Falcons Battle to Draw with Worcester State, 2-2

FITCHBURG, Mass. – In a closely contested contest at the Wallace Civic Center this evening, the Fitchburg State ice hockey team skated to a 2-2 overtime tie with the Lancers of Worcester State in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action.

The Lancers opened up the scoring just 1:53 into the opening frame when freshman Andy DeAngelis, jammed a wrap-around goal past Falcons netminder Charles Jakobsson pads on the goal line for his first collegiate goal. Worcester State had the opportunity to double the lead when Kyle Griffin was awarded a penalty shot after a Falcon infraction. However, Jakobsson thwarted the one-on-one attempt to keep it a one goal game.

Worcester would respond just minutes later when senior Mike Moran potted a shorthanded tally at the 13:40 mark of the frame. The Falcons would respond quickly, with Christopher Vicario deking across Lancer goalie Cory Lignelli's crease and burying the puck in the back of the net with 6:06 remaining in the period.

Both teams were deadlocked during the first half of the second period, with very few scoring opportunities presenting themselves. In the dying minutes of the period, the Falcons were able to utilize crisp passes to move up the ice quicker and create more offensive zone time. Finally, with a 5-on-3 advantage for the Green and Gold, a Michael Fretz slapshot from the point was redirected by senior Jon Johannesson to knot the game at 2-2 with 1:28 left to play in the second.

Both teams had solid scoring chances in the third period, however neither team were able to put the puck in the back of the net as we headed to overtime. The Falcons would dominate the five-minute session holding a 9-4 advantage in shots. However, Lignelli stood strong, stopping all nine shots he faced.

For the game, Fitchburg held a 29-25 shot advantage, while the Falcons won the faceoff battle by a tally of 31-23. In addition, Worcester was 0-for-7 on the power play while Fitchburg was 1-for-7 on the man advantage. In between the pipes, Jakobsson stopped 23 shots for the Falcons, while Lignelli registered 27 saves for the Lancers.

Fitchburg State (1-3-1, 1-1-1 MASCAC) will be back in action on Thursday, as they host Salem State at 7:00 p.m.