Fitchburg State Draws Even With Plymouth State, 2-2 (OT)

Rojas nets two goals; Wysocki stops 40 shots for Falcons

PLYMOUTH, N.H. (February 8, 2014) – Sophomore forward Nat Rojas (Elkridge, Md.) scored a pair of goals as Fitchburg State University and Plymouth State University skated to a 2-2 overtime draw in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this evening at Hanaway Rink in Plymouth.

Plymouth State nearly grabbed the lead with just over two minutes remaining in the opening period as freshman forward Mike Economos (Crystal Lake, Ill.) redirected a shot on goal, but Falcons goaltender Ryan Wysocki (Grand Rapids, Mich.) made a stellar diving save to his left to preserve the 0-0 stalemate after one period of play.

In the middle frame, Fitchburg State took the lead at the 4:51 mark when Rojas collected a loose puck near center ice, streaked up the far boards and slipped the puck inside the far post for his fourth score of the season for the 1-0 advantage.

The Panthers knotted the score roughly six minutes later as junior forward Mike Freitag (Westmont, Ill.) tipped home a shot from sophomore Zach Fox (Sandown, N.H.) for his eighth marker on the season to make the score 1-1 going into the third stanza.

In the final period of play, the Panthers regained the lead at the 9:23 mark when freshman defenseman Tommy Dowell (Olathe, Kan.) fired a shot from the right circle into the back of the net for his second tally of the season as senior Dave Walters (Ottawa, Ont.) and sophomore Andrew Wigg (Lantz, N.S) assisted on the play for the 2-1 margin.

 The Green and Gold would retied the contest (2-2) just 54 seconds later as Rojas converted on the power-play for his second goal of the contest, using feeds from senior Craig Halpin (Irvington, N.Y.) and sophomore Max Lorenzen (Leesburg, Va.) to force overtime.

In the overtime period, Fitchburg State's best scoring opportunity occurred in the opening moments of the extra frame when sophomore forward Ryan Connolly (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) wristed a shot on goal, but Panther goalie Gordon Ceasar (Oak Park, Calif.) was able to turn aside the shot, resulting in the 2-2 draw.

Throughout the match, Plymouth State held a 42-25 advantage in shots, while the Falcons finished 1-for-6 on the power play. In net, Wysocki stopped 40 shots for Fitchburg State in the complete game effort, while Ceasar collected 23 saves for the Panthers in 65 minutes of work.

Fitchburg State (9-10-1, 6-6-1 MASCAC) returns to action on Thursday as it hosts the Lancers of Worcester State University at 7 p.m. Plymouth State (9-10-2, 7-5-2 MASCAC) will visit UMass Dartmouth on Thursday for a contest starting at 7:30 p.m.