Salem State Downs Fitchburg State, 7-0
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fitchburg St. (4-2-0, 2-2-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Salem St. (3-1-0, 2-1-0) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
Jakobsson and McMahon combine to stop 23 shots for Falcons
SALEM, Mass. –Junior goalie Marcus Zelzer recorded a shutout as Salem State registered a 7-0 victory over the Falcons of Fitchburg State this evening at Rockett Arena in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action.
Zelzer, making his first start in net this season, held off the Falcons' rush, which dominated early, outshooting the Vikings 13-8. However, Zelzer stopped all 13 shots in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Junior Daniel Campbell received a stretch pass that allowed him to get past the defense alongside a streaking Derek Makimaa, who put home the one-timer to give the Vikings an early 1-0 edge eight minutes into the period.
Fitchburg State had an opportunity to tie the game on a breakaway by newcomer Mike Fretz, but Zelzer was able to make a diving save to his left to preserve the 1-0 lead.
With six minutes left to play in the first, Salem State extended its lead to 2-0 when Casey Miller gathered a rebound of a shot from Brad Jones and slipped a shot into the back of net for his second tally on the season.
In the second frame junior Ryan Wilkerson blasted a shot inside the far post at the 8:37 mark off assists from Michael Chen and Casey Miller for his second goal of the season to make the score 3-0.
The Vikings upped its margin four minutes later as senior John Needham collected a pass from classmate Cam Moniz and junior Brad Jones, before depositing the puck into the left side of the net for the 4-0 lead, going into the final period of play.
In the final stanza, Salem State secured its third win of the season when Jones found the back of the net for his first tally on the 2015 season at the 5:34 mark before sophomore Daniel Campbell and Moniz added marker later in the period, resulting in the 7-0 final
Throughout the contest, Salem State held a 34-29 advantage in shots, while the Falcons finished 0-for-3 on the power play. In goal, freshman Charles Jakobsson and senior Corey McMahon combined to stop 23 shots for Fitchburg State in 55:54 minutes of action, while Zelzer made 29 saves, en-route to the complete game shutout for the Vikings.
Fitchburg State (4-3-0, 2-2-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Saturday as it hosts the Panthers of Plymouth State University at 4 p.m. Salem State (3-1-0, 2-1-0 MASCAC) will travel to UMass Dartmouth on Saturday for a contest starting at 4 p.m.