Fitchburg State Shoots Past the University of New England, 7-4
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fitchburg St. (2-5-2) | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
|
U. of New England (3-6-0) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
Celli and Snyder collect pair of goals each in Falcons non-conference victory
HOOKSETT, N.H. – Sophomore forward Cameron Snyder and junior forward John Celli each posted a pair of markers as the Fitchburg State ice hockey team defeated the Nor'easters of the University of New England in the consolation game of the 2014 PAL/Stovepipe Tournament hosted by Southern New Hampshire this afternoon.
In the opening period of play, the University of New England grabbed the lead just 1:13 into the frame as senior defenseman Patrick Boyer wristed a shot inside the far post for the 1-0 margin off assists from junior Ben Pearl and sophomore David Goff.
The Nor'easters doubled their advantage (2-0) at the 8:46 mark when Boyer fired a shot into the upper right corner of the net for his second tally of the contest. Fitchburg State responded with five minutes left in the period as freshman James Gordon connected on his first collegiate tally to make the score 2-1 after one period of play.
In the second stanza, Fitchburg State knotted the score (2-2) midway through the period when Snyder took a feed from classmate Jon Johannesson and blasted a shot into the net for his team-leading fifth score of the season .
With the score knotted at 3-3, the Green and Gold regained the lead at the 17:13 mark as senior forward Kevin Holmes blasted a shot into the net for the 4-3 margin as junior Paul Falaga and senior Brett Nussbaum assisted on the play.
The University of New England answered roughly one minute later when junior Sam Vikich fired a shot into the upper left corner to knot the game at 4-4 going into the second intermission.
In the final period, Fitchburg State took the lead for good at the 3:02 mark as Snyder collected a loose puck in front of the net off a shot from junior Mike Morrison and deposited the puck inside the far post for his second goal of the game for the 5-4 advantage.
The Falcons added a pair of insurance markers when junior forward Timmy Genova knocked home his first goal of the season at the 8:20 mark before classmate John Celli registered an empty netter with 51 seconds remaining in the contest, resulting in the 7-4 final.
Throughout the contest, the University of New England held a commanding 40-26 advantage in shots, while the Falcons went a perfect 2-for-2 on the power-play. Between the pipes, senior Dan Finn collected 36 saves for Fitchburg State en-route to his first victory of the season, while counterpart Colby Drost finished with 19 stops in 58:38 minutes of action.
Fitchburg State (2-5-2, 1-2-1 MASCAC) returns to action on Thursday as it visits the Vikings of Salem State University for a contest starting at 7 p.m. The University of New England (3-6-0, 2-3-0 ECAC East) will travel to UMass Boston on Friday at 7 p.m.