Ice Hockey Comeback Falls Short Against Fitchburg State

• The Falcons took a 1-0 lead with a power play goal midway through the first period as Oliver Cookson redirected a shot from Wyatt Wilmshurst into the back of the net. 

• The Rams had a chance to tie the game just under eight minutes into the second period. Kaleb Kinsky was awarded a penalty shot after a Fitchburg State penalty, but Max Macchioni came up with the save on the attempt. 

• The Rams did tie the game two minutes later when Cam Lindsay converted off a feed from Sam Larkin knotting the game at 1-1 with 10:09 on the clock. 

• The Rams grabbed their first lead of the game on a goal from Ashton Collazo whit just over six minutes to play in the second, but the Falcons answered with a goal of their own from Antoine Gignac a minute later tying the game at 2-2. 

• The Falcons took the lead back on the second power play goal of the game from Cookson with just over two left in the second and went to the locker room leading 3-2. 

• Fitchburg State added an insurance goal with just under four to go in the third when Gene Bouthiette sent shot into the net. 

• With under a minute to play, the Rams pulled their netminder for the extra skater and Eli Slagter converted off a feed from Dylan Marty to pull the Rams within one, 4-3, with 42.1 seconds remaining. That was as close as the Rams would get as the Falcons were able to hold them off in the final seconds. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• The Falcons held a 37-27 edge in shots for the game. Macchioni finished the game with 24 saves, while Blake Carlson tallied 33 saves in the game for Rams. 

• The game marked the 1,000thgame as a head coach for Fitchburg State's Dean Fuller. Fuller took over the program in 1984 and is one of only two NCAA Division III coaches to reach the milestone.       

UP NEXT: 

The Rams are back in action on Saturday when they host Worcester State for a MASCAC clash at 7:20 p.m. The Falcons host Umass Dartmouth on Saturday at 4 p.m. in another MASCAC tilt.