MEN’S HOCKEY FALLS AT FITCHBURG
FITCHBURG – Sophomores Michael Fretz and Nick DiNicola scored a pair of power-play goals just 16 seconds apart to propel the Fitchburg State University men’s ice hockey team to a 5-3 victory over visiting Salem State University in Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action on Thursday night at the Wallace Civic Center.
The Salem State Vikings dominated possession in the first period. The Vikings finally cashed in on their fourth power play opportunity, with Salem State’s freshman Callum Hofford scoring from a slapshot in the slot, good for his third goal of the season. He was assisted by juniors Michael Casale and Daniel Campbell. Salem State’s crisp and accurate passing kept Fitchburg State’s defense moving, causing the Vikings to double the Falcons shot output 14-7 in the first frame.
Trailing 1-0, Fitchburg State’s sophomore Brandon Ecklund knotted his first collegiate goal to tie the score (1-1) just three minutes into the second period. However, Salem State’s Michael Casale notched a goal nearly four and half minutes later, his second of the season to give the Vikings a one goal lead. Down two-men with less than five minutes to play in the frame, the green and gold evened the score (2-2) when sophomore Ricky Kramer tallied top-shelf on a shorthanded breakaway. Fitchburg State closed the period with high intensity, bringing the shot deficit down in the second period, outshooting the Vikings 13-8.
In the third period, the Falcons showed their strength, coming out of the break with more speed and strength than their counterpart Vikings, allowing them to break the 2-2 stalemate. The Falcons went up 4-2 with a pair of nifty goals off a five-on-three man advantage. The first goal was netted by sophomore Mike Fretz and assisted by Tyler Warila and Rick Kramer, and the second, just seconds later was registered by Sophomore Nick DiNicola off a cross crease pass from Warila. Three minutes later, junior James Gordon tipped the twine with an insurance marker to extend Fitchburg State’s lead to 5-2.
Salem State’s senior Brandon Platt scored with a minute remaining for the 5-3 final.
Fitchburg netminder Charles Jakobsson posted 23 saves on the night, earning his second win of the season.
Salem State ended up winning the shot battle 26-25, and converted 3-for-6 on the power-play, while Fitchburg was 2-for-6 with the man advantage.
Fitchburg State (2-3-1, 2-1-1 MASCAC) returns to action on Saturday when they travel to Plymouth State to take on the Panthers at 6 p.m. Salem State (1-3, 1-2 MASCAC) will host the Corsairs of UMass Dartmouth on Saturday for a contest starting at 2 p.m.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WINS AT HOME
SALEM — Kia Fernandes (Wareham, Mass.) scored a game-high 20 points and Norma Waggett (Saugus, Mass.) added 18 points and six rebounds as Salem State cruised to a 72-46 win over Lasell College Thursday evening on Military Appreciation Night at Twohig Gymnasium. Salem State opens their home season with their first victory of the year, improving to 1-1 while the Lasers drop to 1-1.
Fernandes got to work early in the contest as she led the Vikings on an 8-0 run to start the game, as she tallied six points during the stretch. Lasell relied on the outside shot to end the scoring drought as Madison Cota (Bellows Falls, VT) drained a mid range jumper to cut the deficit to 8-2. Salem State also looked inside for points as they scored 10 of their 20 first quarter points in the paint while the Lasers had zero.
Lasell College attempted 15 three-pointers in the half, only made three of them, which all came from Morgan Church (New London, N.H.). This buried the Lasers into a 33-19 deficit at the half. The Vikings also earned the edge on the glass as they out-rebounded the Lasers 22-17. Salem State reached a 17-point lead with four-minutes remaining in the half after Kaitlyn Byran (Lowell, Mass.) finished a fast break layup that put the Vikings up 31-14.
The dominance continued for the Salem State in the second half as they were able to hold their ground in the paint and on the boards. The home team scored 28 points in the paint while holding the Lasers to only six. The Vikings’ defense also played at high level, forcing 20 turnovers, and converting 29 points.
Production on the offensive end also came from the bench of Salem State as they added 15 points. Saran Kaba (Boston, Mass.) led the second unit with seven points, four assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Remaining faithful to their game plan, Lasell stuck to shooting the three-ball as they improved to 37.5 % (3-8) in the second half. Taylor Hughey (Redding, Calif.) added nine points off the Laser bench, shooting 3-6 from beyond the arc. However, the margin was too large for Lasell as the Vikings went on to win by a score of 72-46.
Byran contributed 12 points, eight rebounds, and three steals. Church led the way for the Lasers with 11 points and eight rebounds.
Salem State will participate in the Smith College Invitational where they take on Colby-Sawyer on Nov. 19 at 4:00 p.m. The Lasers will travel to Lyndon State on Nov. 19 they tipping-off at 1:00 p.m.
