Fitchburg State Soars Past Becker, 4-1

Connolly registers three points in Falcons season-opening victory

FITCHBURG, Mass. (November 1, 2013) – Sophomore forward Ryan Connolly (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) posted three points on a pair of scores and one assist as the Fitchburg State ice hockey team defeated Becker College, 4-1 in opening round action of the 2013 ICFCU Shootout this evening at the Wallace Civic Center.

In the opening period of play, Fitchburg State took the lead at the 11:46 mark as sophomore forward John Celli (Leominster, Mass.) blasted a shot from the point into the upper right corner of the net for the power-play tally off assists from Connolly and classmate Max Lorenzen (Leesburg, Va.) for the 1-0 advantage.

The Falcons quickly doubled their margin just 32 seconds into the second stanza when freshman forward Jake Martin (Montreal, Que.) tipped home a shot off the stick of senior defenseman Derek Giansanti (Newington, Conn.) for his first collegiate goal for the 2-0 lead going into the final period of play.

In the final frame, the Green and Gold upped their lead at the 3:53 mark as Connolly intercepted a pass at center ice, raced down the near boards and slipped the puck inside the far post for his first tally of the season to make the score 3-0. 

Becker answered two minutes later, when freshman Nickolas McKee (Bakersfield, Calif.) struck for his first collegiate score. The freshman forward fired a shot just inside the near post to cut the deficit to 3-1 as freshman Connor Allison (Hillsboro, Ore.) and junior Cody Edwards (Kansas City, Mo.) assisted on the play.

The hosted sealed the victory at the 18:50 mark as Connolly connected for his second goal of the contest on assists from Martin and sophomore Ryan Bedard (Derby Line, Vt.) resulting in the 4-1 final.

Throughout the contest, Fitchburg State held a slim 26-25 margin in shots, while finishing the evening 1-for-5 with the man advantage. In net, junior Corey McMahon (Lunenburg, Mass.) posted 24 saves en-route to the complete game shutout for the Falcons, while senior Shaun Millerick (Hampton, N.H.) stopped 22 shots for the Hawks.

Fitchburg State (1-0-0, 0-0-0 MASCAC) will be in action tomorrow afternoon as it battles Wentworth at 4 p.m. Becker (0-1-0, 0-0-0 ECAC NE) will face Worcester State tomorrow at 1 p.m.