Fitchburg State Downs Framingham State, 7-3
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fitchburg St. (3-1, 1-0 MASCAC) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
|
Framingham St. (1-1, 0-1 MASCAC) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
Connolly, McPherson and Celli register three points each for Falcons in MASCAC victory
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – Seniors Ryan Connolly and John Celli as well as freshman Connor McPherson all notched three points as the Fitchburg State ice hockey team defeated the Rams of Framingham State, 6-3 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this evening at Lorning Arena.
In the first period, Framingham State opened the scoring at the 4:23 mark as newcomer Jake McKinnon collected a feed from junior Vaughn Guetins and freshman Hayden Lyle and fired a shot into the back the net for his second tally on the season for the 1-0 lead.
The Falcons quickly knotted the score (1-1) roughly one minute later on the power play when junior forward Cameron Snyder wristed a shot inside the far post for his second goal of the season off assist from freshman Ricky Kramer and Connolly.
The Green and Gold grabbed the lead with just over three minutes remaining in the first stanza as McPherson settled a pass from senior Paul Falanga at the top of the left point and blasted a shot into the upper left corner for his second score on the 2015 campaign for the 2-1 advantage after 20 minutes of play.
In the second frame, Fitchburg State upped its advantage at the 6:43 mark when Celli rifled a shot inside the far post for his third goal of the season for the 3-1 lead as McPherson assisted on the play.
The visitors made it a three goal contest with just under six minutes left in the middle period as Connolly struck for his second marker on the year off feeds from Celli and newcomer Nick DiNicola to take a 4-1 margin into the second intermission.
In the final period, the Rams cut into the deficit just 1:43 into the frame when sophomore Derek Rindeway fired a shot into the back of the net off a helper from senior Ricky O'Connor for his first goal of the season.
Fitchburg State regained its three goal edge at the 4:13 mark as Connolly slipped a shot into the right side of the net for his second tally of the contest, using a feed from freshman Josh Victor to make the score 5-2.
With the score 5-3, the Falcons secured their third win on the season as senior forward Timmy Genova collected a feed from McPherson and deposited the puck inside the far post for his first goal of the year, resulting in the 7-3 final.
Throughout the contest, Framingham State held a 34-31 margin in shots, while the Falcons went 2-for-8 on the power play. In goal, senior Corey McMahon posted 31 saves for Fitchburg State in the complete game effort, while junior Alessio Muggli stopped 18 shots for the Rams in 40 minutes of action.
Fitchburg State (3-1-0, 1-0-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Thursday as it hosts the Owls of Westfield State University for a contest starting at 7 p.m. Framingham State (1-1-0, 0-1-0 MASCAC) will host Worcester State University on Thursday at 7:40 p.m.