FITCHBURG, Mass. – The Worcester State University men's ice hockey team dropped the regular season finale to Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) opponent, Fitchburg State, by a score of 4-3 Tuesday evening.

THE BASICS

February 20, 2018

Wallace Civic Center

Score: Fitchburg State 4, Worcester State 3

Records: Fitchburg State (16-6-3, 11-4-3 MASCAC) | Worcester State (13-10-2, 8-8-2 MASCAC)

1^ST PERIOD

Fitchburg State began the scoring just 46 seconds into the game when sophomore forward Christopher Vicario (Cranston, R.I.) took a feed from junior Nick DiNicola (Wolcott, Conn.) and slipped one past Worcester State's goaltender, Aaron Callon (South Lyon, Mich.) for the 1-0 margin.

2^ND PERIOD

The Falcons took advantage of two power plays in the first six minutes of the game to attain a 3-0 lead. Kyle Hillick (Byfield, Mass.) and Sascha Figi (Kloten, Switzerland) scored in the third and sixths minutes, respectively. Worcester State broke the nil Lancer score in the 15^th minute when Jake Karelas (Melrose, Mass.) tallied a goal on assists from Mike Palmer (Grafton, Mass.) and Mike Moran (Milford, Mass.). Nick Patullo (Doylestown, Pa.) found CJ Buckingham (Pembroke, Mass.) in the 18^th minute as he connected on his second tally of the year for the 3-2 score heading in the final frame.

3^RD PERIOD

The Lancers knotted the score at 3-3 on a goal from Cody Weaver (West Greenwich, R.I.). However, the Falcons sought out the game-winner with six minutes left on the clock when junior Brandon Ecklund (Fitchburg, Mass.) collected a loose puck off the shot of junior Patrick Germain (Auburn, Mass.) and deposited the shot into the lower left corner for his fourth tally of the year, resulting in the 4-3 final.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Despite the loss, Worcester State outshot the hosts 51-26.
• Worcester State's Callon suffered his first loss in net, stopping 22-of-26 shots for an 84.6 save percentage.
• Fitchburg State's Kirby Saari (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) made 48 stops with a 94.1 save percentage in the 60 minutes played.
• Fitchburg State converted on 2-of-3 power plays, while Worcester State went 0-for-3.
• In the 61^st meeting between the two schools, Fitchburg State leads 41-16-4 all-time.

UP NEXT

The men's ice hockey team earns the No. 3 seed in the MASCAC tournament, and will host No. 6 Salem State on Saturday (Feb. 24) at the Worcester Ice Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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