Falcons Upend Owls, 8-1

Figi collects hat trick in MASCAC victory

Fitchburg, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University ice hockey team defeated the Owls of Westfield State University, 8-1 this evening in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action at the Wallace Civic Center.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 8, Westfield State 1
Records: Fitchburg State (5-3-2, 2-1-2 MASCAC) | Westfield State (3-3-2, 2-2 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Fitchburg State opened the scoring at 3:38 into the first period as junior Kyle Hillick (Byfield, Mass.) gathered a feed from senior Ricky Kramer (Barnstead, N.H.) and junior Dean Zerby (Harrisburg, Penn.) and found the back of the net for his fourth tally on the season for the 1-0 margin.

The Falcons doubled their margin (2-0) 26 seconds later when sophomore Sascha Figi (Kloten, Switzerland) deposited a shot into the lower left corner for his team-leading eighth goal of the year off assist from senior Nick DiNicola (Wolcott, Conn.) and junior Christopher Vicario (Cranston, R.I.) before the Green and Gold extended its lead late in the frame as Kramer connected on a power-play marker for his sixth goal of the 2018-19 season to make the score 3-0.

In the middle stanza, Fitchburg State upped its advantage just five minutes into period when DiNicola settled a feed from Kramer and Figi and buried a shot into the back of the net for his fifth goal on the season for the 4-0 lead.

The Falcons secured the victory with just under four minutes left in the second period when Figi gathered a pass from Kramer and struck for his second tally of the contest. Westfield State broke its scoring silence with just over five minutes left in the contest as junior Pearce Vance (Berkley, Mass.) connected on his second marker of the year, resulting in the 8-1 final

By the Numbers

• Figi nets five points on three goals and two assists
• 32nd meeting between two schools with Falcons 19-11-2 all-time vs the Owls
• Fitchburg State held a 26-23 margin in shots
• Westfield State finished 0-for-8 with the man advantage
• Sophomore Brian McGrath (Worcester, Mass.) stopped 22 shots for the Falcons
• Junior Thierry Messervier (Montreal, Que.) made 12 saves for the Owls

Up Next

Falcons will travel to Worcester State on Saturday to take on the Lancers for a MASCAC tilt, starting at 6:00 PM. Owls will host the Panthers of Plymouth State on the same day for a conference bout at 5:35 PM.