Falcons, Lancers Skate to OT Draw

Fitchburg, Mass.  – The Fitchburg State men's ice hockey team skated to a 3-3 overtime tie with the Lancers of Worcester State in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action on Thursday evening at the Wallace Civic Center.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 3, Worcester State 3 OT
Records: Fitchburg State (8-7-3, 6-3-3 MASCAC) | Worcester State (9-8-1, 8-3-1 MASCAC)

How It Happened

The fans weren't even in their seats as the Falcons tipped the twine just twenty-four seconds into the game. Senior Rece Bergeman (Newark, Del.) collected a juicy rebound off the Lancers' pads and deposited his ninth goal of the season into an open net. Classmate Hunter Fortin (Westerville, Ohio) started the play with a breakout from the Falcons' defensive zone creating a two-on-one opportunity. 

The Falcons double the lead with a power-play goal from Antoine Gignac (Quebec City, Que.). The graduate student delivered a one-time slap shot from the blue line for his fourth goal on the year.

Worcester State cut the deficit in half with a score just before intermission. Deiter Stange (Niles, Ill.) fed a pass to Brendan Ronan (Saugus, Mass.) for a goal with ten seconds remaining in the frame.

Early in the second period, Gignac scored his second of the night with a seeing-eye wrist shot from the blueline. Wyatt Wilmshurst (Massena, NY) and Joshua Miller (Saint Augustine, Fla.) added assists on the score, to give the Falcons a 3-1 lead.

Worcester State battled back in the third period to knot the game at 3-3. Senior Kevin Drevitch (Oxford, NJ) started the Lancer comeback with an unassisted tally at the 7:11 mark. Five minutes later sophomore Cody Porcello (Melrose, Mass.) notched his second goal of the season to tie the game.

Both teams skated a scoreless overtime period.

Inside the Numbers

• Worcester State held the advantage in shots (54-40)
• The Falcons were 1-for-5 with the man-advantage, while the Lancers were 0-for-3
• Max Macchioni (North Kingstown, RI) posted 54 stops for the Green and Gold
• Sophomore Jakub Kubik made 40 saves for the Lancers

Up Next

The Falcons return to action on Saturday when they host Plymouth State at 3:00 PM. Saturday is Hockey Day in the "Burg, where all proceeds from a triple-header day of hockey will benefit the Jake Thibeault Foundation.