Fitchburg, MA --- Worcester State junior Jordan Roberts (Littleton, CO) and first-year Joe White (Wonder Lake, IL) netted a pair of first-period markers, but it was not enough to hold off Becker College who scored a trio of unanswered goals to upend the Lancers, 3-2, in overtime in the opening round of the IC Credit Union Shootout.
The tournament is hosted by Fitchburg State at the Wallace Civic Center and the contest marked the season opener for both squads.
WSU came out strong, scoring those two goals over a four minute span midway through the first period. Roberts netted the first goal of the game for Worcester State at the 9:29 mark, using helpers from sophomore Cody Osburn (Sacramento, CA) and junior Curtis Martin (Okotoks, Alberta) before White doubled the lead for the Blue and Gold while recording his first collegiate goal off a great feed from classmate Mike Leskun (Geneva, IL) at 13:37 of the opening frame.
After a scoreless second period, Becker began its comeback pursuit getting single scores from senior classmates Brandon Parkhouse (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) and David Graham (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) to knot the score at 2-2.
Parkhouse broke the Hawks scoring silence at the 12:15 mark of the third stanza before Graham put home the equalizer with just 0:50 remaining in regulation.
Graham's goal forced a five minute overtime period where the veteran forward found the back of the net again to clinch the victory for the Hawks. Graham tallied his second score of the contest just 0:45 into the period.
For the game, Becker dominated the offensive end, posting 43 shots on net compared to Worcester State's 15 targets. In net, junior Shaun Millerick (Hampton, N.H./Berwick Academy) collected his first victory of the year, while junior Taylor Fant (Denver, CO) stopped 40 shots in the loss for the Lancers.
Both teams will get back to action tomorrow afternoon as Worcester State battles Wentworth at 1 PM, and Becker takes on Fitchburg State at 4 PM.
Major Portions of Release Courtesy of Fitchburg State Sports Information