Ice Hockey Advances To MASCAC Championship Game

Macchioni nets game-winner for the Green and Gold in overtime

Fitchburg, Mass. The Fitchburg State ice hockey team collected a 2-1 overtime victory over the Corsairs of UMass Dartmouth this evening in semifinal round action of the 2023-24 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) post-season tournament from the Wallace Civic Center.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 2, UMass Dartmouth 1

Records: Fitchburg State (15-7-2 13-4-2 MASCAC) I UMass Dartmouth (16-11-0, 13-8-0 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Fitchburg State opened the scoring midway through first period when freshman Hunter Dunn (Douglas, MA) collected a feed from classmate Jackson Collins (Wake Forest, NC) and sophomore Nolan Sargent (Littleton, CO) and deposited a shot into the lower right corner for his sixth tally of the season for the 1-0 edge.

Following a scoreless middle frame, UMass Dartmouth knotted the score (1-1) at the 9:28 mark of the third period with sophomore Brandon Clark (Rochester, NY) redirecting a shot into the back of the net for his second tally on the year with assists from graduate student Stephon Perreault (Greenwood Village, CO) and senior Cade Hanley (Bozeman, MT) to send the game into the overtime.

In the extra stanza, the Falcons secured the victory nine minutes into the period as junior Michael Macchioni (North Kingstown, RI) poked home a loose puck following a scramble in front of the for his fifth goal of the 2023-24 campaign as classmate Toivo Kramer (New York, NY) and freshman Michael Imala (Oak Lawn, IL) assisted on the play, resulting in the 2-1 final.

By the Numbers

• 91st meeting between the Falcons and the Corsairs on the ice with Fitchburg State 38-44-9 all-time when taking UMass Dartmouth
• UMass Dartmouth finished with a 37-30 advantage in shots
• Falcons went 0-for-3 on the power-play
• Freshman Frederick Soderberg (Harrison Township, MI) stopped 36 shots for the Falcons
• Graduate student Daniel Davidson (Surrey, BC) made 28 saves for the Corsairs

Up Next

Falcons return to action next Saturday as they take on the winner of the Plymouth State/Westfield State contest in the 2023-24 MASCAC Championship game.

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