WORCESTER, Mass. – Worcester State scored a pair of goals to cut their deficit to just one, but couldn't find an equalizer, as the Fitchburg State men's ice hockey team held on to their 3-0 lead for a 3-2 win in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action on Thursday evening at Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center.

The Lancers netted a goal in the second and the only tally of the third period, and then pressed for the final sixteen and a half minutes for the tying goal, but fell to 6-9-1 overall and 4-5-1 in the MASCAC. Fitchburg moves to 11-4 and 9-2 in conference play.

Anthony Ceolin (Simsbury, Conn.) gave the visitors a 2-0 lead with two goals in the opening 11 minutes. He beat Jakub Kubik (Uherske Hradiste, Czech Republic) on the power play with a wrist shot to open the game, and then picked off the puck behind the Lancers goal less than nine minutes later to give him six goals on the season.

Rece Bergeman (Newark, Del.) added another goal with 4:00 minutes gone in the second period, but the Lancers got on the board before the end of that frame.

Brian Clougherty (Lynn, Mass.) drove the puck down the left side of the ice and found Deiter Stange (Niles, Ill.) with a nifty feed that left him clear of Fitchburg goalie Brian McGrath (Worcester, Mass.).

McGrath made 26 saves in the win for the Falcons, while Kubik made seven stops in the first period before giving way to Wyatt Friedlander (Lake Placid, N.Y.).

Friedlander saved 17 shots over the final two periods and gave up just the one goal. With 3:35 gone in the third period, Nick Pennucci (Worcester, Mass.) grabbed the rebound on a shot from Jack Kroll (Plainfield, Ill.) and rifled it into the top corner of the Falcons net.

Worcester State outshot the Falcons 12-8 in the final period and 28-27 overall, but time ran out on the comeback attempt.

This weekend's MASCAC game against UMass Dartmouth has been postponed to February 14^th, so the Lancers will next be on the ice on February 2^nd with a 3:40 PM game against Assumption.

Fitchburg travels to New Hampshire to play Plymouth State on February 1^st at 4:00 PM.