Falcons Upend Becker, 8-3

Figi, Warila and Zerby net two goals each in non-conference victory 

Worcester, Mass. – Freshman Sascha Figi (Kloten, Switzerland), sophomore Tyler Warila (Shirley, Mass.) and classmate Dean Zerby (Harrisburg, Penn.) netted two goals each to lift the Fitchburg State University ice hockey team to an 8-3 victory over the Hawks of Becker College in the championship game of the inaugural Steve Hoar Memorial Invitational this evening at the Worcester Ice Center.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 8, Becker 3

Records: Fitchburg State (6-2-1)| Becker (3-7-0)

How It Happened

Becker opened the scoring at the 2:54 mark of the first period as senior forward Macgregor Howey (Grosse Ile, Mich.) struck for his second tally on the year for the 1-0 advantage before the Hawks doubled their lead (2-0) midway through the frame when Howey found the back of the net for his second score of the contest

Following a goal junior Ricky Kramer (Barnstead, N.H.) that cut the lead to 2-1, Fitchburg State tacked on three more scores as Zerby connected on back-to-back goals before Warila netted his team leading sixth marker of the season to make the score 4-2 after one period of play.

With the score 4-3, the Green and Gold extended their margin five minutes into the second frame as Figi notched his second goal of the contest before Warila collected his second score on the evening for the 6-3 lead roughly 40 seconds later.

In the third period, Fitchburg State capped the scoring at the 9:53 mark when junior forward Nick DiNicola (Wolcott, Conn.) deposited a shot into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the year, resulting in the 8-3 final.

Inside the Numbers

11th meeting between two schools on the ice with the Falcons 5-5-1 all-time when taking on the Hawks.

Becker had won three of the previous four matchups against Fitchburg State, including a 4-2 decision in the last meeting (10/31/2014).

Falcons held a commanding 52-26 margin in shots.

Fitchburg State finished 2-for-8 on the power-play, while Becker went 0-for-4 with the man advantage.

Freshman Brian McGrath (Worcester, Mass.) and junior Quinn Wold (Aurora, Colo.) combined to stop 23 shots for the Green and Gold

For the Hawks, sophomore Cody Foster (Saugus, Calif.) and newcomer Richard D'Ortenzio (Holliston, Mass.) combined for 44 saves on the night.

Nine different Falcon players collected at least point.

Warila totaled four goals and four assists for a total of eight points during the tournament. For his efforts, Tyler was named tournament MVP.

Up Next

Falcons will travel to Westfield State on Thursday to take on the Owls for a contest starting at 7:35 PM Hawks will host the Bison of Nichols College on the same day for a 7:30 PM start time.