Fitchburg State Blanks Worcester State, 3-0

Vorse collects first shutout of the season with 28 save effort

FITCHBURG, Mass. (March 1, 2011) – Senior goalie Robert Vorse (Leominster, Mass./Bay State Breakers) recorded his first shutout of the season to lead fourth-seeded Fitchburg State University to a 3-0 MASCAC Quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Worcester State University this evening.

With the victory, Fitchburg State (16-9-1, 9-8-1 MASCAC) advances to Thursday’s MASCAC semifinal match up vs. top-seeded UMass Dartmouth at Hetland Arena starting at 7:30 p.m. Worcester State concludes its season with an overall record of 11-12-3 and a 7-10-1 clip in the MASCAC.

After a silent first period, Fitchburg State opened the game’s scoring early in the second period as senior Kevin McCready (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Mohawk CC) and junior Cory Callen (Annadale, N.J./Oswego State) connected for back-to-back score just 1:02 apart. McCready ignited the Falcons with his team-leading 13th marker of the season at 6:40 mark of the period, before Callen gave the Falcons with a two-goal advantage with a nifty score in front of the net at 7:38.

The score remained the same for a majoring of the contest thanks to the superb play of Vorse who turned away ten third period targets. The Falcons sealed the contest down the stretch as junior Kris Threlkeld (Centerville, Ohio/CD Selects) teamed up with senior Chris Riggs (Sewell, N.J./Fort Vancouver Pioneers) for an empty net goal with only 1:07 remaining in regulation.

Fitchburg State controlled the offensive tempo with a 35-28 shot advantage, including a 15-9 margin in the first period. Vorse finished the contest with 28 saves, improving to 6-6-1 on the season, while junior Bryan Kalczynski (Tonawanda, N.Y./Erie Community) collected 32 stops for the visitors.

In other semifinal action, sixth-seeded Westfield State defeated third-seeded Plymouth State, 4-1 this evening. The Owls will advance to Thursday’s MASCAC semifinal match-up as they travel to Salem State University for a contest starting at 7 p.m.

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Fitchburg State 3, Worcester State 0 

Scoring:
1st Period: none
2nd Period: FIT: Kevin McCready (Chris Riggs, Kris Threlkeld), 6:40; FIT: Cory Callen (Justin Quinn, Erik Trahan), 7:38;
3rd Period: FIT: Threlkeld (Riggs, McCready), 18:53;
Goaltending: FIT: Bobby Vorse (60:00), 28 saves; WOR: Bryan Kalczynski (59:50), 32 saves;
Shots On Goal: FIT: 35; WOR: 28