Hockey Opens Second Half with Loss to Fitchburg State
Framingham, Mass- The Framingham State men's ice hockey team dropped a MASACAC matchup with Fitchburg State by a score of 5-2 on a snowy Saturday afternoon in Framingham. With the win the Falcons improve to 6-5-1 and 4-2-1 in the conference. The Rams slip to 1-10 and 0-7 in league play.
The two teams skated to an even first period. The Rams had the best opportunity to score in the opening minutes when the Fitchburg goalie made a save that was rebounded to Ryan Donahue (Natick, Mass.) to the open side of the net but his shot went just over the crossbar.
The Rams opened up scoring just over two minutes into the second when Zachary D'Erricco (Concord, NH) settled a loose puck in the offensive zone on a Falcons power-play and sent it home for the short-handed score.
The Falcons responded just forty seconds later, still on the power-play, when Connor McPherson (Lancaster, CA) sent home a one-time pass from Mike Fretz (Seattle, WA).
Later in the period the Falcons scored on a 5-on-3 power play when Nick DiNicola (Wolcott, Conn.) scored with an assist going to Joshua Larson (Fredricksburg, VA). The Rams had a 5-on-3 advantage moments later and couldn't capitalize.
The visitors added to their advantage just under five minutes into the third when Dean Zerby (Harrisburg, PA) poked in a rebounded shot from Corey Hayashi (Toronto, ON) to take a 3-1 lead. Later in the frame Fretz got one of his own when a Josh Victor (Kileen, TX) through pass set up a breakaway from the blue line that Fretz converted.
The Rams cut into the Falcons lead when Tyler Colacchio (Bellingham, Mass.) sent a shot into the back of the net on a pass from Jake McKinnon (Framingham, Mass.). The Falcons added an empty net goal in the final minute when Jon Johannesson (Red Lake, ON) scored with assists from Corey Hayashi (Toronto, ON) and Victor.
Framingham State freshman goalie Greg Harney (East Haven, Conn.) made 24 saves in his first game with the Rams. Fitchburg goalie Kirby Saari (Cape Elizabeth, ME) turned away 36 shots for the visitors.
The Rams were 0-for-3 on the power play and picked up a short-handed tally. The Falcons were 2-of-7 on the man advantage.
The Rams return to the ice on Monday, January 9th when they host Western New England at Loring Arena scheduled for a 7:30 start. The Falcons travel to Assumption College for a non-conference matchup on Tuesday, January 10th.