Fitchburg State Falls To New England College, 4-2

Bertolotti and Nikitas both register scores in Falcons 2011-12 season opener

FITCHBURG, Mass. (November 8, 2011) – The Fitchburg State ice hockey team opened its 2011-12 campaign this evening, suffering a tough 4-2 loss to New England College in non-conference action at the Wallace Civic Center

New England College got on the board late in the first period as sophomore Greg Girtatos Tyngsboro, Mass. / Bishop Guertin) found the back of the net for his first goal of the season. Girtatos gave the Pilgrims the early edge at the 16:11 mark, taking a feed from freshman Jacob Andersson (Mjolby, Sweden / Mjolby) for the 1-0 advantage.

In the second period, the Pilgrims extended their lead to 2-0 on a goal from Jarkko Leppanen (Tampere, Finland / Ilves Tempere), but back-to-back goals from senior Travis Bertolotti (Long Island, N.Y./New York Bobcats) and junior Curtis Nikitas (Leominster, Mass./Saint Bernards) knotted the score with 3:10 remaining in the frame.

Bertolotti sparked the Falcons with the first goal of the season early in the period, taking a feed from Kris Threlkeld (Centerville, Ohio/CD Selects) and Thomas McAleer (Long Island, N.Y./New York Bobcats), while Nikitas finished the comeback with a score off helpers from Jack Vets (Hamden, Conn./Connecticut Wolfpack) andBertolotti.

The Falcons comeback trail was short-lived however as New England College regained the momentum early in the third period. Senior Nico Uola (Turku, Finland / Portland Jr. Pirates) netted the decisive game-winner for the Pilgrims, posting his second goal of the season, just 3:19 into the frame off a dish from Andersson.

Down the stretch, Fitchburg State created several scoring opportunities with a 13-9 advantage in third period targets, but the Pilgrims were able to add an insurance marker with just 0:16 remaining on Uola's empty net goal.

For the contest, New England College held a slim 34-27 advantage in shots, while Fitchburg State witnessed a 4-2 margin in power play opportunities. Senior Bobby Leiser (Monroe, N.Y./New York Applecore) registered a strong 2011-12 debut, recording 30 saves in the complete game effort for the Falcons, while junior Shawn Sirman (Blezard Valley, Ontario / University of Maine) finished with 25 stops for the Pilgrims.

Fitchburg State (0-1-0, 0-0-0 MASCAC) will be back in action on Friday as it hosts the third annual ICFCU Shootout beginning at 5 p.m. The Falcons are set to square off against Southern New Hampshire University in the 8 p.m. contest.