Falcons Soar Past Vikings, McGrath Sets Saves Record

Fitchburg, Mass. – Senior goaltender Brian McGrath (Worcester, Mass.) made 30 saves to become the all-time leader is saves for the Falcons as the Fitchburg State men's ice hockey team cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Vikings of Salem State in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this evening at the Wallace Civic Center.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 5, Salem State 1
Records: Fitchburg State (12-5, 10-3 MASCAC) |Salem State (6-10, 4-8 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Fitchburg State raced out to a 2-0 lead after one period on two goals from freshman Zackery Diamont (Billerica, Mass.). Just 1:48 into the frame Diamont one-timed a pass from junior Hunter Fortin (Westerville, OH) to give the Green and Gold the early advantage. Diamont doubled the lead with a power-play goal at the 13:13 mark, for his ninth game of the season.

McGrath broke the record (2,604 saves) early in the second period, with a save off the stick of Vikings Skylar Miller (Chandler, Ariz.).

Salem State tipped the scoreboard in the second period with a power-play goal from Joe Smith (Holbrook, Mass.) to cut the deficit in half (2-1). The Falcons responded just over a minute later when junior Egan Wolford (San Jose, Calif.) found newcomer Toivo Kramer (New York, NY) on the right-wing to push the score to 3-1. Kramer notched his second goal of the period at the 14:20 mark to extend the lead (4-1). Diamont collected assists on both second period tallies.

Sophomore Cole Archambeault (Leominster, Mass.) potted his third goal of the year in the third period, resulting in the 5-1 final. Freshman Corey Tumenas (Leominster, Mass.) collected his first collegiate point with an assist on the goal.

Inside the Numbers

• Diamond led the Falcons with four points (2 goals, 2 assists) Kramer chipped in with two goals and a helper
• Fitchburg was 1-for-4 with the man-advantage, while Salem was 1-for-5 on the power-play
• McGrath earned his tenth win of the season
• Joona Sato-Hunsula made 36 saves in the loss for the Vikings
• Former Falcon Devan McConnel held the saves record with 2,604, McConnell's last season with the Green and Gold was 2007-08

Up Next

The Falcons will travel to Framingham State on Saturday afternoon for a match-up with the Rams starting at 12:40 PM.