WORCESTER, Mass. – Framingham State's Jake McKinnon (Framingham, Mass.) shot the game-winning goal just 18 seconds before the overtime period elapsed to take the 3-2 win over Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) opponents, Worcester State University, Thursday evening at the Hart Recreation Center on the campus of Holy Cross.
With the win, the Rams improve to 3-10-0 and 2-6-0 in MASCAC play, while the Lancers drop to 3-10-1 and 0-7-1 in the MASCAC.
Framingham State got ahead first, as Greg Stoya (Lake George, N.Y.) scored the Rams' first goal on assists from Cameron Coburn (Fresno, Calif.) and Tyler Colacchio (Bellingham, Mass.).
While the Rams took charge in the first period, the second period had the Lancers name written all over it, as the trio of Marcus Mazur (Beverly Hills, Mich.), Andrew Etheridge (Burrillville, R.I.), and Jeff Pierson (Longwood, Fla.) connected and gave the Lancers two goals to take the 2-1 lead going into the third period.
Just six minutes into the third period, Framingham's Colacchio decided to make the game interesting by burying the puck into the goal 6:04 into the third frame. Colacchio's tie-breaking goal was assisted by Keith Barnaby (Leominster, Mass.) and Hayden Lyle (North Kingston, R.I.). The teams went back and forth with each other, battling to take the lead, but neither team was able to place the puck in the goal to end the game in regulation time.
In the overtime period, Framingham State succeeded in having an 8-1 shot advantage over the Lancers, but were not able to score a goal until the final seconds when Colacchio and Richard Hill (Tampa, Fla.) setup McKinnon for the game-winning goal at 4:42 to lead the Rams to victory.
Colacchio led the Rams offensively, as he scored one goal and logged two assists. Barnaby recorded one assist for Framingham State, and also went 20-30 (66.7%) in faceoffs.
Worcester State's trio of Mazur, Etheridge, and Pierson were the ones who racked up the offensive stats for the Lancers. Mazur and Etheridge each had a goal and an assist apiece, while Pierson registered two assists on the evening.
On the defensive end, the Rams' freshman net minder, Scott Nicolich (Glen Cove, N.Y.) registered 26 saves and recorded his first win of the season. Worcester State's Max Kirkwood (Brunswick, Ohio) dropped to 1-8-1 on the season, while recording 27 saves on the evening.
Framingham State had a slight shot advantage over the Lancers at 30-28. Each team went 0.000 on power play opportunities, while the Rams had four and the Lancers had seven.
As a team, Worcester State only held eight penalty minutes, while Framingham State was handed 14 minutes in the penalty box on seven infractions.
Next up the Lancers will travel to Fitchburg State for another MASCAC matchup. Framingham State returns to the ice on Tuesday (Jan. 19) where they will match up against non-conference opponent, Stonehill, for a 7:30 p.m. home game.