Fitchburg State Defeated By Colby, 8-3
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fitchburg St. (8-10-1) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
Colby (8-5-4) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
DiNicola, Hayashi and Snyder net one goal each for Falcons in non-conference setback
WATERVILLE, Maine. – The Fitchburg State ice hockey team was in action this afternoon, dropping a tough 8-3 decision to the 14th ranked Mules of Colby College in non-conference action at the Alfond Rink.
Fitchburg State opened the scoring just 50 seconds into the first period as sophomore forward Nick DiNicola collected a loose rebound in front of the net following a shot off the stick of freshman Tyler Warila and wristed a shot inside the far post for his fifth score of the season for the 1-0 lead.
Colby knotted the score (1-1) at the 2:50 mark when senior defenseman Jack Burton capitalized on a 5-on-3 power play opportunity, taking a feed from junior Phil Klitirinos before slipping a shot into the right side on the net for his sixth goal on the year.
The Mules took the lead with 7:48 remaining in the period as senior forward Scott Fenwick found the back of the net for his first goal of the 2016-17 campaign as sophomore Nick O'Connor and junior Cam MacDonald assisted on the play to make the score 2-1 after 20 minutes of play.
In the middle frame, Fitchburg State tied the contest up (2-2) at the 8:33 mark when senior forward Cameron Snyder redirected a shot off the stick of Warila into the back of the net for his sixth tally of the season.
The Mules regained the lead roughly 21 seconds later as junior forward EJ Rauseo buried shot inside the near post for his fourth goal on the year for the 3-2 edge. Colby upped its margin midway through the stanza when junior Dan Dupont connected on his second score of the season before the hosts added an insurance marker late in the period on a score by junior Griffin Fadden for the 5-2 margin going into the final ;period of play.
In the third period, the Mules extended its lead (8-2) on goals by Klitirinos, sophomore Thomas Stahlhuth and junior Mario Benicky before the Falcons capped the game's scoring as junior forward Corey Hayashi struck for his first marker on the year with 15 seconds remaining in the contest, resulting in the 8-3 final.
Throughout the game, Colby held a 47-19 margin in shots, while Fitchburg State finished 0-for-2 on the power play. In between the pipes, sophomore Charles Jakobsson and classmate Kirby Saari combined to stop 39 shots for the Falcons, while newcomer Andrew Tucci made16 saves for the Mules in 54:20 minutes of action.
Fitchburg State (8-10-1, 5-6-1 MASCAC) returns to action on Thursday as it hosts the Rams of Framingham State University for a contest starting at 7 p.m. Colby (8-5-4, 6-3-3 NESCAC) will host Hamilton College on Friday at 7 p.m.