Falcons Nipped By Panthers, 2-0

McGrath registers season-best 48 shots for Falcons in MASCAC setback 

Plymouth, N.H. – The Fitchburg State University ice hockey team suffered a tough 2-0 setback to the Panthers of Plymouth State University in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this evening at the Hanaway Rink.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 0, Plymouth State 2
Records: Fitchburg State (2-2-1, 0-1-1 MASCAC) | Plymouth State (3-1-0, 1-1-0 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Plymouth State opened the scoring just 1:53 into the first period as junior forward Matt Volonnino (Hackettstown, N.J.) took a feed from freshman JR Bourne (West Chester, Penn.) and found the back of the net for his first goal on the season for the 1-0 advantage after one period of play.

The Panthers double their lead midway through the second frame when junior defenseman Tim Perron (Northboro, Mass.) received a pass from classmate Quinn Carroll (Amherst, N.H.) and deposited a shot inside the far post for his second tally of the year, resulting in the 2-0 final.

Inside the Numbers

57th meeting between two schools on the ice with the Falcons 25-26-6 all-time when taking on the Panthers.

Plymouth State has won nine of the last ten contests against Fitchburg State with the Falcons last defeating the Panthers on Nov. 19, 2106 (2-1).

Freshman goaltender Brian McGrath (Worcester, Mass.) stopped a season-best 48 shots for the Falcons.

Panthers netminder Evan Morelli (Reading, Mass.) turned aside 17 shots, en-route to his first shutout of the season.

Freshman forward Kevin Perry (Hull, Mass.) led the Falcons in shots with five.

Plymouth State finished with a 50-17 margin in shots.

Fitchburg State went 0-for-5 with the man advantage, while Plymouth State also finished 0-for-5 on the power-play.

Up Next

Falcons will host the Rams of Framingham State University next Thursday for a contest starting at 7 p.m. Panther will travel to UMass Dartmouth on Saturday to take on the Corsairs for a 4:30 p.m. puck drop.