Fitchburg State Soars Past Framingham State, 4-0
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Framingham St. (6-19-1, 5-12-1MASCAC) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Fitchburg St. (11-13-2, 7-9-2MASCAC) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Celli collects 100th career point for Falcons in MASCAC quarterfinal victory
FITCHBURG, Mass. – Third-seeded Fitchburg State University defeated the sixth seeded Rams of Framingham State University, 4-0 in quarterfinal round action of the 2015-16 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) ice hockey post-season tournament this evening at the Wallace Civic Center.
Senior forward John Celli netted a pair of goals and one helper, while classmate Max Lorenzen picked up three assists for the Green and Gold to help carry the Falcons over the Rams in the first round of the conference playoffs.
Fitchburg State got on the board just 1:22 in the first period as senior forward Nat Rojas took the puck out from behind the net before dishing to line mate James Gordon for the finish in front for the 1-0 advantage, for his fourth goal of the season for the 1-0 advantage after 20 minutes of play.
In the middle frame, the Green and Gold doubled their lead (2-0) on at the final seconds of a 5-on-3 power play as Celli rifled a slap shot through traffic and finding the back of the net for his team-leading 13th tally on the season with assists from fellow seniors Ryan Connolly and Lorenzen.
Early in the final period of play, Celli struck for his second score of the contest, depositing the puck near side with the man advantage for the 3-0 lead. Lorenzen and newcomer Michael Fretz assisted on the play.
Fitchburg State added an insurance marker with just under three minutes remaining in the frame as Connolly gathered a feed from Lorenzen and Celli and wristed a shot into the upper left corner of the net for his 12th score on the year, resulting in the 4-0 final.
Throughout the contest, Fitchburg State held a 36-25 advantage in shots, while the Rams finished 0-for-5 on the power-play. In goal, freshman Charles Jakobsson stopped 25 shots for the Falcons in the complete game effort, while counterpart Alessio Muggli made 32 saves for Framingham State in 60 minutes of action.
Fitchburg State University (11-13-2, 7-9-2 MASCAC) returns to the ice on Tuesday to take on the second seeded Panthers of Plymouth State in semifinal round action of the 2015-16 MASCAC ice hockey tournament at 7 p.m. Framingham State concludes its 2015-16 season with an overall record of 6-19-1 and a 5-12-1 mark in conference play.
Release courtesy of Fitchburg State student journalist Kyle Prudhomme
