Falcons Rally Past Rams

Fitchburg, Mass. – Junior Wyatt Wilmshurst notched a power-play goal in the second period to propel the Fitchburg State men's ice hockey team to a 5-2 victory over the Rams of Framingham State University in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this afternoon at the Wallace Civic Center. 

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 5, Framingham State 2
Records: Fitchburg State (8-2, 10-4 MASCAC) |Framingham State (1-12, 0-8 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Framingham State jumped out to a 1-0 edge just eight seconds into the game. Junior Zach Bettmeng (Sioux Falls, SD) picked up an errant pass behind the Falcons net and tucked his first goal of the season past senior Brian McGrath (Worcester, Mass.) for the early lead.

The Rams would double the lead (2-0) just three minutes later when junior Jake Garman (Anchorage, AK) found sophomore Ethan Cerbonayco (Chicopee, Mass.) in the slot for the goal.

The Falcons, after peppering Framingham State's goaltender with shots, finally tipped the twine with a power-play goal from junior Hunter Fortin (Westerville, OH) at the 14:44 mark of the frame. Junior Anthony Ceolin and classmate Wyatt Wilmshurst (Massena, NY) collected helpers on the goal.

The Green and Gold tied the contest (2-2) at the 18:45 mark of the frame when junior Gene Bouthiette (Enfield, Conn.) saucered a backhand to newcomer Thomas Harty (Billerica, Mass.) for his fourth tally of the season.

Wilmshurst would give the Falcons the first lead (3-2) of the game in the second period with a seeing-eye wrist shot past freshman Trevor Stenberg (Randolph, NJ) for the man-advantage score.

In the final period, the hosts extended the lead (5-2) with a pair of power-play goals. First Ceolin connected on a rebound at 2:37 into the frame, then Zackery Diamont (Billerica, Mass) netted his sixth of the season with a 2-man advantage, resulting in the final score.

Inside the Numbers

• Wilmshurst, Fortin, and Harty each finished the night with a goal and an assist for two points
• Fitchburg State went 4-for-6 with the man advantage, while the Rams were 0-for-6 on the power play
• McGrath stopped 15 shots for the Falcons in the win
• Steinberg, who made several outstanding saves, made 59 stops in the loss

Up Next

The Falcons will travel to Worcester State on Thursday night for a match-up with the Lancers starting at 4:30 PM. The Rams are back in action on Saturday night when they host Salem State for a MASCAC tilt at 6:40 PM.