Worcester, MA- The Worcester State Lancers (7-17, 6-14 MASCAC) faced off against the MCLA Trailblazers (7-16-1, 5-14-1 MASCAC) in a critical matchup with the winner advancing to the conference playoffs with a victory.
The night was also played in honor of the Lancers seniors and their dedication to the program. Recognized tonight were seniors Louis Valente (Dracut, MA), Anthony Shrum (North Shores, MI), Jason Lee (Thousand Oaks, CA) and Brian Clougherty (Lynn, MA).
The Lancers currently hold a (2-0) season series lead versus the Trailblazers. Worcester defeated the opposition 5-3 at the DCU Center in early December. Late January saw the Lancers nab a second win with a score of 6-4 in North Adams.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Lancers struck first in the must-win contest. Worcester gained a man advantage after the Trailblazers Cade Herrera was sent to the box for holding eight minutes into the period. A faceoff win in the Lancer offensive zone found graduate senior Brendan Ronan's (Saugus, MA) stick where he passed it to first-year defenseman Michael Schaaf (Nashua, NH) who sniped a shot bar down off the post to give his team a 1-0 lead.
The Lancers struck again on an MCLA mistake in what amounted to a bizarre play. Both teams at even strength, MCLA maintained possession in front of their goal as two players were passing back and forth between each other deciding what to do with the puck. Senior forward Brian Clougherty (Lynn, MA) snuck up on the Trailblazers, stealthlike and intercepted one of the passes, shooting from right in front of the net to give his team a 2-0 lead.
Worcester came out of the intermission ready to go, firing multiple shots on MCLA netminder Matthew Glover in the opening minutes. Capitalizing on the shot onslaught, sophomore forward Anders Grongstad (Royal Oak, MI) blazed down the left side of the ice with a defender on his hip where the Michigan man shot into the chest of Glover as the puck seemed to be initially saved, but following up with the shot, Grongstad regained possession on the rebound, holding the puck and firing it behind the netminder for a 2-0 lead three minutes into the period.
MCLA eventually cut the deficit as a pass off the right boards in the neutral zone landed on a streaking Christopher Gallagher stick and with his momentum he had open ice in front of him, beating junior goalkeeper Jakub Kubik (Uherske Hradiste, Czech Republic).
Trailblazers Easton Moore was called for roughing with less than a minute remaining in the second. Worcester quickly converted on the power play as Shane Prifrel (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) slapped a one-time missile pass from Ronan across the ice from right to left, beating the goalie and giving the Lancers a commanding 4-1 lead. Cade Herrera led all Trailblazers with three shots heading into the second intermission.
The Lancers once again found themselves on a power play. Good karma found Ronan with junior forward Maxwell Tucker (Kalamazoo, Mich.) finding his teammate for a one-time slap shot to take a commanding 5-1 lead. Tucker sauced a pass from right to left, Ronan connecting with the powerful shot to beat the netminder.
Under five minutes remained when first-year Matt Lombardi (Hudson, MA) added insurance to the Lancer lead as he scored to make the game 6-1, the final score of the night for Worcester and giving them an opportunity at playoff hockey.
Jakub Kubik was incredible in the night, only allowing one goal with the help of his defense that smothered the Trailblazers allowing one goal on twenty-four shots.
UPDATED RECORDS:
With the win, the Lancers end their season with a final record of (8-17, 7-14 MASCAC) while MCLA falls to a final record of (7-17-1, 5-15-1 MASCAC).
WHAT'S NEXT?:
The next game for the Lancers will be a MASCAC playoff matchup on the road that will be determined at the conclusion of MASCAC games this evening.