancers in the setback.

Fitchburg State (3-3-0, 1-1-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Thursday as it travels to Westfield State University for a contest starting at 7:35 p.m. Worcester State (3-2-0, 0-2-0 MASCAC) will visit Framingham State on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.