Fitchburg State Falls to Worcester State, 4-2
Ecklund and DiNicola net goals for Falcons in MASCAC setback
Sophomores Brandon Ecklund and Nick DiNicola paced the Falcons with a goal apiece, while Lancers' Mitchell Purdie tallied two and freshman Colin Whitt added a goal and assist.
A strong penalty kill by Fitchburg early in the second period kept Worcester at bay. Worcester State ramped up the shots, with 11 on the power-play, almost doubling their first period total shots. The Lancers extended their lead to 3-1 with a solid shot by Mitchell Purdie from the slot at 16:29 of the second period. The stong play continued from both teams throughout the period, keeping the game up for grabs.
Twenty-five seconds into the third period, while still on the power-play, DiNicola put the puck into a wide open net off a perfect cross crease pass from teammate Ricky Kramer to again cut the Lancers lead back down to one. Two more Worcester penalties late in the game gave the Falcons a chance to tie the game up, but the Lancers penalty kill stayed strong. Worcester added an empty net goal with a minute left to play to cement their victory over the Falcons 4-2.
Sophomore netminder Quinn Wold posted 25 saves in the loss, his counterpart Cory Lignelli turned back 21 shots for his fourth victory of the season.
Worcester held a slight advantage in shots (29-23) and was 1-for-3 with the man advantage, while the Falcons were 1-for-4 on the power play.