Falcons Draw Even With Salem State, 1-1 (OT)
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fitchburg St. (10-11-3, 8-7-2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
|
Salem St. (12-9-3, 9-6-2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Johannesson collected game-tying goal for Falcons
SALEM, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University ice hockey team skated to a 1-1 overtime stalemate with the Vikings of Salem State in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this afternoon at the Rockett Arena .
With the draw, Fitchburg State moves to 10-11-3 and 8-7-2 in the MASCAC, while the Vikings go to 12-9-3 and 9-6-2 within conference play as both team remain in contention for a first round bye into the upcoming MASCAC post-season ice hockey tournament.
In an evenly contested opening period of play, neither team was able to find the back of the net as senior goaltender Ryan Wysocki posted 13 saves in the stanza for the Green and Gold, while counterpart Jason Pucciarelli also turned aside 13 shots for Vikings to preserve the 0-0 deadlock after 20 minutes of play.
In the second frame, Salem State took the lead at 13:54 mark as junior forward Michael Casale fired a shot through traffic in front of the net for his tenth tally of the season on assists from sophomore Casey Miller and junior Derek Makimaa for 1-0 advantage.
The Falcons evened the score at 1-1 with just 14 seconds remaining in the period when sophomore Jon Johannesson blasted a shot inside the near post for his fifth score on the year as junior Paul Falanga assisted on the play.
In the third period, both teams combined for 14 shots on target with the Vikings nearly regaining the lead midway through the stanza, only to have the potential game-winning goal disallowed to force the overtime period.
Throughout the contest, Salem State held a 41-34 margin in shots, while the Falcons finished 0-for-4 on the power-play. Between the pipes, Wysocki concluded the game with 40 saves for Fitchburg State in the complete game effort, while Pucciarelli stopped 33 shots for the Vikings in the draw.
Fitchburg State returns to action on Tuesday as it hosts the Corsairs of UMass Dartmouth at 7 p.m. The Falcons will be honoring seven seniors playing in their final regular season home contest. Salem State will visit Worcester State University on Tuesday at 8 p.m.
Portions of Release courtesy of Salem State sports information