Another weekend, and another shift in conference standings, as the MASCAC has a new top dog this Monday morning. Here’s a look at all that went down this weekend.
Saturday, Jan. 29
Nichols 5, Salve Regina 4: A four-goal outburst by Nichols in the second period broke a scoreless tie and seemed to wrap a victory up for the Bisons. After Greg Strootman’s goal gave Nichols a 5-0 lead early in the final period, Salve Regina roared back with four unanswered goals. It wasn’t enough however, as the Bisons held on to extend their winning streak to four and push them to fourth in the ECAC Northeast.
Curry 5, Becker 5: A frantic first two periods saw a combined nine goals and Curry with a slim 5-4 lead entering the third, but freshman Korby Anderson’s third goal of the game at 19:55 sent it to overtime, where neither team could break the deadlock. Curry outshot Becker 55-31, with the Hawks’ Jake Rosenthal producing 55 saves.
Wentworth 6, Western New England 2: A deceiving final score hides what was a close game until Wentworth put it away with three third period goals, including two in the final two minutes. Anthony Principato scored two goals for the Leopards, while Casey Shade added two assists. Eric Sorenson stopped 46 shots for the Golden Bears.
Massachusetts-Dartmouth 5, Framingham State 2: Again, another game that the final score makes look more comfortable than it really was. The Rams pulled to within 3-2 early in the third on a Benjamin Pacific goal, but the Corsairs responded with two scores to put the game away.
“Some of our big goal scorers are starting to step up,” UMD coach John Rolli told Corsair Athletics.com after game. “Todd Bartelson scored for us off an end zone faceoff, and Joe Hill scored a big goal to restore our two-goal lead. Framingham played a good game; they hung in there and kept fighting.”
Worcester State 6, Westfield State 2: The Lancers stopped a three-game skid with three goals in the final period to pull away from the Owls. Chris Wallin’s second goal of the game made it 4-2 at 5:43 in the third, and Brice Cook and Brendan Galley added the final markers of the game for Worcester. Brian Kalczynski made 46 saves for the Lancers.
Fitchburg State 4, Plymouth State 1: Three third period goals broke a 1-1 tie and gave Fitchburg State the top spot in the MASCAC entering the week. Chris Riggs had two goals for the Falcons, who also received 30 saves from Bobby Leiser. The loss is just the second of the year for the Panthers, and first since Nov. 18 at Salem State. The Falcons extended their unbeaten streak to five with the win.
Sunday, Jan, 30
Johnson and Wales 4, Suffolk 2: Jeremiah Ketts’ scored his 14th goal of the year to break a 2-2 late in the third. Jason Pietrasiak’s second goal of the game capped the scoring for the Wildcats, who moved into a tie with Curry for first place in the ECAC Northeast. Ketts’ 14 goals are tops in the conference and tied for eighth overall nationally.
Weekly Honors
MASCAC
Player of the Week: Chris Riggs, Fitchburg State. Netted a pair of goals and three assists for five points in 2-0 week for Falcons, including pair of markers and helper in 4-1 victory at Plymouth State to go with pair of assists in 6-1 triumph over Worcester State.
Goalie of the Week: Bobby Leiser, Fitchburg State: Stopped 30-of-31 shots in the Falcons’ 4-1 win over Plymouth State Saturday.
